Its a former railway/canal transit hub, built in what Brits would call the Victorian era. It shows the same unshakeable belief in the permanence of the project at hand that can be seen in many of Britain's railway stations, town halls and other civil engineering projects of the day. Indeed there is almost a sense of religious calling in some of the architectural details. These arches, at one of the entrances, seem to be directly influenced by the kind of architecture found in abbeys and other medieval buildings.
The freight terminal has now had its day - but Belgium values its patrimony- and the buildings were kept. Several are in a state of disrepair. One is now home to the Brussels Circus School. Others have been beautifully restored.
The vision of the forefathers has been turned into chic offices and a shopping centre. I am told that the office spaces are full of prestige companies (law firms, designers etc)- but the shopping centre hasn't quite taken off - even on Saturday afternoon there's something missing-
People???
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