The Location

The first station on the Brussels-Mons line, the Bogards station was built in 1840 in the city centre, 400 metres from the Grand-Place. Located on the site of the former Bogards convent, on the site of the current Place Rouppe.

As you have understood, “La Grande Cloche” refers to the bell used for the departure of trains, which rang from what is now the hotel reception!

The industrial development of the 19th century led to the decision to move the station out of downtown Brussels. Its demolition in 1864 offered the opportunity to clean up the district, and to build a majestic avenue on the site of the abandoned roads: the Drève du Midi, the current Avenue de Stalingrad.

In the mid-1990s, the Gare du Midi hosted the TGV (Paris-Bruxelles/Brussel-Köln – Amsterdam) and the Eurostar terminal. On this occasion, an urban development operation was launched to take advantage of the “TGV effect” and allow the neighbourhood to be renovated.