Tour & Taxis

From the late Middle Ages, the noble house of Tour & Taxis held a monopoly on postal connections in Europe, with Brussels as the central hub. It used to graze the horses used to carry the post on the marshy ground by the Canal here. At the end of the 19th century, the city of Brussels built a 40-hectare logistics centre for the storage and taxing of goods that were brought in by boat and train.

On either side of the Royal Depot’s rail track were loading and unloading bays and goods lifts up to the top floor. Activities ceased in the early 1980s. After the site had stood empty and neglected for many years, the city and the Belgian railway company SNCB sold most of it to a private developer in 2008. This developer is building a diverse new urban district here with housing, cultural facilities, shops and offices. Today, the renovated Royal Depot is a business centre with shops, cafés and restaurants. The central hallway is always open: feel free to walk in and return to this spot another time.

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