Embark on a journey through Europe's rich railway history, from vintage train stations to historic railway lines. Discover the engineering marvels and scenic routes that shaped the continent's travel heritage. Explore iconic sites that capture the golden era of rail travel and the innovation that drove it forward.
A wooden door surmounted by the Belgian coat of arms and the slogan 'L'Union fait la Force' conceals the royal salon, a separate waiting area for the king in Brussels Central Station.
In 2001, European leaders of state and government gathered in the royal castle of Laeken. With their meeting, King Leopold II's hundred-year-old dream became a reality: to turn Laeken into a Palace of Nations, home to international conferences.
In the early twentieth century, a water tower was erected near the Treignes border station to supply the steam locomotives running between Charleroi and the French border.
Mariembourg station, today the terminus of railway line 132 between Charleroi and the Belgian-French border, has a spacious water tower in store.
The Koppenberg in the Flemish Ardennes is not only the setting of the Tour of Flanders but also forms the background of railway line 85 between Leupegem and Herseaux near the French border.
The ten-kilometre-long railway line 102 cut through the Borinage and connected several coal mines between Saint-Ghislain and Frameries.
The former freight stations of the Potsdamer and the Anhalter Bahn on the banks of the Landwehrkanal in Berlin were merged in 2011 and redesigned as a city park: the Park am Gleisdreieck. That does not mean that all railway heritage has been brushed away.
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While infrastructure is crucial for any country's smooth functioning, Belgium boasts some examples of construction that leave locals and tourists scratching their heads, like useless tunnels, bridges, and dead-end roads.
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