Place du Luxembourg

The Place du Luxembourg/Luxemburgplein was a central feature of the Leopold Quarter, a neighbourhood developed in the first few decades after the Belgian Revolution, and the most prestigious residential area in the capital for the bulk of the 19th century. The district had been designed in 1838 by the architect Tilman-Francois Suys, but the original design did not include provisions for a train station.

When the new Leopold Quarter railway station was built in 1854–55, the architect Antoine Trappeniers was commissioned to draw up plans for a large public square leading to the station. The Rue de Luxembourg/Luxemburgstraat was then in an embryonic state, and the square was created as its end point. The square was designed in a neoclassical style and to be as symmetrical as possible. Construction was carried out primarily between 1855 and 1861. The square was popular among merchants, as well as restaurant and café owners, due to its proximity to the station. One house on the corner of the Rue d'Arlon/Aarlenstraat was, at one time, the home of Auguste Beernaert, Prime Minister from 1884 to 1894.[3]

During the 19th century, the station was divided into sections to differentiate the three different classes of travel. The station was extended in 1899 and 1921 with single storey pavilions, which were then amalgamated in 1934, when the facade was standardised.[1]

The Place du Luxembourg is a popular after-work meeting place in Brussels' European Quarter.

The station was the central feature of the square for much of its existence. However, with the construction of the Espace Léopold (which now houses the European Parliament) starting in 1989, the character of the square changed significantly. Designs changed frequently, amidst much legal and political wrangling, but ultimately the tracks of the previously open air station were covered over by the flagstone mall that is now seen outside the parliament. The bulk of the station building itself was torn down in 2004, and rebuilt underground, leaving only the central entrance which now serves as an information office. By 2008, the European Parliament complex was complete.[3]

Residents' associations and cultural heritage promoters have been critical of many aspects of the construction of the Parliament and redesign of the train station. Some believe that the scale of the complex is simply too large for the area, and that efforts have not been adequate to integrate it with its largely neoclassical surroundings. While many have praised the originality and professionalism of the design of the buildings, the design has also faced criticism for being too large, cold, and remote.[4]

In recent years, the Place du Luxembourg has become a hotspot for after-work nightlife activity in the European Quarter, primarily on Thursday and Friday nights. The square is colloquially known as Place Lux or Plux by local European bureaucrats and journalists. The trash left on the square by the Thursday night revellers has become an irritant for local residents, and Brussels politicians have threatened to shut down the party.[5]

View facing east towards the European Parliament, including old Brussels-Luxembourg railway station's entrance in front, with statue of the industrialist John Cockerill in the foreground