Description
The precursor to the Gare du Nord - the Belgiun railway platform - controlled by the Rothschild Group and inaugurated in 1846 (Léonce Reynaud, architecture - Bréville, engineering) was already inadequate by around 1854. This station soon proved to be too small for the increasing traffic, especially when Queen Victoria's visit had to be rerouted to Gare de l'Est.
In 1857, the decision was made to build a station three times larger, while the neighborhood was to be modernized. The previous structure was rebuilt at Lille. The new architectural team leader was the German born Jacques Ignace Hittorff and construction began in 1861. The new station was functional starting with 1864, but completed only in 1866.
As its name indicates, from here one can go to Belgium, Holland, northern Germany, and the Scandinavian countries.