{"id":4483,"date":"2016-07-17T23:28:59","date_gmt":"2016-07-17T23:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=4483"},"modified":"2016-07-17T23:28:59","modified_gmt":"2016-07-17T23:28:59","slug":"bye-bye-bijlmerbajes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/bye-bye-bijlmerbajes\/","title":{"rendered":"Bye, bye Bijlmerbajes!"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the most infamous prisons of the Netherlands, the\u00a0Bijlmerbajes<\/em>, closed on\u00a0June 1, 2016. It started as a humane prison, without bars in front of the windows. The cell doors were mostly open all day long, and some of the\u00a0gedetineerden\u00a0<\/em>(detained) even had the key to their own cell. But notorious escapes ensued, and the Bijlmerbajes\u00a0<\/i>became more like a prison. Time went on, and ultimately it was closed because it was too old, inefficient, expensive…\u00a0Niet meer van deze tijd\u00a0<\/em>(“not anymore of this time”)<\/p>\n

\"1024px<\/a>

The Bijlmerbajes and its six torens\u00a0<\/em>(towers). (Image by Mark Ahsmann at Commons.wikimedia.org under license CC BY SA 4.0)<\/p><\/div>\n

De\u00a0Bijlmerbajes<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Amsterdam.<\/a>

Amsterdam. Red = Over-Amstel. Green = Bijlmermeer. Black dot = Bijlmerbajes<\/em>. (Original image by Michiel 1972 at Commons.wikimedia.org under license CC BY SA 3.0)<\/p><\/div>\n

The full, formal\u00a0name of the\u00a0gevangenis\u00a0<\/em>was Penitentiaire Inrichting Amsterdam Over-Amstel<\/em> (Penitentiary Institution Amstedam Over-Amstel). A mouth full! So it is not surprising that a nickname was used, and that became\u00a0Bijlmerbajes<\/em>. What does that mean?<\/p>\n

Bijlmer\u00a0<\/em>refers to\u00a0Bijlmermeer<\/em>, a\u00a0wijk\u00a0<\/em>(neighborhood) in Amsterdam. However, as\u00a0the name suggests, the\u00a0gevangenis\u00a0<\/em>is not located in the\u00a0Bijlmer<\/em>, but in\u00a0Over-Amstel<\/em>. On the image on the right, the red is Over-Amstel<\/em>, and the green is\u00a0Bijlmermeer<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0The black dot is where the Bijlmerbajes\u00a0<\/em>is located.<\/p>\n

If it is not located in\u00a0Bijlmer<\/em>, then\u00a0why the name?<\/div>\n

It is quite random, actually. On February 23, 1974, so 4 years before the prison opened, journalist Hans Smits wrote an article in the paper\u00a0Vrij Nederland<\/em>. A new metro station was built close to the prison, and he thought a fitting name would be\u00a0Bijlmerbajes<\/em>. When that term was adopted by an action group against building the prison, it stuck. So when it opened in 1978, it was already called\u00a0Bijlmerbajes<\/em>!<\/p>\n

Humane<\/strong><\/h2>\n