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Key Attractions Grand-Place A web of narrow cobbled streets suddenly opens out into the vast Grand-Place – the economic and social heart of Brussels, since the Middle Ages. The array of filigree Gothic buildings is dominated by the asymmetrical Hôtel de Ville, built in the 15th century. Its 96m (315ft) spire is topped with a gilded copper statue of St Michael. Opposite the Town Hall and almost as grand is the Maison du Roi, commissioned in 1515 and faithfully rebuilt in the 1890s. Sometime pied-à-terre of the Hapsburg monarchy, the building now hosts the Musée de la Ville de Bruxelles and its small collection includes tapestries and altarpieces, as well as the costumes worn by the Manneken-Pis. A series of lavish Guildhouses complete the rectangle of the square – number ten still houses the guild of brewers, Maison de l’Arbre d’Or. Events, displays and markets are often held in the Grand-Place. Grand-Place Transport: Métro Bourse. Musée de la Ville de Bruxelles Tel: (02) 279 4355. Fax: (02): 279 4362. Opening hours: Tues-Fri 1000-1700, Sat and Sun 1000-1300. Admission: €2.48. Manneken-Pis The Rue de l’Etuve leads from the grandeur of Grand-Place to this allegory of irreverence and symbol of Bruxellois self-mockery – a bronze statuette of a urinating boy. If it were not for the occupation of the young child, the sculpture might resemble an angelic putto, such as the ones decorating the façade of the nearby Bourse (Stock Exchange), said to have been sculpted by Rodin. Jérôme Duquesnoy cast Manneken-Pis in the 1660s, perhaps as a reference to the peasant lads of legend, who extinguished fires with their urine. Manneken-Pis is kitted out regularly in a choice of some 500 outfits supplied by foreign countries, companies and charities wishing to flaunt their name or brand. Rue de l’Etuve Transport: Métro Bourse. Place du Grand-Sablon Although the smartest square in town, the Place du Grand-Sablon remains laid-back – the ideal place to enjoy a coffee or buy an antique. Notre-Dame du Sablon dominates the square. Although it began as a humble chapel for the guild of archers, the arrival of a statue of Mary – with reputed magical healing properties – from Antwerp, in 1348, increased its popularity dramatically. The building was expanded into an impressive Gothic church, which still hosts the annual Ommegang procession (see Special Events). The Musée Postal et Musée des Télécommunications reopens at the end of June or early July 2002, following renovations. It is worth a wander around the Sablon district. Intriguing cul-de-sacs lead off from the square to shady spaces – such as the charming Impasse Saint-Jacques. The nearby Place du Petit-Sablon is a small, green square, surrounded by 48 bronze statuettes representing the 16th-century guilds, with larger statues at its heart, including the martyr-heroes, Egmont and Hornes, and Mercator, the cartographer. Place du Grand-Sablon Transport: Bus 20, 34, 48, 95 or 96; or tram 92, 93 or 94. Notre-Dame du Sablon Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1800, Sat-Sun 1000-1800 Admission: Free. Musée Postal et Musée des Télécommunications Place du Grand-Sablon 40 Tel: (02) 511 7740. Fax: (02) 502 7177. Opening hours: Temporarily closed for restoration; Mon-Fri 1000-1630 (library). Admission: Free. Place des Palais & Palais Royal (Royal Palace) Some of Brussels’ most opulent buildings and key attractions are clustered around the centrally located Parc de Bruxelles, a formal 1870s park with poker-straight tree-lined avenues and a central fountain. The southeast edge is graced by the Palais des Académies, a former residence of the Prince of Orange and Place du Trône, an impressive statue of Léopold II astride a horse. Nearby, Brussel’s Royal Palace and museums are congregated. Opposite the Parc de Bruxelles lies the Palais Royal, begun in the 19th century, by King William I (1815-30) and later expanded by Léopold II. The royal family now resides in Laeken, in northern Brussels, however, the palace is used as royal offices and to host frequent state functions. From the end of July until early September, the palace, with its Throne Room, chandeliers, tapestries and gracious dining room opens to the public. Rue Bredeorde 16 Tel: (02) 551 2020. Fax: (02) 502 3949. Website: www.belgium.fgov.be Transport: Métro Trône or Parc; or tram 92, 93 or 94; or bus 20, 21, 22, 34, 38, 54, 60, 71, 95 or 96. Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1030-1730 (25 Jul-8 Sep). Admission: Free. Musées Bellevue The Musées Bellevue comprises tow sites – the Musée de la Dynastie and the Mémorial Roi Baudouin. Both are located in the Hôtel Bellevue, an 18th-century mansion erected on the ruins of the 11th-century castle of the Dukes of Brabant and standing between the Place des Palais and Place Royale. The Musée de la Dynastie displays royal memorabilia, from paintings to documents and sculpture, evoking the public and private lives of Belgian royalty and the events that shaped their reign. The Mémorial Roi Baudouin pays homage to the 43-year reign of King Baudouin, much loved by the Belgian people and sadly mourned, following his death in 1993. The memorial traces the life of Leopold III’s eldest son, from the untimely death of his mother to his early reign as king – following the abdication of his father – and key events duirng his reign, from the end of colonisation to the independence of the Congo and fedearlisation of Belgium. Hôtel Bellevue, Place des Palais 7 Tel: (02) 512 2821 or 545 0801 (guided tours). Fax: (02) 502 4623. Website: www.musbellevue.be Transport: Métro Trône or Parc; or tram 92, 93 or 94; or bus 20, 21, 22, 34, 38, 54, 60, 71, 95 or 96. Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1800. Admission: €3, including audo-guide; concessions available. Palais de Charles V (Palace of Charles V) Access to the archaeological remains of the 11th-century Palace of Charles V, which extends beneath the Place Royale, is via the Bellevue Hotel. The seat of central power for six centuries, the palace was improved and extended by a long line of monarchs, from the Dukes of Brabant to the Dukes of Burgundy, Emperor Charles B and the Archdukes Albert and Isabel. The huge fire of 1731 reduced the grand monument to ruins. Visitors can recapture its faded grandeur with an underground tour. Hôtel Bellevue, Place des Palais 7 Tel: (02) 512 2821 or 545 0801 (guided tours). Fax: (02) 502 4623. Transport: Métro Trône or Parc; or tram 92, 93 or 94; or bus 20, 21, 22, 34, 38, 54, 60, 71, 95 or 96. Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1800. Admission: €4; concessions available. Musée du Cinquantenaire (Cinquantenaire Museum) Everything conceived by Léopold II was on a grandiose scale and the Parc du Cinquantenaire, built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Belgian independence, is no exception. The Musée de l’Armée, situated in the north wing, has an interesting display of vintage aircraft and free entrance. However, the Musée du Cinquantenaire, formerly known as the Musées Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire (Royal Art and History Museum), is the major draw card of the area. Boasting collections from five continents, ranging from prehistory to the present, it includes Art Nouveau furniture designed by Victor Horta and fine examples of centuries-old lace. Comic strip fans may find some pieces familiar – the large Egyptian collection was the source of inspiration for Belgium’s artists, including Hergé. June 2002 sees the reopening of the Middle Ages room, after the completion of extensive renovations. Parc du Cinquantenaire 10 Tel: (02) 741 7211. Fax: (02) 733 7735. Transport: Train/métro Mérode or Schuman; tram 81 or 82 (to Mérode); bus 20 or 80 (to Nerviens), 22 (to Cinquantenaire), 61 (to Mérode), 28, 36 or 67 (to Schuman). Opening hours: Tues-Fri 0930-1700, Sat-Sun 1000-1700. Admission: €4; free first Wed of the month 1300-1700. Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique (Belgian Royal Museums of Fine Art) The most important of Belgium’s museum complexes is located close to Place Royal. It boasts two rich museums, their collections ranging from the 14th century to the modern day – the Musée d’Art Ancien, housed in the former court of Charles de Lorraine, and the underground Musée d’Art Moderne, inaugurated in 1984. The Musée d’Art Ancien (Museum of Ancient Art) – known locally as the Museum of Fine Arts – excels in its collection of the Old Masters, with works by Rubens, Bouts and Memling. Collections of Pieter Brueghel the Elder (room 31) and Hieronymus Bosch (room 17) are small, as Belgium’s foreign masters took these treasures with them. A passageway leads to Musée d’Art Moderne (Museum of Modern Art), with its splendid collection of the Belgian Surrealists. René Magritte is given pride of place, although the haunting works of Paul Delvaux are also of interest. Picasso, Chagall, Henry Moore and Francis Bacon are also well represented. The renovation of the Argenteau wing, which opens in an 18th-century town house overlooking a corner of the Place Royale, in spring 2003, is set to add 3000sq metres (9842sq feet) of new exhibition space dedicated to major donations. Rue de la Régence 3 Tel: (02) 508 3211. Fax: (02) 508 3232. Transport: Gare Centrale; tram 92, 93 or 94 (to Royale); bus 38, 60, 71, 95 or 96 (to Royale). Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1200 and 1300-1700. Admission: €5. |
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