Liège-Guillemins Station, located in Liège, Belgium, serves as one of the country’s primary high-speed rail hubs and a striking example of modern European transport architecture. The current structure, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, officially opened on September 18, 2009, following nearly a decade of planning and construction. Built to accommodate Belgium’s integration into the European high-speed rail network, the station connects Liège with major cities such as Brussels, Paris, Aachen, and Cologne through Thalys, ICE, and InterCity services.

The building’s sweeping glass and steel canopy extends over 160 meters in length and 32 meters in height, eliminating the need for traditional walls and creating a sense of openness and transparency. Beneath its arched form, five railway platforms are arranged along ten tracks, with pedestrian bridges and elevators providing clear lines of movement between levels. The structure replaced a 1958 station on the same site, symbolizing Liège’s transition from its industrial past toward a contemporary, design-focused identity.

Today, Liège-Guillemins stands not only as a critical piece of transportation infrastructure but also as a civic landmark. The station anchors a redeveloped district along the Meuse River, linking the city’s historic center with new public spaces, and continues to draw attention for its combination of engineering precision and architectural expression.

The sweeping steel-and-glass structure of Liège-Guillemins railway station stands as one of Europe’s most recognizable contemporary transport terminals. Designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and opened in 2009, the station was conceived as both a functional rail hub and a civic landmark, replacing an older mid-20th-century facility on the same site. Its vast, arching roof—constructed without a traditional façade—allows daylight to flood the platforms while emphasizing openness and movement rather than enclosure.

Liège-Guillemins serves as a major junction on Belgium’s high-speed rail network, connecting Liège with Brussels, Paris, Cologne, and Frankfurt. The station’s design reflects early 21st-century priorities in European rail infrastructure: intermodality, passenger flow efficiency, and architectural visibility as a symbol of urban reinvestment. The exposed structure, rhythmic ribs, and inclined glazing make the engineering legible, turning the building itself into an expression of transit in motion.