The Antwerp Central Station is one of the world's most impressive railway stations. Dubbed the
'Railway Cathedral', it is one of the main landmarks in Antwerp.The railway station was built
between 1895 and 1905 and replaced a wooden train station built in 1854 by engineer Auguste
Lambeau.Today the whole complex is over 400m long and has two entrances, a historic domed
building at the Astrid square and a modern atrium at the Kievit square.There are three levels
of tracks and a shopping center which includes a diamond gallery with more than 30 diamond shops.
The monumental main building was designed by the Bruges architect L. Delacenserie. It has a huge
dome and 8 smaller towers of which 6 were demolished during the 1950s. Fortunately, these were
reconstructed in 2009 together with several ornaments including large lion statues.