North-South connection

The wide avenue at the bottom of the Kunstberg is actually the roof of the Jonction, the North-South railway tunnel. On the right, you can see the Central Station, whose six platforms are underground. In place of the demolished neighborhoods, anonymous, large-scale office buildings have emerged along this urban scar. Outside of office hours, there is little life on the street and the wide thoroughfare still acts as a busy barrier. The city of Brussels wants more housing, greenery, and calmer connections between the upper and lower city. In the master plan by Brussels landscape architect Bas Smets, the bare Albertinaplein across the street might become an 'urban forest'?

The building behind the stone statue of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium is a fine example of Brussels’ ‘façadisme’. In response to the large-scale modernization of the 1950s, the city developed a ‘special development plan’ for the old center in 1960, focusing on attracting tourists. Strict building regulations protected the existing old facades and mandated a ‘historical’ style for new buildings. This row of houses is an example of that: at first glance, we see four separate homes with modest Baroque decorations. At second glance, behind the 'faux vieux' facades, there is one long office space with meeting rooms. They create a setting that is meant to make international visitors to Brussels believe they are still wandering through authentic historical streets...

• Cross over and follow the Magdalenasteenweg down, left of the green park, to number 53.

UiTinBrussel