François Laurentplein

François Laurentplein is a rectangular square defined by a prominent bronze statue of the nineteenth-century jurist François Laurent, set atop an arduinen stone pedestal. The square was laid out in eighteen eighty-four during the implementation of the Zollikofer-de Vigneplan. At that time, the city covered over a section of the Nederschelde river to combat local pollution and foul odors, creating a new urban space on top of the vaulted water.