On the 11th of August 1905, the Antwerp central station was opened. The monumental stone building by architect Louis Delacenserie immediately got the attention of people around Europe because of its impressive platform roof made of metal and glass.
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| Photo by Bente Hagens on Unsplash |
The roof was designed by engineer 'Clément Van Bogaert'. The dome is 42 meters high to make sure the steam of the locomotives had enough room to get away smoothly without bothering the people standing on the platforms.
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| Picture by Pixabay |
Till 2007 the station was an end station, meaning trains had to leave the same way they had come in, there was no way to pass through the station. In 2007 that changed because a new station was built underneath the old one so trains to Amsterdam and other international destinations could run smoother and faster in tunnels underneath the city center. There is also a shopping center inside and under the old central station.
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| Picture by Pixabay |
The central station is also called the railway cathedral because of the immense and beautiful impression it makes. In 2009 the American Newsweek magazine called the central station of Antwerp the fourth most beautiful train station in the world.