La gare centrale

Between the west and east of the town, from 1930, a central passenger station took its place in the urban surroundings. The work required two architects: Charles Thirion, who died in 1920, and Emile Burguet who continued with the project alone. The building's architecture is eclectic and is made out of stone, but the façade facing towards the rails is in red brick and undecorated. A large arched bay window illuminates the waiting room. Many sculptures by Joseph Gérard (who decorated the Forum in Liège) depicting weavers, spinners, rams and a bust of Mercury (the god of commerce) laud the activities of Verviers. The brickwork interior is copiously decorated with bas-reliefs and other decorative elements that better reflect their era, for it is possible to distinguish the geometrised patterns of Art Deco. In the vast glazed area of the waiting room, the ticket booths make up an separate space from the main architecture of the room to form an elegant cast iron cage.