Jan 25, 2011

Under cover

If you have been following this blog, you will know that railway stations usually inspire me (witness the many posts on Antwerp Central station). This time a Belgiumdigital Shooting Day brought me (and some 50 photo buddies) to Liège, Belgium’s third largest city and the main railway hub for the eastern part of the country.

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The city’s new main station, Liège-Guillemins, was designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and officially opened in September 2009. The monumental structure made of steel, glass and white concrete is 410 meters long and 160 meters wide. The building costs were € 312 million._DS72495w

At its heart, a breathtaking arch - 200 meters long and 35 meters high – covers 9 tracks and 5 platforms. In addition to national traffic, Liège-Guillemins welcomes high speed connections to Brussels, Paris, Aachen, Cologne and Frankfurt. All the tracks around the station have been modernized to allow high speed arrival and departure.

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At all levels and from any angle, this site offers spectacular vistas full of lines and curves – and at night, exploding in color.

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Stay tuned for more pictures from this fantastic location in posts to follow.

Gear notes: D700, 17-35/2.8, 16/2.8

Click on the image(s) to see a larger version

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