Brussels Commuters Walk Over History: 30 Ancient Skeletons Unearthed Beneath City Streets

In the heart of Brussels, city workers have stumbled upon a haunting reminder of the past: at least 30 ancient skeletons, hidden beneath the city’s bustling tram tracks.

This unexpected discovery emerged as public works crews were upgrading the tram lines in central Brussels. The dig quickly shifted from routine infrastructure to an archaeological hotspot, as workers uncovered a mass grave directly underfoot.

According to Ans Persoons, Brussels’ secretary of state, the remains are tied to the old Saint-Jean Hospital, which dates all the way back to 1195. "Thanks to preventive excavations, 30 skeletons have already been cleared," Persoons shared on social media, sounding both amazed and a little spooked—understandably so.

Photos from the scene paint a surreal picture: sharply dressed locals weaving around a yawning pit, while archaeologists and machinery carefully unearth the city’s hidden secrets. It’s honestly wild to think that beneath all that Belgian hustle is a cemetery stretching back centuries.

The Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company (MVIB) and VIVAQUA, the city’s water operator, are teaming up with archaeologists to sift through the site, which was apparently a final resting place for the sick and city residents from the 14th to the 18th centuries. The hope is to piece together more about daily life—and probably death—in old Brussels.

Brussels isn’t the only European city with skeletons in its closet—literally. Just last summer, Danish archaeologists uncovered 50 exceptionally well-preserved Viking skeletons. And in Vienna, workers found a mass grave of over 129 Roman and Germanic soldiers beneath a soccer field, dating to the first century A.D. Europe, it seems, is full of reminders that history is never as far away as we think.