Train World opens exhibition on SNCB’s history under German occupation
Train World, the museum of SNCB, has opened the exhibition “Belgian Railways under occupation : between collaboration and resistance,” shining a light on a dark chapter in the history of the Belgian railway operator. The initiative, SNCB says, aims to ensure that the company’s wartime role is never forgotten.
The exhibition takes visitors through the story of the Belgian railways from just before Nazi Germany's invasion to its capitulation in 1945. As Belgium’s largest employer and a key hub for transport and industry, SNCB quickly came under the control of the occupying forces. The Germans used the railways to move soldiers, weapons, political prisoners and deportees to Germany and the Eastern Front.
"The story of SNCB is a story between collaboration and resistance"
Caught between collaboration and resistance, SNCB adopted what it described as a "policy of the lesser evil." "The story of SNCB is a story between collaboration and resistance," says Thierry Denuit, director of Train World. He characterises the stance of the railway company during those years as "a grey story".
"At the beginning of the occupation, the Germans almost immediately took charge of the company’s operations," Denuit explains. "But visitors also follow the further course of SNCB during the war. There are large sections devoted to the deportations and to resistance against the occupiers."
Educational value
The exhibition also offers extensive teaching materials, lectures, testimonies and documentation on the railways under German occupation. Already, more than 300 school classes from across Belgium have scheduled visits.
"They can work here with educational packages to reflect on individual responsibility and the responsibility of the company itself in a pedagogical way,” Denuit said. “That way, we can really get a grip on the whole history."
The expo is the direct outcome of an academic investigation into SNCB’s role in deportations and transports during the Second World War. The company is also working with Kazerne Dossin, from where arrested Jews and Romani were sent to concentration camps, to keep this “black page of history” visible, both now and in the future.
Train World is located in Schaerbeek, Brussels. The exhibition runs until the end of June 2026 and is free for visitors under 18, including school groups.
© BELGA PHOTO AXEL CLEENEWERCK and BELGA VIDEO TIMON RAMBOER
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