The Ecole de Batellerie (inland shipping school) with its industrial architecture opened in 1925 was for children aged 6 to 18 years old. And it wasn’t, as you might think, a school for training sailors. It was for the sailors' children whose parents were away for long stretches at a time on their barges. The site’s beauty is arresting. The red bricks and Neptunian bas-reliefs now house the Athénée Marguerite Yourcenar school. Essentially, the place has not really departed from its initial function. It nurtures today’s teenagers in search of new horizons.
Sailing children
Location: Rue Claessens, 10, 1020 Laeken
