Brussels-Upper City
Mont des arts |
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The hill of artists located at the top of Brussels. To get here, you need to overcome several hills. It is a historic district with the Royal Palace and some great museums. Mont des Arts provides one of the most beautiful views in Brussels. From the vantage point on the hill, we can admire the famous tower of the City Hall on Brussels' Grand Place. On clear days you can see it from here Koekelberg Basilica, and even Atomium. Near Mont des Arts there are the main tourist attractions: Museum Musical Instruments, Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Royal Palace and Cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudula.
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The area where Mont des Arts is located was once densely populated. In the 19th century, King Leopold II bought the area and turned it into Mont des Arts. Many old buildings were demolished. However, due to financial reasons, the construction of the Artists' Hill was abandoned. To make the area look beautiful, during the World Exhibition held in Brussels in 1910, the king ordered the landscape architect, Pierre Vacherot, to design a temporary garden on the hill. It included a park and a monumental staircase. Although the garden was supposed to be only temporary, it gained immense popularity and was widely appreciated by the inhabitants of the capital. However, in 1930, the plans to create Mont des Arts were resumed and the park had to be demolished to make room for a new square.
In 1956 and 1958, new heavy geometric structures were built around the park, such as the Royal Library of Belgium and the Congress Palace. The new garden in the square is the work of the landscape architect René Péchère.
In 1956 and 1958, new heavy geometric structures were built around the park, such as the Royal Library of Belgium and the Congress Palace. The new garden in the square is the work of the landscape architect René Péchère.
Jacques Brel Foundation is located at the foot of the Upper Town, on place de la Vieille Halle aux Blés 11. In its seat there is a small museum dedicated to this famous Belgian singer. Since its inception, in 1981, the Foundation has been organizing exhibitions, publishing works, and digitizing a large number of archives related to the artist's work and life. Thanks to the development of new technologies, the Foundation offers the public access to some of its archives. The exhibition is divided into three sections: Brel singer, Brel author, Brel actor. Visitors will learn about the artist's secrets, they will hear how important Belgium was for him, despite the fact that he sometimes portrayed it with humor or even irony. Fans of an artist who created hits such as Port of Amsterdam if Ne me quitte pas they can buy records at the museum Jacques Brel.
Église Notre-Dame de la Chapelle this the oldest church in Brussels. In 1134, Prince Brabant Godfryd I built a chapel here. In the next century a church was erected in its place. Works on its construction lasted in the years 1210-1300. In 1574, the temple was plundered by Calvinists, and in 1695, it suffered during the bombing of Brussels by the French army. Inside the church, noteworthy are the gothic organs and the powerful pulpit with the figure of Saint Elijah. To the left of the entrance, in the second chapel of the aisle, stands the figure of Our Lady of Solitude. The painter Peter Bruegel the Elder was buried in the church with his wife. In the fourth chapel of the aisle there is a commemorative plaque dedicated to an artist who probably lived and died around the corner, in a house at rue Haute 132. The church is a parish of the Polish Catholic community in Brussels. In the side chapel, the icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa is worshiped.
Bibliotheque Royale de Belgique- The Royal Library building has collections of approximately 5 million manuscripts, books and recorded musical works. The library complex consists of several objects. Opened in 1928 Musèe du XVIII è siecle dans le Palais de Charles de Lorraine. There are paintings here Antoine Wiertz and early landscapes James Ensor and sculptures Charlier. In Musèe de l'Imprimerie instruments from the end of the 17th century until the end of the 20th century are exhibited. Archives et Musèe de la Litterature, i.e. the archive, museum of literature and the collection of French-language Belgian epistolography are also part of the library complex. The last building included in it is Chapelle De Nassau, i.e. a 16th-century chapel that once belonged to the prestigious Nassau residence.
Palais des Beaux Arts- Palace of fine arts designed by Victor Horta, who started working in 1922 a year. During seven years, he modified the building's design six times to meet the requirements. Ultimately, a magnificent facility was created to house concert halls, exhibition halls and exhibitions open to the public. It was the first such center in contemporary Europe. Currently, the building is the seat of the Belgian Symphony Orchestra. The palace also houses a Musèe du Cinema-Cinematheque Royale de Belgique, founded in 1962. The exhibition presents the history of cinema, including first cameras used for filming and supporting optical instruments. Film classics from around the world are screened daily (including silent films with live music). The museum has about 35 thousand films in its archive.
Musee des Instruments de Musique- The Museum of Musical Instruments, a branch of the Royal Museum, is housed in a beautiful glazed building built in style art moureau. In the past there was a department store Old England here (name visible on the facade of the building to this day), designed in 1899 by Paul Saintenoy. The impressive glass and iron structure is covered with fancy domes.
On 3000 meters of exhibition space, on several floors of the building, a collection of approximately 1200 exhibits is exhibited. The beginnings of the museum collection date back to the nineteenth century, when the state bought 80 historic and exotic instruments. In 1876, this number doubled when King Leopold II donated the museum of 97 Hindu instruments he received from Maharaja. The museum's biggest attractions are the prototypes of the instruments of Adolph Sax, originating in Dinant, the Belgian inventor of the saxophone.
On 3000 meters of exhibition space, on several floors of the building, a collection of approximately 1200 exhibits is exhibited. The beginnings of the museum collection date back to the nineteenth century, when the state bought 80 historic and exotic instruments. In 1876, this number doubled when King Leopold II donated the museum of 97 Hindu instruments he received from Maharaja. The museum's biggest attractions are the prototypes of the instruments of Adolph Sax, originating in Dinant, the Belgian inventor of the saxophone.
Mousseèe Royaux des Beaux Arts-The Royal Museum of Fine Arts consists of a group of six museums: Musee Oldmasters (Old Masters Museum), Musee d'Art Moderne (Museum of Modern Art), Musee Magritte, Musee Fin-de-Siecle, Musee Wiertz and Musee Meunier. The whole creates the finest collection of Belgian art, which consists of about 20.000 works of art-paintings, sculptures, drawings - from the 15th to the 21st century. Here you can admire the works of such masters as: Pieter Bruegel, Peter Paul Rubens, Jacques Jordaens, Jacques Louis David, Auguste Rodin, James Ensor, Paul Gauguin, Ferdinand Khnopff, Henry Moore, Paul Delvaux, René Magritte, Marcel Broodthaers, Jan Fabre and many other.
Bigger Old Masters Museum is located in a classicist building, designed in the years 1874-1900 by Alphonse Balat. Old Masters Museum famous for the finest collection of Flemish primitivist art. The remarkable collections of works by old masters cover the period from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Most of the collection consists of works by artists from the South of the Netherlands. Here we find the works they painted Rogier van der Weyden, Petrus Christus Dirk, Hans Memling, Hieronymus Bosch, Lucas Cranach and Gerard David. The sixteenth century represents Pieter Bruegel and his two wonderful works Fall of the Rebel Angels and Census of Bethlehem. The 17th and 18th centuries are the Flemish school, represented by Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and Jacques Jordaens.
Bigger Old Masters Museum is located in a classicist building, designed in the years 1874-1900 by Alphonse Balat. Old Masters Museum famous for the finest collection of Flemish primitivist art. The remarkable collections of works by old masters cover the period from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Most of the collection consists of works by artists from the South of the Netherlands. Here we find the works they painted Rogier van der Weyden, Petrus Christus Dirk, Hans Memling, Hieronymus Bosch, Lucas Cranach and Gerard David. The sixteenth century represents Pieter Bruegel and his two wonderful works Fall of the Rebel Angels and Census of Bethlehem. The 17th and 18th centuries are the Flemish school, represented by Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and Jacques Jordaens.
Musee d'Art Moderne (Museum of Modern Art) - The collection of contemporary art includes works from the end of the 18th century to the present day. Here you can admire the works of Belgian neoclassicalism and works devoted to the Belgian revolution and the founding of the country.
Musee Fin-de-Siecle- we will find here a multitude of artistic disciplines that existed at the turn of the century, in the 1868-1914 period.
The works of well-known artists such as Constantin Meunier, James Ensor, Henri Evenepoel, Fernand Khnopff, Leon Spilliaert and Georges Minne were collected here. The Art Nouveau architecture was restored by means of a reconstruction in 3 D of six Art Nouveau buildings.
Musee Fin-de-Siecle- we will find here a multitude of artistic disciplines that existed at the turn of the century, in the 1868-1914 period.
The works of well-known artists such as Constantin Meunier, James Ensor, Henri Evenepoel, Fernand Khnopff, Leon Spilliaert and Georges Minne were collected here. The Art Nouveau architecture was restored by means of a reconstruction in 3 D of six Art Nouveau buildings.
Palais Royal de Bruxelles- t next door Place du Palais and P. arc de bruxelles standing Palais Royal , official residence of the Belgian monarch. The construction of this palace began in the 1820s in the place of the old palace Condenberg . Concept prepared by the architect T. Suys she would pay attention to Throne Room (original royal hall with giant pillars, 11 large chandeliers and 28 sconces), Small White Room (golden hall with eighteenth-century Rococo furniture and royal portraits, illuminated with chandeliers with candles), Field Marshal's Hall (portrait takes center stage Leopold , copy of the picture Winterhalter from 1843 a year) and Mirror Room (room used for official presentations of royal guests). The palace also houses a royal office. A flag pulled up on a pole means that the ruler is at home. A guard change takes place every day at 14.
At the southern ends Upper Town the district begins Sablon , one of the more elite places in Brussels. Here you can admire magnificent sculptures, luxury restaurants and galleries, a beautiful 15th-century temple, and the historic city gate Hallepoort or wonderful Palace of Justice , called the largest monument of nineteenth-century Europe.
Place du Grand Sablon considered one of the most beautiful city squares in Brussels. It is the home of antique shops, atmospheric restaurants, located in houses from the 16th-19th century. It's the perfect place to relax while exploring Brussels in its upper part. Every weekend, an antique market is held at the church square, which attracts crowds of tourists. The center of the square is located Minerva fountain , built in 1751, a symbol of gratitude Count Aylesbury for the hospitality he experienced while in Brussels.
Église Notre Dame du Sablon is one of the most beautiful temples in Belgium. Its official name is Église Notre Dame des Victories. The church stands on the square Grand sablon and is a great example of Brabant Gothic in Belgium. The temple was built on a Latin cross plan. It measures 65 meters long, in the transept 37 meters wide, in the main nave 26 meters high.
In 1304, in the place where the temple stands today, a chapel was built, on behalf of the archers' guild. The same guild also financed the construction of the church, which began around 1400 a year and lasted for over a hundred years. Each of the five naves of the church has its altar and was built in honor of the five military guilds of Brussels. The temple is known for its quadruple gallery with windows in which there are bright, colorful stained glass (height 15 meters), contrasting with gray-white walls and arches. Inside the church there are two baroque chapels decorated with white marble funeral symbols. One of these chapels, built of black marble, was built in the years 1651-1676 and is dedicated to the family VonThurn und Tassis, creators of the European postal movement.
It is worth paying attention to the statue of St. Hubert, beautiful organs and a wonderful wooden pulpit, created by Marc Devos (1697). Above the entrance from the inside there is an interesting sculpture depicting a figure in a boat, it is Beatrice Sodkens, inspirer of bringing the wonderful sculpture of Mary to Brussels. In remembrance of the statue of Mary (chopped up in 1565 by Protestants), which according to beliefs had healing powers, every year, on the first Tuesday and Thursday of July, a holiday Ommegang is celebrated. it begins with a traditional procession and ends with dancing at the nearby grand place. Ommegang
In 1304, in the place where the temple stands today, a chapel was built, on behalf of the archers' guild. The same guild also financed the construction of the church, which began around 1400 a year and lasted for over a hundred years. Each of the five naves of the church has its altar and was built in honor of the five military guilds of Brussels. The temple is known for its quadruple gallery with windows in which there are bright, colorful stained glass (height 15 meters), contrasting with gray-white walls and arches. Inside the church there are two baroque chapels decorated with white marble funeral symbols. One of these chapels, built of black marble, was built in the years 1651-1676 and is dedicated to the family VonThurn und Tassis, creators of the European postal movement.
It is worth paying attention to the statue of St. Hubert, beautiful organs and a wonderful wooden pulpit, created by Marc Devos (1697). Above the entrance from the inside there is an interesting sculpture depicting a figure in a boat, it is Beatrice Sodkens, inspirer of bringing the wonderful sculpture of Mary to Brussels. In remembrance of the statue of Mary (chopped up in 1565 by Protestants), which according to beliefs had healing powers, every year, on the first Tuesday and Thursday of July, a holiday Ommegang is celebrated. it begins with a traditional procession and ends with dancing at the nearby grand place. Ommegang
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Address:
Rue des Sablons,
1000 Bruxelles |
Opening hours:
monday-friday: 9.00-18.00
saturday-sunday: 10.00-18.00 |
Ticket price:
Free entrance
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On the eastern side of the temple, behind Rue Regence, is located Square du Petit Sablon, a lovely little park founded in 1890. It was fenced off by a high, elaborately decorated wrought-iron fence. Included in this fence are 48 figures representing representatives of all Brussels guilds. The statuettes were made by an Art Nouveau artist Paul Hankar. In the middle of the park there is a cascading fountain with the figures of the count on the top Egmont and admiral Hoorn, members of the opposition movement, whom, by order of the prince Alby, beheaded publicly on Grand Place in 1568. On both sides of the fountain there are 12 figures of intellectuals and artists from the Renaissance, incl. Bernard van Orley (author of the stained glass windows in the Brussels Cathedral), Gerhard Mercator (a Flemish geographer and cartographer, whose 16th-century vision of the world became the basis of many later maps), and William and Orange (the first ruler of the Netherlands).
Le Palais de Justice this is the most impressive of all ambitious Leopold II projects. To implement it, several thousand inhabitants were evicted from the Mont des Pendus Hill (hangman's hill). The author of the design was the architect Joseph Poelaert, whose statue was placed in front of the underground corridor at the entrance to the stairs. The construction of this monumental building took 17 years (1866-1883). The ancient temples became the inspiration for its creators. The palace covers an area of 26000 m², has 27 auditoriums and 245 courtrooms. To this day, it is used as intended, i.e. as a city court. Joseph Poelaert
Porte de Hal it rises on the northwestern outskirts of a working-class neighborhood Marolles, on the border Petit Ring, by Boulevard du Midi. It is the only preserved fragment of the second defensive wall of Brussels. The facility, which was built in 1381, served successively as a grain warehouse, a Lutheran church and a prison. Architect Henri Beyaert, in 1868-1870, he redesigned part of the gate. He rebuilt the austere medieval tower in the neo-Gothic style. In front of the inner gate, he added a round tower topped with a conical roof and a monumental spiral staircase. Originally, the building had bars and a drawbridge over the moat. Currently, renovated in the neo-Gothic style, it belongs to the Royal Museum. From the top of the tower there is a beautiful panorama of the capital.
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Address:
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Opening hours:
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Ticket price:
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Boulevard du Midi 150,
1000 Brussels |
monday-thursday: 9.30-17.00
saturday, sunday: 10.00-18.00 |
12 euros
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