"The people are friendly and the food is good." That was something you always heard about De Mick . A sanatorium for tuberculosis patients, it was built in the 1920s by the Belgian Transport Workers' Union (BTB) in Brasschaat. An estimated 15,000 workers would be treated there over the years. Tuberculosis (TB) was one of the major social scourges of the 19th century, primarily affecting the poor working-class population. Only after the Second World War, with the discovery of antibiotics, did an effective treatment emerge. A large movement also arose around De Mick: a Circle of volunteers who raised money through numerous activities to support De Mick. After the Second World War, they even became one of the largest concert organizers in Antwerp.
Historian Donald Weber (Amsab-ISG) recently compiled a booklet chronicling the history of De Mick's centennial . You'll also hear from Fons Geeraerts, who was recently chairman of De Mick and is a former BTB secretary.
Prefer to read? You can also find an interview about 100 years of De Mick in the December 2022 issue of Linxuit
