Liège was until recently an old industrial city that few tourists would dream of visiting. It was seen as rough, even dangerous, like Marseilles or Naples. But the city has been working hard over the past decade to improve its image.
It started back in 2009 with the opening of the futuristic Liège Guillemins railway station. Designed by the Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava, it’s an astonishing building with a swooping steel and glass canopy that hovers above the tracks like a gigantic wave. Now it is worth travelling to Liège just to admire the station.
Start at the top level, high above the trains, where you can admire a neighbourhood that is slowly emerging from urban decline. Then go down to the ground floor where cafés and ticket offices occupy curious round glass pods.
The station neighbourhood is still far from finished, but one day you will be able to walk into town along a sweeping waterfront promenade.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
