Brussels

An update between WAP's. This is a shot from Brussels, in the middle of the summer. A blistering day, a renovated building, a roof, chairs.. now only some soda and we're set for a bit of history.

This building we're standing on, used to be an old service-center of our national railway company. In the very middle of Brussels was this huge location where trains were stored, repaired,.. It was the biggest one in Belgium.. in the middle of Brussels.
As time went on, a lot got automated and less repair space was needed. Parts of it became neglected. Still it was in use (more or less). One day trains stopped coming. As cities get busier, it's harder and harder to move trains through it to their repair shops. In the end this prime location was useless for the company. So it was abandoned...

Why not sell, people must have been willing to pay a lot for these grounds? There is a huge network of train tunnels below Brussels and it always might be possible that some day one tunnel would end here and thus it might be used again.

The air got heavy, the water stagnant and life disappeared. No more men who hurried to their repair shop to get the trains back out as fast as possible, no more hammering or hissing by the torches. No discussions over little things, that were settled over a pint of beer. No fights over bigger things, that got settled over a couple of beers. Nothing. Silence ruled.
At times people ventured in, just to quickly leave again. Silence always returned.

Now there is no longer hope that the railway company will ever use it again. And the silence was breached. The property got sold and people renovated the buildings. The architecture is special, yet very typical for the Belgian railway, and they wanted to preserve it. So the new functions are worked into it.. or on top of it, as the case may be.

Can you imagine a reception on top of here? The sun setting between the towers, some nice company..

Well, my glass is empty.. enjoy the view. Until next time!