Barrière de Saint-Gilles

What this place is

Barrière de Saint-Gilles is a seven-way urban junction where the Chaussée de Waterloo and Chaussée d’Alsemberg meet Avenue du Parc, Avenue Paul Dejaer, Rue Théodore Verhaegen and Rue de l’Hôtel des Monnaies. It is not a square for lingering: it is a compact, working crossroads that explains how Saint-Gilles connects with the south of Brussels.

The place is also known in Dutch as Bareel van Sint-Gillis. Its name recalls the movable barriers of an old toll gate at the meeting of the two chaussées. A small building once served as the toll office and drinking establishment; passage fees on vehicles and goods continued into the 19th century.

Read the crossroads

Start on the pavement rather than trying to take in the junction from its centre. The Barrière’s spokes make its history legible:

• Chaussée d’Alsemberg was the older road.
• Chaussée de Waterloo, laid out in 1727, turned the site into a route between southern Brussels and neighbouring villages.
• Rue Théodore Verhaegen opened in 1854; Rue de l’Hôtel des Monnaies followed in 1880.
• Avenue Paul Dejaer heads toward Saint-Gilles Town Hall; Avenue du Parc leads toward Forest Park.

Before the toll gate, the site was called Wintmolenberch—Windmill Hill—for three windmills standing here in the 16th and 17th centuries. They were destroyed around 1672 during construction of Fort Monterey. From 1871, this was the terminus of horse-drawn omnibuses from the Bourse.

The Water Carrier

The Barrière’s traditional centrepiece is La Porteuse d’eau (De Waterdraagster), a sculpture by Julien Dillens. It was commissioned to mark the arrival of Bocq water in Brussels and installed in 1900. The figure refers to a young water carrier who supplied horses near the junction.

The bronze original is kept inside Saint-Gilles Town Hall; the outdoor version is a replacement. The monument has moved several times: to Avenue du Parc in 1932, back to the Barrière in 1977, and is now being repositioned as part of the junction’s redevelopment.

Getting through it

Several tram and bus routes converge here, making the Barrière useful as a transfer point rather than a destination stop. On foot, use marked crossings and allow time: the street geometry, turning traffic and tracks demand attention.

Important: a major reconstruction is changing tracks, stops, pavements and traffic circulation. The Water Carrier has been removed during the works and is due to return after the redevelopment. Expect temporary diversions and altered public-transport arrangements while work continues.

Useful nearby directions

Take Avenue Paul Dejaer for the Town Hall quarter. Follow Avenue du Parc downhill toward Forest Park. Chaussée de Waterloo runs northeast toward Porte de Hal and southwest through Saint-Gilles; Chaussée d’Alsemberg continues toward Forest and Uccle. The Barrière works best as a short historical stop woven into one of these walks, not as an isolated attraction.