What if streets could talk? The Rue des Vétérinaires – Veeartsenstraat in Brussels has a story to tell. This street’s tale is interwoven with the history of veterinary medicine in the city.
Once part of Anderlecht, the street’s path was approved in December 1890. This happened alongside the planning of other streets in the Cureghem area. Work on the Rue des Vétérinaires – Veeartsenstraat took place between 1895 and 1903.
The name Rue des Vétérinaires – Veeartsenstraat refers to the veterinary school of Anderlecht. The school was established here in 1909. The street wasn’t extended into Saint-Gilles until later. It doesn’t appear on the 1925 map but does on the 1958 map. In Saint-Gilles, the Rue des Vétérinaires – Veeartsenstraat meets Avenue Fonsny. It lies in line with Rue Théodore Verhaegen.
The Saint-Gilles section of the Rue des Vétérinaires – Veeartsenstraat starts with a long tunnel. This tunnel passes under the railway tracks of the Gare du Midi. The buildings here include a yellow brick administrative building built by SNCB. There is also a service station.
The Faculty’s history is closely linked to the Rue des Vétérinaires – Veeartsenstraat. Minister of Agriculture Debruyn decided to build a veterinary school in Cureghem in 1892. The school had moved around Brussels before. This new, spacious site aimed to solve previous issues.
Architect Seroen oversaw the construction. The buildings have Flemish neo-Renaissance facades. An impressive cellar system lies hidden beneath the ground. Due to marshy ground and the nearby Senne, 100,000 cubic meters of soil were brought in. Cellars were built under each building to protect against high water levels.
The site eventually covered 3.5 hectares. It included 19 buildings like stables, a veterinary clinic, and classrooms. A central boiler room is still recognizable today by its brick tower. The main building housed administrative departments, the academic hall, and the library. Today this main building houses The Faculty.
The Veterinary School operated independently until 1969. It then became part of the University of Liège. In 1990, the Veterinary School moved to the Sart-Tilman campus in Liège. That same year, the site was listed by the Commission of Monuments and Sites. Unfortunately, this didn’t prevent the buildings from falling into disuse. The commune of Anderlecht bought the main building in 1999. Other buildings were repurposed as housing or offices from 2004. Work began on converting the main building in 2017.
The first part of the Rue des Vétérinaires – Veeartsenstraat is eighteen meters wide. It was built as part of the Plan de l’extension du Quartier de Cureghem. This plan related to the veterinary school area. It was created by roads inspector Victor Besme in 1890. The plan was approved in 1891. The veterinary school gave its name to the street. The extension to Saint-Gilles was approved in 1907. It had to cross the Senne River and pass under the railway. The section between Barastraat and Frankrijkstraat opened before World War I. The part in Saint-Gilles was built in the 1950s.
Buildings went up mainly between 1904 and 1914. They included eclectic houses. Many had workshops in the back. Numerous companies established themselves here.
Today, the Rue des Vétérinaires – Veeartsenstraat stands as a testament to Brussels’ history. It links the past of veterinary medicine with the present of a dynamic city.