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.