Brussels has many tram stops with sensible names. Then in 2018 someone at STIB decided that the network needed a touch of imperial grandeur. The result is a stop called Julius Caesar. A name that suggests the emperor once stepped off tram line 7 to conquer the nearest roundabout.

It is a bold choice. It is also wonderfully absurd. Brussels excels at that.

The location in the network

Julius Caesar station sits in the eastern part of Brussels. It is on tram line 7 which circles the city like a polite orbital belt. The stop is near the Boulevard de la Woluwe. The area has shops and offices. Not exactly ancient Rome.

Line 7 is practical. It connects major districts without forcing passengers into the centre. Caesar would have approved. He would probably have reorganised the whole network in a week and then claimed he invented public transport.

Why this name was chosen

The name was not invented during a long lunch. The area has archaeological links to the Roman period. Brussels was not a major Roman city but the region was part of the Roman Empire. Roman roads crossed the area. Roman settlements existed nearby. Roman soldiers marched through.

So the name Julius Caesar is a nod to that history. It is a polite reminder that the Romans were here long before the European institutions arrived with their badges and their coffee habits. Caesar himself probably never visited Brussels. If he had he would have complained about the rain and the traffic like everyone else.

How Brussels was connected to the Roman Empire

The region that is now Brussels belonged to Gallia Belgica. It was a frontier zone of the Roman Empire. The Romans built roads. They built small settlements. They introduced new farming methods. They taxed people.

The Senne valley was an important route. Goods and soldiers moved through it. The Romans left behind pottery. Coins. Tools. And the occasional ruin that makes archaeologists very happy.

Brussels was not a major Roman metropolis. Think of it as a quiet provincial outpost. A bit like a modern administrative office but with more sandals and fewer spreadsheets.

A stop worthy of an emperor

Since 2018 passengers have been able to say they are getting off at Julius Caesar. It sounds heroic and dramatic. It sounds like you are about to lead a campaign, but in reality you are probably going to the supermarket.