Brussels Attractions

At the beginning of this century Brussels became a focal point for the Art Nouveau movement, Victor Horta, Henry van de Velde and Philippe Wolfers being among the architects and artists whose genius enriched the city with houses and objets d'art. The Brussels Tourist Office arranges tours of the most beautiful Art Nouveau buildings, as does the Organization ARAU and Arcadia.

Victor Horta's house (Rue américaine/Amerikaansestraat), itself a masterpiece of Art Nouveau architecture (1898-1900), has been turned into a museum celebrating the life and work of the movement's leading Belgian exponent. The staircase is magnificent.

A small multi-media museum located in a 17th century house that offers a general overview of Belgian history and culture.

This southeastern district of Brussels borders the Fôret de Soignes. The Etangs de Rouge Cloutre (Rood Klooster) are a reminder of the priory which once stood here, where in 1482 the painter Hugo van der Goes died. The Château de Val Duchesse in the large park just to the north is best known for being the place where the original Treaty of Rome setting up the EEC (now the EC) was made ready for signing.

Beyond the Colonne, across the boulevard at the northeast extremity of the city center, the conservatories of the former botanical garden (1826-1829) have been put to new use as a cultural center for the city's French-speaking community.

Saint-Nicholas faces the rear of the Bourse (1871), the country's leading stock exchange. The main facade, overlooking the Place de la Bourse, has wonderfully rich figurative ornamentation with a crowning figure symbolizing Belgium itself.

The Rue de la Loi (Wetstraat), running east from the city center towards the Parc du Cinquantenaire, terminates at the Rond Point Schuman (Schumanplein), around which is grouped the Cité Européenne, headquarters of the EC. The European Commission and its vast administrative staff occupy the Palais Berlaymont, the largest of the 43 buildings and shaped like an irregular cross. Erected between 1963 and 1969 the Palais now faces demolition because of the asbestos used in its construction. The people of Brussels favor moving the EC to a green field site outside the city.

Behind the cathedral the Treurenberg (Hill of Mourning) ascends to the Rue Royal (Koningstraat) in the Upper Town. To the left, a little way along the Rue, the Colonne du Congrès (1859), surmounted by a statue of Leopold I, commemorates the National Congress of 1831. At its foot an eternal flame burns on the Grave of the Unknown Soldier. A good view of the Lower Town can be had from the esplanade around the column.

This busy Food Market operates on Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is located near the South Station and it offers a variety of produce, fruits, flowers, spices, olives, peppers, and more.

A short distance beyond Bruparck lies the Heysel Stadium, made tragically familiar by the events of May 1985.

Ilôt Sacré, the district extending north of the Grand' Place as far as the Place de la Monnaie, was the original Senne island on which St Géry founded his chapel. Nowadays it is known for its numerous, always busy, restaurants and bars in the Rue des Bouchers (Beenhouwerstraat) and the streets round about.

A variety of conifers, wild flowers and medicinal plants are found in this garden by Jean Massart.

The Jewish Museum of Belgium houses a collection of books, documents and artifacts that reflect the daily, spiritual and cultural life of the Jewish community. There are objects from all over the globe including Africa, Asia and Europe.

The first line of the STIB-MIVB, the metro in Brussels was opened in 1976. It is made up of 3 lines with 40.5km of track. There are 51 stations. The system has a flat fare structure. During peak hours trains run every six minutes.

Focusing on the public transit's past in Brussels, this museum is best known for its organized trips on ancient trams.

Museum steam train between Brussels and Willebroek, based at Vilvoorde.

The Musée Wiertz immediately next to the Natural Science Museum contains a large number of paintings by the Belgian Romantic painter Antoine Wiertz.

A narrow street off the south side of the Grand' Place just to the left of the Hôtel de Ville leads in a few steps to the Musée du Costume et de la Dentelle (Museum voor de Kleedertracht en de Kant) on the left-hand side a short way down the hill. As well as documenting the history of fashion from the 17th to the 19th C. the museum is a shrine to the art of Brussels lace making.

One street south of the EC building lies the attractive Parc Léopold, at the southern end of which are the Natural Science Museums (Musées des Sciences Naturelles/Musea voor Natuurwetenschapen).

On the far side of the wide avenue skirting the western edge of the park stands the extremely large church of Notre-Dame de Laeken (Onze Lieve Vrouw te Laeken), burial place of Belgium's kings and queens. Commissioned in 1851 by Leopold I following the death of his wife Louise-Marie, the building was designed by Josef Poelaert, architect of the Palais de Justice. It was completed in 1872. Inside the church a much revered 13th C. Madonna adorns the high altar and behind the choir can be seen the entrance to the royal crypt. The graves of many an important Belgian public figure are to be found in the churchyard.

On the way up from the cathedral to the Rue Royal the west elevation of the 18th C. Palais de la Nation can be seen ahead. The facade of the Neo-Classical building, seat of the Belgian Senate and Chamber of Deputies, overlooks the Parc de Bruxelles.

The Palais du Centenaire (Paleis van het Eeuwfestwijk) north of the Atomium was completed for Belgium's centenary celebrations in 1930. It now forms part of the Brussels trade fair and exhibition center also incorporating the big International Trade Mart (1975).

The Parc de Bruxelles, one time hunting preserve of the dukes of Brabant and the scene in 1830 of much bloodshed during the rebellion against the Dutch, is laid out geometrically with its main axis towards the Palais Royal at the southern end. In the northeast corner stands the Royal Park Theater.

Across the Place de la Monnaie towers the Center Monnaie (Muntcentrum), a shopping precinct and office block facing onto the large and busy Place de Brouckère (Brouckèreplaats) with its restaurants, cinemas and shops.

The dilapidated state of the Place des Martyrs, situated to the east of the pedestrianized Rue Neuve (Nieuwstraat) running north from the Théâtre Royal, is a sad commentary on the inactivity of the Brussels city council. The square, encircled by buildings dating from 1775, has in its center a monument to the martyrs of the 1830 rebellion.

This museum is housed in the restored property of the surrealist painter Rene Magritte (1898-1967). The first floor contains a library and photographic exhibit. On the second floor, visitors can tour other exhibits related to Magritte's life and work.

The Royal Observatory in Brussels offers public observing and a small display area. The associated Heisel Planetarium, built in 1973, has a 360 seat theater offering public shows.

A block or two south of the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, hidden away behind the Bourse, stands one of the city's oldest churches, Saint-Nicolas, built originally by merchants in the 11th or 12th C. in honor of their patron saint, and from which, as was the custom, they marketed their wares. Inside the church, which has since undergone alteration several times, is an interesting 15th C. Madonna.

Not far west of the Théâtre Royal lies the majesticaly proportioned church of Sainte-Catherine, built in 1850 in a blend of Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance styles to replace an earlier building. Of particular interest in the interior are the 14th or 15th C. figure of a black Madonna and a painting by de Crayer. The Tour Noire (11th-12th C.) which stands behind the church is a remnant of the old city wall while, on the west side, the delightful fish market is a reminder that this was once one of the old town quays.

Tucked away in a narrow cul-de-sac called the Impasse Schuddeveld is one of Brussels' oldest institutions, the "Toone Puppet Theater", carried on by the Toone family for seven generations.

The Museumstoomtrein that runs between Brussels and Willebroek stops here.