In the summer of 2021, the NMBS / SNCB via Train World and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (officially the French Community in Belgium) held an art exhibition by Myriam Louyest in the Royal Salon of Brussels-Central Railway Station.
But public transport enthusiast Simon, Danny and I mostly went for the Salon.
The Royal Salon was inaugurated on October 4, 1952. The design is by Maxime Brunfaut, a former student of Victor Horta. This reception room is one of Central Station’s best kept secrets and was mainly used during the 1958 World’s Fair to receive foreign delegations.
The outside entrance at Cantersteen / Kantersteen is almost unnoticeable. The door inside the station is discreet, but visible. It’s a large double wooden door, with Belgium’s coat of arms above it. The door is surrounded by Labrador granite.
The space surprises with its dimensions and refined finishes, including upholstery and seats from the Delvaux leather luxury goods house.
The light grey Arabescato marble, whose veins subtly enter into a dialogue with the gilded elements, dominate the decor.
In 1952, Baudouin (or Baldwin) was King of the Belgians. The king also had his own toilet room with gold-plated taps. The space was owned by the court, but was transferred to the NMBS / SNCB years ago. The elevator is broken and the works of art have been removed from the walls, but everything else is in good condition.
As far as people concerned can remember, Baudouin used the Salon just once, when opening the station.
Some art objects were removed since. The seats were repaired not so long ago, and the space is also regularly cleaned by the station’s cleaning teams.
Kings and trains
- Royal Waiting Room at Brussels-Central Railway Station.
- Inside the Royal Waiting Room at Den Haag HS (The Hague HS) railway station.
- PHOTOS | Het Spoorwegmuseum – Dutch Railway Museum in Utrecht.
- Special Royal Train for King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium going to Luxembourg.
- PHOTOS | UK’s National Railway Museum (NRM) in York.
- REVIEW | Train World exhibition ‘From Peking to Hankow: a Belgian adventure in China’.
- PHOTOS | Train World railway museum in Brussels.
Exploring Brussels
- REVIEW | Comics Art Museum Brussels by the Belgian Comic Strips Center.
- Inside the Royal Palace of Brussels.
- REVIEW | Orient-Express exhibition at Train World, Brussels’ railway museum.
- REVIEW | Louis de Funès exhibition at Cinéma Palace Brussels.
- REVIEW | David Hockney double exhibition at Bozar Brussels’ arts museum.
- The orange world of Design Museum Brussels.
- Brussels Planetarium.
- Brussels’ Gare Maritime.
- Brussels’ Pannenhuis Park and L28 Park.
- Brussels’ Senne Park.
- The Hotel. Brussels.
- REVIEW | Train World exhibition ‘From Peking to Hankow: a Belgian adventure in China’.
- Ducal and Imperial Palace of Coudenberg in Brussels.
- MIMA – Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art in Brussels.
- Villa Empain in Brussels.
- Pullman Brussels Centre Midi.
- Autoworld automobile museum in Brussels.
- Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels, Belgium.
- REVIEW | Thalys Lounge at Brussels South/Midi station.
- PHOTOS | Train World railway museum in Brussels.
A new use is being sought for the vacant space of Plopsa Station, located at the rear of Antwerp-Central Railway Station. Belgium‘s national train operator…
Dutch private railway operator Arriva, which has been planning to launch open-access services between the Netherlands and Paris in France, via Brussels in Belgium, will…
The Belgian Federal Government is moving ahead with the installation of access gates in major railway stations, despite earlier opposition from passenger groups, unions, and the railway operator itself, Gazet van Antwerpen, Het Nieuwsblad and De Standaard report.
Frequent public transport users are expected to become accustomed to gates restricting
The Belgian Federal Government is moving ahead with the installation of access gates in major railway stations, despite earlier opposition from passenger groups, unions, and…