Discovering Brussels’ Canal Zone: A Must-See!

Johan Leman, 2 July 2026

If you were to ask me, after half a century of living in Brussels’ canal zone, how I would describe the area in just two words, I would call it a “perpetuum mobile.” It is a place of immense diversity, where countless elements are in constant motion.

Pardon? What about the traffic jams that occur in certain places and at certain times of the day, such as around Place Sainctelette ? Can that really be called a “perpetuum mobile”? Yes, if you look at the bigger picture over many years and across decades. Originally, Boulevard Léopold II was a promenade where people strolled “to see and be seen.” Even the older ones among us are too young to remember that era, but many of them will recall the elevated viaduct that appeared decades later and was eventually transported to Bangkok. It was subsequently replaced by the Léopold II Tunnel, which has recently become an Annie Cordy Tunnel.

During the 1970s and 1980s, the canal-side areas of Laeken, much like those of Cureghem, had a distinctly Southern Italian character. But the neighborhood around Bara Square,also in Cureghem, was predominantly Jewish after the Second World War, while Greek restaurants flourished in the 1970s and 1980s near Brussels-South Station. Over time, Cureghem evolved into a predominantly Moroccan and African neighbourhood, later also with small domari Syrien accents, a transformation that has also influenced Lower Molenbeek. Who knows what these districts will look like by 2040-2050?

You don’t stroll along Avenue du Port and its continuation beside the canal the way you do on Avenue Louise. Gentrification is well underway here too, but it is not expressed through polished façades or an urban landscape defined by symmetry. The impressive buildings are certainly there — Tour & Taxis, the former Citroën garage, and others — but what catches the eye today are the trucks, cranes, and delivery vans moving through the area. And cutting through it all is the canal itself, lined with cyclists, scooter riders, joggers, and walkers seeking fresher air and a greater sense of openness, even if one speak sometimes rather of heat islands.

The entire district was originally developed as a nineteenth-century industrial zone. During the 1960s and 1970s, it suffered from partial vacancy and decline. Today, it is experiencing a gradual form of “light gentrification,” characterized by the reuse of existing infrastructure and the emergence of new economic activities, but also permeated by a graffiti culture that is not always particularly attractive. Fortunately, some architects strive to respect and reinterpret the characteristic architecture of this industrial past in the new developments they create. Others, driven by property developers, sometimes plant grotesque residential towers right in the middle of it. That’s Brussels.

Visitors who genuinely wish to understand the essence of Brussels’ urban fabric make a serious mistake if they limit themselves to the Grand Place, the Atomium, and Cinquantenaire Park. For understanding Brussels, the canal zone is far more important than most of those tourist attractions. It possesses a beauty of its own, including in its architectural heritage, such as the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Molenbeek — a largely hidden gem.

The Kanal museum, expensive and in some respects controversially conceived, will undoubtedly contribute in one way or another to the area’s positive image in the future. The Migration Museum will continue to develop, while the museum Bronze Factory may also enjoy a new lease on life.

In the meantime, one can only hope that the entire area will be mapped and presented more effectively to visitors and tourists. The foundations are already there, and the opportunities are, in fact, within easy reach.

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