Mons station, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, appears in the ranking of the seven most beautiful stations in the world in 2025, unveiled Monday by the Prix Versailles. It is in this prestigious ranking alongside structures built in China, Australia, France, and Saudi Arabia.
“Aerial style, pure lines, shapes in steel and dazzling white, Santiago Calatrava has put his art back to work for this 165-meter-long cathedral footbridge which connects the historic heart to the south and the emerging Grands Prés district to the north,” salutes the architecture prize.
The Versailles Prize, awarded every year since 2015 to UNESCO, highlights other architectural qualities of the building such as its monumental gallery, a tribute to the Queen’s gallery in Brussels, and its design which ensures a pleasant temperature even in winter.
The Mons station, inaugurated at the beginning of the year, sits alongside other prestigious buildings in this ranking such as Gadigal station in Sydney, Baiyun station in Canton and Qasr Al Hokm station.
“The commitment that these works require, the technical and aesthetic prowess honor the community of builders at the highest level. Already part of what will constitute the heritage of this century, these infrastructures renew the role assigned to mobility,” underlines Jérôme Gouadain, secretary general of the Prix Versailles.
Three stations on the 2025 list will also receive, on December 4 at UNESCO Headquarters, a World Title (Versailles Prize, Interior Mention, Exterior Mention).
Each year the Versailles Prize recognizes exemplary achievements, in different fields, which combine aesthetics, efficiency and commitment to heritage and the urban landscape.
