Along with the town hall, the church and the place Saint-Denis, the site of the Abbaye de Forest (Forest Abbey), which dates back to the 12th century, forms the historical centre of the Brussels municipality of Forest.

In addition to the necessary restoration of the remarkable heritage it represents, the municipality of Forest has therefore decided to continue giving the site a cultural purpose and to organise its complete redeployment so as to find new uses for it and giving the site a sustainable future.

The idea behind the "ABY cultural hub" is first and foremost to bring together in one place a variety of institutions linked to culture, art education and youth. There are plans to create a new performance hall, a small auditorium, a toy library and a café and restaurant.

The ABY project involves a total investment of 32 million euros. Today, the project receives about 22 million euros in financing through European (ERDF), federal (Beliris) and regional (district contract, monuments and sites) subsidies.

Before the first works started, ABŸ is already hosting activities, in particular the "ABY BUVETTE", and the "Green Fabric ABŸ", which offers a shared workshop area, participative workshops and a small shop area.

www.greenfabric.be

The ERDF involvement is financing the following investments:

-             Study/Architecture costs linked to the renovation works.

-             Works to renovate and extend the main building of the Abbaye de Forest (Forest Abbey) in 1190 Forest

For an amount of 7.4 million euros, half of which is paid for by the BCR and half by the EU.