Sadly. This part of Rue Gemba-Gembastraat holds a poignant story. It wasn’t always called this. The street once bore a different name. A name reflecting its proximity to the railway.
Rue Gemba-Gembastraat is a short street in Koekelberg. It connects the Jetsesteenweg to the Eugène Simonisplein. It runs alongside the railway line. This section of the street is special. It’s a part of a longer street. That longer street used to be known as Wapenstilstandstraat. The name changed in 2024. The change reflects a move to honor women.
The renaming of this section to Rue Gemba-Gembastraat is particularly significant. It commemorates a Congolese woman. She was one of 267 Congolese people displayed at a village. This village was created for the 1897 World’s Fair in Tervuren. Tragically. This woman died during the exhibition.
The buildings you see lining Rue Gemba-Gembastraat aren’t the originals. The houses that stood here in the 1870s are long gone. The current buildings date from the 1880s to the 1910s. They include industrial buildings. For example. The former Victoria chocolate factory. It occupies a large part of this section of the street.
Number one on Rue Gemba-Gembastraat holds another story. It houses a former activity hall. This hall belonged to the Saint-Joseph patronage. It was built in 1895. Later. It was converted into an industrial workshop. Today. It’s a youth hostel. The lives that have unfolded within these walls. Each echoing with stories yet untold.
So as you walk along Rue Gemba-Gembastraat. Remember the Congolese woman. Remember the workers. Remember the children who now sleep in the youth hostel. This small street echoes with significant histories. Histories of industry. Loss. And resilience. This unassuming street is full of layers of hidden stories. Stories of ordinary lives impacted by extraordinary events.