What's the royal connection with this door?

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Last weekend, we travelled from Brussels (capital of Belgium) to our
homeplace Sint-Niklaas by train.



While walking into the railway station of Brussels Central, we were
thinking how the royal family of Belgium travelled by train. I think
they had much more comfort and even special trains.


royal trains, Train World museum in Schaarbeek


As always, in Brussels Central we passed a special door and the coat of arms
suggests that this place has a royal connection. 


👀 How do you think about the coat of arms of the
Belgian royal family? 


This is the entrance of the royal salon in Brussels Central. Once four Belgian
railway stations had such a royal salon: Brussels-North, South and Central,
and Ostend. The salons in Ostend and Brussels North have disappeared, the one
in Brussels South is used as a meeting room. 

Only the salon in Brussels Central has retained its original grandeur.


History


On 4 October 1952 the royal salon in Brussels Central was officially 
opened by King Baudouin of Belgium. It is the first and also the last
time that the salon is used as a waiting area. 

King Baudouin would receive a number of heads of state there over
the course of the 1950s, including the Shah of Iran, the President of Argentina
and the Emperor of Ethiopia.




King Baudouin of Belgium, statue
own picture taken in October 2023



Shah of Iran till 1979
Source picture: Wikipedia


Emperor of Ethiopia till 1974
Source picture: Wikipedia


This place full of history was once the property of the Court, but since 2007
the NMBS has been responsible for it. The royal family does retain the
option to reclaim the salon.


Nowadays


When King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of The Netherlands 
arrived by train on their state visit to Belgium in 2023, they arrived in 
railway station Brussels South. They they immediately proceeded to the
royal palace in Brussels. So they didn't need a royal salon in the station.


Source picture: Bjorn Hoex


However it would be nice if such great royal destinations were preserved
for the future. 





I took the pictures of the royal train, the statue of King Baudouin of Belgium
and the doors of the royal salon in 2023 in Brussels. 

Location: Brussels, Belgium

Comments

Jonathan said…
The coat of arms of Belgium to which you refer is finely stylized.
October 30, 2023 at 3:45 PM
Kathleen Van Lierop said…
Thank you so much for commenting Jonathan! Yes I liked the style of the coat of arms too. Very modern!
November 1, 2023 at 5:21 PM
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