Central Station

The Antwerp Central Station is the terminal station of the oldest railway line in Belgium (Brussels-Mechelen-Antwerp). Dubbed the 'Railway Cathedral', it is one of the main landmarks in Antwerp. It was built between 1895 and 1905 and replaced a wooden train station built in 1854 by engineer Auguste Lambeau. The complex consists of 3 parts: the station building, the metal and glass vault and the elevated rail track.

The monumental main building was designed by the Bruges architect L. Delacenserie. It has a huge dome and used to have 8 smaller towers of which 6 have been demolished. The colorful interior is lavishly decorated with more than 20 different kinds of marble and stone. The main hall and the railway cafeteria can match the interiors of many palaces. Not a single square meter either inside or outside the building is not decorated.

The platforms are covered by a huge iron and glass vault, which has recently been restored. Besides the platform, the vault also covers many of the small diamond and gold shops, which are part of the diamond district next to the Central Station. The huge vault was designed by the architect J. Van Asperen. It is 185 meters long and 44 meters at its highest point. The platform and tracks themselves are elevated. The construction of this elevation together with its decorations and the many little towers alongside the tracks are designed by the same architect.

Restoration of the Central Station and the vault, which started in 1993 have recently been completed. The station was also expanded with two lower-level platforms, including one for high speed trains. These new levels allow trains to ride through the station below ground-level instead of having to make a detour as was the case before the expansion. The station's dome however is still in scaffolds as the towers that were demolished in the 1950s are now being rebuilt.

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