Tonight was the opening ceremony of the new, super-modern Liège-Guillemins railway station, linking Brussels to Cologne.
Designed by Spanish visionary architect Santiago Calatrava, the station took 10 years to complete and cost 400 million euro. Quite a budget for a city of half a million inhabitants. Liège-Guillemins now ranks among the world's most modern and impressive railway stations.
For the circumstance a sumptuous spectacle was held, worthy of an Olympic Games opening ceremony. The 75-minute show was created by Franco Dragone, known for his work with Cirque du Soleil, and gathered a crowd of 50,000 spectators. A succession of ballet, opera, and acrobatics was performed over a state-of-the-art light system punctuated by holographic displays, and culminated with a magnificent fireworks as finale.
Tomorrow, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Liège will hold a concert at the station for the second part of the inauguration.
Designed by Spanish visionary architect Santiago Calatrava, the station took 10 years to complete and cost 400 million euro. Quite a budget for a city of half a million inhabitants. Liège-Guillemins now ranks among the world's most modern and impressive railway stations.
For the circumstance a sumptuous spectacle was held, worthy of an Olympic Games opening ceremony. The 75-minute show was created by Franco Dragone, known for his work with Cirque du Soleil, and gathered a crowd of 50,000 spectators. A succession of ballet, opera, and acrobatics was performed over a state-of-the-art light system punctuated by holographic displays, and culminated with a magnificent fireworks as finale.
Tomorrow, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Liège will hold a concert at the station for the second part of the inauguration.