Place Rogier

Welcome to this former station square on the Petite Ceinture. From 1846 to 1953, the majestic first Gare du Nord railway station was located where the tall Belfius Tower or Rogier Tower (2004) stands today. This Gare du Nord was a railway terminal: passengers wishing to continue their journey had to proceed on foot or by tram (horse-drawn at first) to Gare du Midi. If you stand with your back to the ring road, you will see two hotels on the right and a corner hotel on the left, all of which date from that period. Despite the railway station’s disappearance, the square is still a transport node for cars, buses and the metro. The large white canopy by architect Xaveer De Geyter (2015) covers an entrance to the underground metro station, whose platforms are visible from the square.

After the station’s demolition, a building that came to be called the Martini Tower (1958) was constructed on that spot. The iconic neon sign for the well-known aperitif was later replaced by the Mercedes star. The multi-purpose skyscraper by architect Jacques Cuisinier housed exhibition spaces, a theatre and conference rooms, offices and apartments, a shopping arcade and an exclusive club. The name of the 102-metre high Manhattan Center (1972) to your left refers to the ambitious Manhattan Plan, which will be mentioned frequently in the course of this walk.

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