By Maria Papagiannopoulou,
The Antwerp Central Station, commonly known as “Middenstatie” or “Spoorwegkathedraal” (Railroad Cathedral), initially opened its doors in 1905. The structure is made up of a steel platform covering and an eclectically styled stone station building. The station was recently restored, and in 2007, a tunnel beneath it and a piece of Antwerp was opened, reinstating the station’s status as a terminus to which all trains must return. The Antwerp Central Station was named the fourth most beautiful train station in the world by the American publication Newsweek in 2009.
The historic station structure was constructed between 1895 and 1905 to replace the earlier termination of the Brussels-Mechelen-Antwerp Railway. Louis Delacenserie designed the stone-clad terminus buildings, which include a large dome above the waiting room hall, while Clement van Bogaert designed the massive iron and glass trainshed (185 meters long and 44 meters high). The station’s bridge constructed by the Dutch architect, Jan Van Asperen, is especially noteworthy. Although the unusual eclecticism of the influences on Delacenserie’s design made it difficult to ascribe it to a particular architectural style, the station today is widely considered as Belgium’s best example of railway architecture.
The capacity to recognize the whole spectrum of styles that may have affected Delacensiere is used to demonstrate the brilliance of the fictional architectural historian, who is the protagonist of W. G. Sebald’s Austerlitz. The first railway from Brussels to Antwerp arrived in Koningin Astridplein, a wooden station outside the city walls, in 1835. In 1854, it was replaced by East Station, a new wooden station building, near the Antwerp Zoo’s current entrance.
However, King Leopold II believed that Antwerp deserved a higher rank. Louis Delacenserie began work in 1895. Antwerp’s Central Station was officially opened ten years later. An elevated railway bed, a covered steel platform hall, and a massive station structure for services and ticketing make up the station.
The Central Station in Antwerp is regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world. The historic structure was substantially modernized and expanded between 2000 and 2009 to suit the high-speed rail route. On two additional underground levels more platforms were added, an additional entrance with a station hall that was built in Kievitplein, and space for shops and restaurants was created. The unique metal platform roof had been restored previously. Antwerp Central Station used to be a station where trains had to turn around. However, thanks to the railway tunnel connecting Antwerp Central Station and the city’s north, trains have been able to complete their route, since 2007.
Antwerp’s Central Station is listed as the most beautiful train station in the world for its magnificent architecture and majesty. As someone once mentioned about train stations is: most people do not link public transportation with art, yet there are spots all around the world that transport you to another world, even before your train leaves the station.
References
- 10 of the Most Beautiful Train Stations in the World, galeriemagazine.com, Available here
- Antwerpen-Centraal railway station, wikipedia.org, Available here
