Gent-Sint-Pieters Station
A station raised for a World’s Fair: a clock tower over a hall painted with the cities of Belgium.
At a glance
Gent-Sint-Pieters, the main station of Ghent, was built by Louis Cloquet and opened in 1912, just in time for the World’s Fair the city hosted in 1913. It is an eclectic building of stone and brick with a tall clock tower, and inside, a concourse decorated with painted scenes and rich materials meant to impress the fair’s visitors.
Key facts
- Location: Koningin Maria Hendrikaplein, Ghent
- Architect: Louis Cloquet
- Opened: 1912
- Built for: the 1913 Ghent World’s Fair
- Function: railway station
History
Ghent won the right to hold a World’s Fair in 1913 and needed a station to receive the crowds. Cloquet, a professor of architecture in the city, designed a grand terminus with a landmark tower.
He filled the booking hall with painted panels of Belgian towns and historic scenes, and used marble and mosaic to set the tone. Opened in 1912, it remains the busiest station in the country outside Brussels.
What you see
The front rises to a tall, slender clock tower over an arched entrance. Inside, the concourse is a gallery: painted views of Belgian cities run along the walls, with marble, ironwork and mosaic underfoot. It is a station built to be a first impression, and still works as one.
Practical information
- Open: daily, as a working station
- Cost: free to enter the concourse
- Best for: the tower and the painted booking hall
- Time needed: 15–25 minutes
Getting there
The station is south of the Ghent city centre, linked to it by tram; it is about half an hour from Brussels by train.
Nearby
- Citadelpark — the park and museums beside the station
- Ghent old town — the medieval centre, a tram ride north
Sources
- Wikipedia — Ghent-Sint-Pieters railway station
- NMBS/SNCB / City of Ghent — station heritage
- Wikimedia Commons — image source and licence
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