Unfindable Brussels street gets its own sign, finally

What is 120 metres long, located a stone’s throw from Bourse and hidden in plain sight? Quai à la Houille, Brussels’ most difficult street to find.

Extending into Quai au Bois à Brûler on one end and Quai à la Chaux on the other, this tiny street off St Catherine square packs mostly residential buildings, one cafe and a Carrefour supermarket that attracts an occasional flurry of activity around dinner time.

But finding Quai à la Houille when you’re unfamiliar with the Sainte-Catherine area can be a bit tricky, locals recently discovered. You need to know what you’re looking for because this little street has no street sign. It doesn’t help that the adjacent streets all have similar-sounding coal and mining-inspired names, either.

Resident Erik Struys told Bruzz that he realised that Quai à la Houille was missing a sign after a technician showed up an hour late to an appointment, having been unable to locate the street.

Struys promptly contacted alderwoman of mobility and public works Els Ampe from the liberal Open VLD party, who promised to order two street signs. “It’ll take about a month before the street signs are up,” a spokesperson for Ampe told Bruzz.