The record
Five pieces built into an Amnesty International monument at the castle of the counts, with stones from Robben Island.
Five pieces of the Wall are built into a monument at the Gravensteen, the castle of the counts of Flanders, whose dungeons held prisoners between 1407 and 1708 and now house a torture museum. Three of the pieces are set into the monument's foundation and two are visible. The work was made by Amnesty International with the Honest Arts Movement and unveiled on 3 May 1996: an aluminium-rod sculpture with a human silhouette cut out of it, on a stepped grey base. It also carries small stones from Robben Island.
The argument at this site is about imprisonment rather than division, and it is made across five centuries in one object — a medieval prison, a German border, and the island where Nelson Mandela spent eighteen years. At the dedication, Ghent schoolchildren wrote letters to political prisoners.
How did it get here?
Designed by Freddy de Vos of Drongen; the wall pieces were given by a German colleague of the artist.
Sources & verification
Federal Foundation — Berlin Wall worldwide, site entry ↗
Five pieces at the Gravensteen, three set into the foundation, the Amnesty International and Honest Arts Movement monument unveiled 3 May 1996, the artist Freddy de Vos, the German donor, and the Robben Island stones.
Source accessed 2026-09-17
Federal Foundation — Berlin Wall worldwide ↗
The source lists this place as a Berlin Wall location. Coordinates, where supplied, are source-reported and may represent a general area. This is not independent verification of authenticity, current presence, or public access.
Source accessed 2026-09-17 · Source record 102
Last verified: Not yet verified
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