It sits discreetly on the edge of the royal estate of Laeken. Closed to the public and neglected for over twenty years, the Gare Royale de Laeken seems to have fallen off the map. Yet this small, forgotten edifice continues to fuel some of Brussels’ most astonishing tales, not least those that evoke, beneath its foundations, the remains of an unfinished tunnel leading straight to… the heart of the castle.
A station for kings and prestigious visitors
Built in 1877 on the orders of Leopold II, the Gare Royale never served the people. This little neoclassical jewel, with its elegant sculptures and ebony parquet flooring, only welcomed members of the royal family and their guests. An ultra-select entry point for departures to the provinces, abroad… or grand diplomatic displays.
But the vision of the “King Builder” went much further. Leopold dreamed of making the Château de Laeken a center of international power. To achieve this, he needed direct underground access from the railway station. The plans were drawn up, the first works begun… and then stopped dead in their tracks.
The underground world of power (or almost)
Period documents speak of a tunnel linking the station to an arrival hall beneath the Great Staircase. The project, deemed excessive by the politicians of the time, was quickly abandoned. However, traces of the project remain: a section of the tunnel still exists. In 2012, a Flemish TV show was even able to visit the unfinished bowels of the château! A royal fantasy? No doubt. But a fantasy that still leaves its mark on the ground.
A frozen decor, between faded charm and royal silence
Not a single train has whistled through Laeken since 2001. The Gare Royale de Laeken, now a listed building, remains closed, eaten away by time and tags. Seen from the tracks or nearby heights, it exudes a strange aura: part historical monument, part aesthetic ruin, part fantasy place. Access is forbidden – this is the perimeter of the royal domain – but that doesn’t stop the curious from trying to catch a glimpse of this suspended past.