Bijlmerbajes, former prison in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Bijlmerbajes is a large building complex in Amsterdam that once functioned as a prison with six tall towers connected by a long central corridor. The towers range between 12 and 14 floors and are now being gradually transformed into housing, offices, and public spaces as part of the Bajeskwartier redevelopment project.
The complex opened in 1978 as a modern prison designed with minimal traditional security features like bars. It operated for approximately 40 years before closure in 2016, after which the Dutch government purchased the site in 2017 to redevelop it into the Bajeskwartier neighborhood.
The name Bijlmerbajes comes from the neighborhood Bijlmermeer and the Dutch slang term 'bajes' for prison. Today, parts of the complex host students, artists, restaurants, and temporary housing, showing how locals have adapted the space for new purposes while remembering its former use.
The site is located about 150 meters from Amstel metro station, making it easily accessible by public transport. Large portions of the complex are still under reconstruction, so accessibility varies and it is worth checking beforehand which areas are open to visitors.
One of the six original towers, called the women's tower, is being preserved and converted into a space for urban farming instead of being demolished. This symbolic transformation reflects how a place of confinement is becoming a space for growth and community production.
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