Rogier Square

"The Rogier Square in Brussels" was painted by Frantz Charlet. "The Rogier Square in Brussels" as Frantz Charlet painted it has no date, but likely dates back to around 1900. Charlet was a thoroughbred Impressionist. He carefully searched for the aesthetics of a landscape. The Rogier Square of his time must have captivated him greatly. His sketchy impression shows the tiled square with kiosks and trees bathed in sunlight. Horse and carriage wait like taxis avant la lettre for passengers. In the background lies the North Station, with the Hotel St. Jean on the left, waving a Belgian flag. In 1955, the North Station was permanently demolished. A new station was needed to realize the underground north-south connection. Until then, Brussels North and Brussels South were terminal stations. In place of the North Station, the defining Martini Tower was built, named after the large neon advertisement on the building. The tower was completed in the Expo year 1958 and built on the site of the demolished North Station. Architect Jacques Cuisinier employed the utopian concepts of Le Corbusier. Working and living had to be able to coexist. Right at the top, entertainment beckoned with the Martini club. Celebrities from the "golden sixties" frequented it for years. The once trendy tower only had 36 years of life when it was taken down in 2004. It made way for the even taller new Rogier Tower.

To see "The Rogier Square in Brussels" by Frantz Charlet, you must go to the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent.

Pascal Brackman