South

At the end of the 19th century, Haussmannism became popular, referring to the architect Haussmann who worked for Napoleon III. It is characterized by replacing medieval street patterns with wide boulevards and spacious squares. Ghent also fell under this movement, notably with the Zollikofer-De Vigne plan, developed by city architect Edmond De Vigne and engineer Edouard Zollikofer.
That plan included a direct connection between the South Station and the city center via a central axis: the Vlaanderenstraat, which would split into the Henegouwenstraat and the Limburgstraat from the Nederschelde.
It also included the covering of the Nederschelde where a François Laurent square was planned that would end in a large roundabout, the Lieven bauwens square.
Initially, the Ghent city government was negative, but the threat of epidemics in the unsanitary workers' neighborhood of the Nederschelde neighborhood in the second half of the 19th century made them change their minds.
This resulted in the filling of the Nederschelde, the demolition of 950 workers' houses, and the forced relocation of 3000 workers and their families. The famous Ghent folk singer Karel Waeri even made a protest song about the expulsion of the residents from the Nederschelde.

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