Place Victor Horta

This square and the imposing office buildings opposite are located on the site of the former Côte d’Or chocolate factory, which was purchased by the Belgian railway company SNCB in 1991. As government support for the station’s renovation was not forthcoming, the SNCB developed the site together with private promoters, which built the huge office block there, with shops at street level, forming a high wall between the station and the district of Cureghem.

The renovation work took no account of the need for a good link between the station and the city centre: from Place Victor Horta, there is little to point pedestrians in the direction of the Grand-Place. Fortunately, the Tour du Midi (1967) is a useful landmark: at 150 metres it is the tallest building in Belgium.

UiTinBrussel