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Gare du Nord (North Station) |
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 A little history
The quay of the line towards Belgium, controlled by the Rothschild Group and inaugurated in 1846 (Leonce Reynaud, architect - Bréville, engineer), was already insufficient around 1854. This station was shown too small for the traffic growing, which became obvious when the procession of the Victoria queen has dü to be directed towards the Station of the East.
The decision to build a station three times larger was made in 1857, whereas the district was going to be modernized. The old station was dismounted and rebuilt in Lille. The new team of architects was going to be directed by Jacques Ignace Hittorff, of German origin, to start with 1861. The new station was in function in 1864, but only completed in 1866. As its name indicates it, from here leave the trains for Belgium, the Netherlands and the countries Scandinavian.
Structure
Metal neo-classicism and structures of the XIXème century meet in this building. The principal frontage, in style néo-Corinthian, is decorated of nine statues personalizing the most important cities of France and Europe towards which the railways of this station carried out. Inside, two lines of cast iron columns and Corinthian style support the principal canopy over a width of 72 meters and with a 38 meters height. The principal building is taken between two side wings. At the ground floor, a doric colonnade saw its twinge moderated by a marchioness added with middle height in 1891 and prolonged over the entire length of the frontage in 1930.
Others Open of Jacques Ignace Hittorff: two fountains of the Place of the Harmony, the drawing of the garden of the Fields-Elysées, 12 private mansions delimiting the Place of Star around the Triumphal arch.
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