Arc Majeur, Steel sculpture along E411 motorway in Lavaux-Sainte-Anne, Belgium
Arc Majeur is a massive steel arch sculpture beside the E411 motorway that stretches 75 meters across and rises 60 meters high. The structure is built from Corten steel, which naturally develops a distinctive rust-like patina over time.
The project took shape in the 1980s through a French artist's vision but faced rejection in France before finally being built in Belgium in 2019. Its realization near Rochefort marked the completion of a long-delayed artistic dream.
The name means "Major Arch" in French; Dutch speakers call it Grote Boog. Drivers meet it at kilometre marker 99 of the E411, where the inclined arc passes over the roadway so that cars seem to drive beneath an arch. It was inaugurated on 23 October 2019, and its installation required closing the motorway to traffic.
The artwork sits right beside the E411 motorway and is easily visible from the road without needing to stop. The best viewing happens while driving near kilometer marker 99, between the Namur and Luxembourg provinces.
The sculpture was first commissioned in the 1980s under François Mitterrand's presidency and was to be built near Auxerre in France, but local opposition stopped it. The Belgian project had a budget of 2.5 million euros, most of it covered by the John Cockerill Foundation.
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