EYEWITNESS TRAVEL
TOP
BRUSSELS
BRUGES, ANTWERP & GHENT
ANTONY MASON
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Top 10 Brussels, The Top 10
Bruges, Antwerp of Everything
& Ghent Highlights
Welcome to Brussels, Bruges, Moments in
Antwerp & Ghent .......................5 Belgian History .........................40
Exploring Brussels, Bruges, Famous Belgians .........................42
Antwerp & Ghent .......................6 Belgian Artists ..............................44
Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Churches ......................................46
Ghent Highlights ......................12 Art Nouveau Buildings
The Grand Place, in Brussels ................................48
Brussels ....................................14 Museums ......................................50
Musées Royaux des Art Galleries .................................52
Beaux-Arts, Brussels ..............18
Musée des Instruments Off the Beaten Track ....................54
de Musique, Brussels ..............20 Children’s Attractions ..................56
Horta Museum, Brussels ............22 Performing Arts Venues ..............58
Comics Art Museum, Brussels ...26 Types of Belgian Beer ..................60
The Burg, Bruges.........................28 Things to Buy ................................62
Two Museums of Bruges ............30 Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp
& Ghent for Free ......................64
Antwerp Cathedral.......................32 Festivals and Events ....................66
Rubenshuis, Antwerp ..................34
The Adoration of the Excursions ....................................68
Mystic Lamb, Ghent .................36
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CONTENTS
Brussels, Bruges, Streetsmart
Antwerp & Ghent
Area by Area
Central Brussels ..........................72 Getting To and Around Brussels,
Outer Brussels .............................82 Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent .....116
Bruges ..........................................90 Practical Information .................118
Antwerp ......................................100 Places to Stay .............................124
Ghent ..........................................108
General Index .............................132
Acknowledgments .....................138
Phrase Book (French) ................140
Phrase Book (Dutch) .................142
The information in this DK Eyewitness Top
10 Travel Guide is checked regularly.
Every effort has been made to ensure that
this book is as up-to-date as possible at the
time of going to press. Some details,
however, such as telephone numbers,
opening hours, prices, gallery hanging
arrangements and travel information are
liable to change. The publishers cannot
accept responsibility for any consequences
arising from the use of this book, nor for any
material on third-party websites, and cannot
Within each Top 10 list in this book, no hierarchy guarantee that any website address in this
of quality or popularity is implied. All 10 are, in book will be a suitable source of travel
the editor’s opinion, of roughly equal merit. information. We value the views and
suggestions of our readers very highly. Please
Front cover and spine Buildings in the write to: Publisher, DK Eyewitness Travel
Grand Place, Brussels Guides, Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand, London
Back cover A canal scene in Bruges WC2R 0RL, Great Britain, or email
Title page The Belfort and the Dijver canal, as [email protected]
seen from Rozenhoedkaai, Bruges
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Top Ten Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent ❮❮ 5
Welcome to
Brussels, Bruges,
Antwerp & Ghent
Brussels, capital of Europe, and the three great cities of
Flanders offer an extraordinarily rich spread of rewards.
Fabulous art, trend-setting design and fashion, outstanding
restaurants, some of the world’s best beer and chocolate,
and a heritage that has flourished since the Golden Age.
With this Eyewitness Top 10 guide, it’s yours to explore.
The splendours of that Golden Age are showcased in the paintings
of Jan van Eyck, Hans Memling and their contemporaries in the
great art collections of all the cities, such as the Musées Royaux des
Beaux-Arts in Brussels and the Groeningemuseum in Bruges. This
artistic brilliance soared again to new heights with Rubens, whose
grand home and studio, the Rubenshuis, is one of the treasures of
Antwerp. Architecture tracks a parallel path, with medieval squares
such as the Burg in Bruges, the Gothic Antwerp Cathedral, and the
splendid Gothic and Flemish Baroque Grand Place in Brussels.
Cultural attractions apart, these are also walkable cities, adapted
for modern living, with elegant shopping streets, lively cafés, star-
spangled restaurants – and the world’s best twice-fried frites.
Whether you’re coming for a weekend or a week, our Top 10 guide
explores the best of everything these cities can offer, from the glass
trumpets of the Musée des Instruments de Musique in Brussels
and the cutting-edge contemporary art of the SMAK gallery in
Ghent, to the enchanting backwaters of Eastern Bruges and the
throbbing clubs of Antwerp. There are tips throughout, from seeking
out what’s free to finding the liveliest festivals, plus easy-to-follow
itineraries, designed to tie together the must-see sights in a short
space of time. Add inspiring photography and detailed maps, and
you’ve got the essential pocket-sized travel companion. Enjoy the
book, and enjoy Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp and Ghent.
Clockwise from top: Lier near Antwerp; Blinde Ezelstraat, Bruges; Grand Place, Brussels; Le
Botanique, Brussels; Rodin’s The Thinker, Brussels; waffles; Comics Art Museum, Brussels
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6 ❯❯ Top 10 Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent
Exploring Brussels, Bruges,
Antwerp & Ghent
With so much on offer, these cities are at their best day and
night, and there is much to see beyond the main museums and
attractions. Part of the pleasure is ambling about the pedestrian-
friendly streets and savouring time spent in the restaurants and
cafés. These two- and seven-day itineraries will help you make the
most of these four fascinating
Belgian cities.
Église St-Jean-
Baptiste du
Béguinage
Place Comics Art Museum
Place des Martyrs
Sainte-Catherine
BRUSSELS
La Bourse
Galeries Royales Cathédrale
Saint-Hubert
des Saints
Grand Place Michel et Parc
tram stop
Gudule
Parc de
0 metres 400 TRAM Bruxelles
Warande
0 yards 400 Musée des
Instruments de Musique
Key Musées Royaux
Two-day itinerary des Beaux-Arts
Seven-day itinerary Horta Museum
(2.5 km)
Two Days in Brussels
Day 1
MORNING
Start at the Grand Place (see pp14–
15). Walk through the Galeries
Royales Saint-Hubert (see p77)
to reach the Cathédrale des Saints
Michel et Gudule (see p74).
AFTERNOON
After lunch, head to the Musée
des Instruments de Musique
(see pp20–21; closed Mon) and the
Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts
(see pp18–19; closed Mon).
Day 2
MORNING
The Grand Place is dominated by Visit La Bourse (see p16), and walk
Brussels’ magnificent town hall. via the Place Sainte-Catherine to the
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Exploring Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent ❮❮ 7
the Sint-Walburgakerk (see p94)
into the pleasantly quiet district
of Eastern Bruges (see p95) to
visit the Sint-Annakerk and the
Volkskundemuseum (closed Mon).
AFTERNOON
Spend the afternoon at the
extraordinary Jeruzalemkapel
(closed Sun) and the neighbouring
Kantcentrum (see p95), the lace
centre, which has demon strations in
Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts is the afternoon. Finish by exploring the
made up of three integrated museums. streets of Eastern Bruges further.
Église St-Jean-
Baptiste du
Béguinage Église St-Jean-Baptiste au
Place Comics Art Museum Béguinage (see p75). Wander the
Place des Martyrs Place des Martyrs (see p76) on
Sainte-Catherine
the way to the Comics Art Museum
(see pp26–7; closed Mon)
BRUSSELS AFTERNOON
Take a tram to the Horta Museum
La Bourse (see pp22–3; closed Mon). Wander the
Galeries Royales Cathédrale
Saint-Hubert Art Nouveau streets around here.
des Saints
Grand Place Michel et Parc
tram stop
Gudule
Seven Days in Brussels,
Parc de
and Antwerp
0 metres 400 TRAM Bruxelles Bruges, Ghent
Warande
0 yards 400 Musée des
Instruments de Musique
BRUSSELS – Day 1
Musées Royaux As day one of Two Days in Brussels.
des Beaux-Arts Jeruzalemkapel is a 15th-century
Horta Museum BRUGES – Day 2 hidden gem next to the Kantcentrum.
(2.5 km)
MORNING
Go to the Markt and climb
the Belfort (see p91) for a Volkskundemuseum Jeruzalemkapel
panoramic view. After, head & Kantcentrum
for the Burg (see pp28–9).
AFTERNOON Choco- Sint-Annakerk
Story
Walk to Groeningemuseum Sint-Walburgakerk
(see pp30–31; closed Mon), Frietmuseum
with its outstanding BRUGES
collection of Flemish Markt
masters. Explore the Burg
Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk Belfort
(see p92) and then the Sint-
Janshospitaal (see p92;
closed Mon). Walk on to Groeningemuseum
the Begijnhof (see p93).
Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk
Sint-
BRUGES – Day 3 Janshospitaal 0 metres 500
MORNING
Begin at Choco-Story 0 yards 500
and/or the Frietmuseum Key
(see p94), then walk via Begijnhof Seven-day itinerary
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8 ❯❯ Top 10 Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent
Exploring Brussels, Bruges,
Antwerp & Ghent
Patershol
Huis van Alijn district
Design
Museum
Canal trips
Korenlei
Graslei
Sint-
Michielsbrug
Sint-
Baafskathedral
Korenlei, one of Antwerp’s attractive quays, Leie
is a pick-up point for boat trips. Ketelvaart
GHENT
Seven Days in
Brussels, Bruges,
Ghent and Antwerp
GHENT – Day 4 STAM Scheldt
MORNING
Pay a pilgrimage to The
Adoration of the Mystic Lamb Leie
(see pp32–3), then go to the
Sint-Michielsbrug on the Graslei
and Korenlei (see p109) for the
views. Visit the Design Museum Citadelpark
(see p111; closed Mon).
AFTERNOON SMAK
Take a canal trip, visit Huis van Alijn MSK
folklore museum (see p110; closed
Mon), then wander around the quaint Key 0 metres 500
Patershol district (see p54) behind Seven-day itinerary 0 yards 500
the museum.
GHENT – Day 5
MORNING
Take a tram to Ghent’s
two great art galleries,
MSK and SMAK (see p111;
closed Mon).
AFTERNOON
Walk back across the
Citadelpark to visit the
STAM city museum (see
p110; closed Mon) before
returning to the historic The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb is the star
city centre. attraction in the Sint-Baafskathedraal in Ghent.
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Exploring Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent ❮❮ 9
Patershol
Huis van Alijn district
Design
Museum
Canal trips
Korenlei
Graslei
Sint-
Michielsbrug
Sint-
Baafskathedral
Antwerp Cathedral dominates the medieval market square.
Leie ANTWERP – Day 6
Ketelvaart MORNING
Admire the guildhouses and town
GHENT
hall in the Grote Markt (see p101),
then walk to Antwerp Cathedral (see
pp34–5). Visit the Museum Vleeshuis
(see p102; closed Mon–Wed).
AFTERNOON
Visit the Sint-Pauluskerk (see p104),
then continue further north to the FotoMuseum Provincie (FoMu) covers
STAM
dockside Museum Aan de Stroom every aspect of photography.
Scheldt
(see p102; closed Mon).
Leie
ANTWERP – Day 7 Museum Aan
MORNING de Stroom
To avoid the crowds, get an early
Citadelpark start at the Rubenshuis (see pp36–7;
closed Mon). Continue to the
SMAK Museum Mayer van den Bergh
MSK (see p102; closed Mon). Museum Sint-Pauluskerk
AFTERNOON Vleeshuis ANTWERP
0 metres 500 Take in some radical
0 yards 500 contemporary art at MUKHA Grote Markt
gallery (see p104; closed Mon), Antwerp Cathedral
and visit the nearby
FotoMuseum Provincie Museum Plantin-
Antwerpen (FoMu) Moretus Rubenshuis
(see p104; closed Mon).
To finish your trip, Museum Mayer
head back to the van den Bergh
old city centre via
the Museum
Plantin-Moretus MUKHA
(see p102;
closed Mon).
0 metres 600
FotoMuseum
Key Provincie Antwerpen 0 yards 600
Seven-day itinerary
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Top 10 Brussels,
Bruges, Antwerp
& Ghent Highlights
The magnificent architecture on
display in the Grand Place, Brussels
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Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp The Burg, Bruges 28
& Ghent Highlights 12
Two Museums of Bruges 30
The Grand Place, Brussels 14
Antwerp Cathedral 32
Musées Royaux
des Beaux-Arts 18 Rubenshuis, Antwerp 34
Musée des Instruments The Adoration of the Mystic
de Musique 20 Lamb, Ghent 36
Horta Museum, Brussels 22
Comics Art Museum 26
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12 ❯❯ Top 10 Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent
Brussels,
Bruges, Antwerp
& Ghent Highlights
The four great cities of northern Belgium The Grand
share a rich cultural heritage, yet they Place, Brussels
are very different. Each, in its own way, For architectural theatre,
is hugely rewarding – not only in cultural the centrepiece of
sights, but also in delightful and Brussels is hard to beat –
welcoming places to stay, eat and drink. as it was three cen turies
ago (see pp14–15).
Musées Royaux des NETHERLANDS E19 E19 Turnhout
Turnhout
NETHERLANDS
Beaux-Arts, Brussels ANTWERPEN
ANTWERPEN
Beveren
Rubens, Van Dyke, Magritte – this Bruges Zelzate Beveren Ant Antwerpwerp E313 E313
Bruges
Zelzate
splendid collection reveals some of Lier Lier Geel Geel
art’s greatest names (see pp18–19). WEST- E40 E40 Lokeren
Lokeren
WEST-
Ghentt
VLAANDEREN
VLAANDEREN Ghen E17 E17 E19 E19 Mechelen
Mechelen
A12 A12
Roeselaree
OOST-
Roeselar OOST- Aalst Aalst
VLAAMS BRABANT
VLAANDEREN VLAAMS BRABANT E314 E314
VLAANDEREN
E17 E17 E40 E40 Leuv Leuvenen
Oudenaarde
A19 A19 Oudenaarde
E403
E403
Kor Kortrijktrijk Brussels Tienen
Brussels
Tienen
Ninove
Ninove See inset map, left E40
See inset map, left E40
Mouscronon
Mouscr E411 E411
Wat Waterlooerloo BRABANT WALLON
BRABANT WALLON
E429
E429
Tournai
Gembloux
Musée des Tournai HAINAUT E19 E19 Gembloux
HAINAUT
Instruments de Central Brussels RUE DU MARAIS La Louvière
La Louvière
Musique, Brussels R. NEUVE BROEKSTRAAT E19 E19 Mons Char Charleroileroi 0 km 0 km 20 20
Mons
Housed in a magnificent Art NIEUWSTR. BD. BERLAIMONT KONINGSSTRAAT 0 miles 20 20
0 miles
Nouveau building, the “mim” ANSPACHLAAN BERLAIMONTLAAN
contains thousands of BLVD. ANSPACH
instruments (see pp20–21). RUE DU MIDI ZUIDSTRAAT WETSTRAAT
RUE DE LA LOI
Parc de
Horta Museum, Brussels LOMBARDSTR. RUE ROYALE Bruxelles HERTOGSTRAAT
Warande
R. DU LOMBARD
Victor Horta was the original Art BD. DE L’EMPEREUR KEIZERSLAAN
Nouveau architect; his own house is an
REGENT SCHAPSTR.
expression of this and preserved as a R. DE LA REGENCE 0 metres 500
shrine to Art Nouveau (see pp22–3). 2.5 km 0 yards 500
Comics Art
Museum,
Brussels
Dedicated to the comic
strip, this place reveals
all there is to know
about this very Belgian
art form: Tintin and
beyond (see pp26–7).
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Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent Highlights ❮❮ 13
The Burg,
Bruges
The old centre of
Bruges is an
architectural gem –
a small, intimate
square surrounded
by historic gabled
The Grand buildings, each one
Place, Brussels embellished with
For architectural theatre, fascinating detail
the centrepiece of (see pp28–9).
Brussels is hard to beat –
as it was three cen turies
ago (see pp14–15).
Turnhout
NETHERLANDS E19 E19 Turnhout
NETHERLANDS
ANTWERPEN
ANTWERPEN
Beveren
Bruges Beveren Ant Antwerpwerp
Bruges
Zelzate E313 E313
Zelzate
Lier Lier Geel Geel
E40 E40
Lokeren
Lokeren
WEST-
WEST- Ghen E17 E17
Ghentt
VLAANDEREN
VLAANDEREN E19 E19 Mechelen
Mechelen
A12 A12
Roeselar OOST- Aalst Aalst
Roeselaree
OOST-
VLAAMS BRABANT
VLAANDEREN
VLAANDEREN VLAAMS BRABANT E314 E314 Groeningemuseum and
E17 E17 E40 E40 Leuv Leuvenen Sint-Janshospitaal,
Oudenaarde
A19 A19 Oudenaarde
E403
E403
Brussels
Kor Kortrijktrijk Brussels Tienen Bruges
Tienen
Ninove
Ninove See inset map, left E40
See inset map, left E40
Great Flemish artists of the early
Mouscr E411 E411
Mouscronon
Wat Waterlooerloo 15th century were among the first to
BRABANT WALLON
E429 E429 BRABANT WALLON perfect oil painting. These two
Tournai
Tournai E19 E19 collections demonstrate their
Gembloux
HAINAUT Gembloux
HAINAUT
extraordinary skills, (see pp30–31).
La Louvière
La Louvière
Mons
E19 E19 Mons
Char Charleroileroi 0 km 0 km 20 20
0 miles
0 miles 20 20
The Adoration of the
Mystic Lamb, Ghent
This multi-panel altarpiece created
in 1426–32 by Jan van Eyck and his
brother Hubrecht is a great cultural
treasure of Europe (see pp36–7).
Rubenshuis, Antwerp Antwerp
Rubens’ mansion has been Cathedral
carefully restored to show how it Antwerp’s cathedral
might have been when he lived is the city’s main
here (see pp34–5). landmark, and the
largest Gothic
church in Belgium.
Its impressive
interior has some
excep tional triptychs
(see pp32–3).
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14 ❯❯ Top 10 Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent
The Grand Place, Brussels
Brussels’ Grand Place is the focal point of the city, a tirelessly
uplifting masterpiece of unified architecture. Full of symbolic
sculpture and gilding, for centuries this was the economic and
administrative heart of the city. It was the setting for markets, fairs,
pageants and jousts, for the proclamation of decrees, and for public
executions. Even without its old political and economic prestige and
the bustle of through-traffic, it still hums with activity.
Hôtel de Ville
5
The Town Hall was
the first major building
on the Grand Place.
Largely rebuilt since its
15th-century beginnings,
it still has its original
spire, with a statue of St
Michael killing the devil.
NEED TO KNOW
MAP C3
Hôtel de Ville: guided
Le Cornet
1 tours start 2pm Wed,
This elaborate building (No 6) was once the
11am, 3pm & 4pm Sun;
guildhouse of the boatmen. Its adornments include arrive 15 minutes before.
a top storey resembling the stern of a ship (above). 02 548 04 47. Tour: €5.
Le Renard
Le Cygne
2 3 Maison du Roi (Musée
de la Ville de Bruxelles):
No 7 was a
“The Swan” (No 9)
was rebuilt as a private guildhouse (gilde huis) – 10am–5pm Tue–Sun. 02
279 43 50. Adm: €8.
residence in 1698, but in the prestigious
1720 it was acquired by headquarters of Maison des Brasseurs
(Musée de la
the Guild of Butchers. It the Guild of Brasserie):
later became a café, and Haberdashers. A 10am–5pm daily. 02
Karl Marx held meetings gilded statue of 511 49 87. Adm: €5
of the German Workers’ a fox (right) sits
Party here. above the door, • There are two
reflecting the famous bar-
building’s old restaurants here
name (Le – both pricey,
Renard). but worth it for
their Bruxellois
Maison des
4 style: Le Roy d’Espagne
Brasseurs
at No 1, and La Chaloupe
Called l’Arbre d’Or d’Or at Nos 24–25. Le
(the Golden Tree), the Cygne has a famous
brewers’ guildhouse restaurant upstairs
(No 10) was designed and the Brasserie
by Guillaume de Bruyn. l’Ommegang
It is still used by the downstairs.
Confédération des • A tourist office in the
Brasseurs, and houses Hôtel de Ville is useful
a small museum of for information.
brewing (left).
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The Grand Place, Brussels ❮❮ 15
The Grand Place, Brussels 6 8 NOT QUITE THE
The Tapis
Maison du Roi
de Fleurs
This medieval-
style “King’s House”, Every even-numbered REAL THING
built in the 1870s, year for five days in mid- The guildhouses of the
houses the Musée de August, the Grand Place Grand Place are built
la Ville de Bruxelles, a is taken over by a largely in the Flemish
miscellany of city history, massive floral display Renaissance style of
including costumes known as the Carpet the late 16th and early
designed for the of Flowers (below). 17th centuries. Little of
Manneken-Pis statue. it actually dates from
this period, however.
On 13–14 August 1695,
under the orders of
Louis XIV, French troops
led by Marshal de
Villeroy lined up their
cannons, took aim at
the spire of the Hôtel
de Ville, and pulverized
the city centre. In
defiance, the citizens
set about reconstructing
the Grand Place, a task
that was completed in
just five years.
1 8 6
3 BOTERSTRAAT AUX HERBES
RUE AU BEURRE
RUE MARCHE
0 GRASMARKT
GRAND PLACE
GROTE MARKT
5 4 9
7 2
Maison des
Statue of
Maison des
7 9 0
Boulangers
Ducs de
Everard ‘t
Serclaes Brabant The bakers’ guildhouse
Everard ‘t Serclaes The south-eastern is coated with symbols,
died on this site in flank of this impressive including six figures
1388 resisting Flemish Neo-Classical building representing the
occupation. Superstitious was originally conceived essential elements
passers-by stroke the (in 1698) as a single of breadmaking. The
limbs of his bronze block of seven units by unusual octagonal
statue (below) for luck. Guillaume de Bruyn. lantern on the roof
is topped by a striking
gilded statue of Fame.
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16 ❯❯ Top 10 Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent
Around the Grand Place
markets) and functions as an
occasional exhibition space. Beneath
it are the exposed archaeological
remains of a convent founded in
1238, known as Bruxella 1238.
Manneken-Pis
4
MAP B3 • corner of Rue de
l´Étuve and Rue du Chêne
No one knows why this bronze statue
of a boy peeing water has become
Restaurants line Rue des Bouchers such a symbol of Brussels. Since the
early 18th century, cost umes of all
Rue des Bouchers
1 kinds have been made for him.
MAP C3
Many of the streets around the
Grand Place reflect the trades that
once operated there. The “Street of
the Butchers” and its intersecting
Petite Rue des Bouchers are
famous for their lively restaurants
and colourful displays of food.
Musée du Costume et
2
de la Dentelle
MAP C3 • Rue de la Violette 12
• 02 213 44 50 • Open 10am–5pm
Tue–Sun • Adm
This small but rewarding museum
dedicated to historic costume and
lace has a limited but choice
selection of exhibits.
La Bourse
3
MAP B3 • Bruxella 1238
• 02 279 43 55 • Guided tours first
Wed of month (10:15am for tours in Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
English; departs from outside
Galeries Royales
Maison du Roi on the Grand Place) 5
The Stock Exchange is an Saint-Hubert
unmistakable feature of the MAP C3
Brussels landscape. Built in 1873 Built in 1847, this was the first shop
in the style of a Greek temple and ping arcade in Europe. It boasts
lavishly decorated, it is now used magnificent vaulted glass ceilings.
by Euronext (European stock
Place Saint-Géry
6
MAP B3
The square that marks the site of
Brussels´ first settlement is today
dominated by Les Halles de Saint
Géry, an attractive iron and redbrick
structure built in 1881 as a meat
Detail on the façade of La Bourse market. Now a craft market,
016-017_Top_10_Brussels.indd 16 29/06/2016 12:29
Around the Grand Place ❮❮ 17
exhibition space and café, it is the
central focus of an area known
for its nightlife.
Maison Dandoy
7
MAP C3 • Rue au Beurre 31
Brussels´ best makers of biscuits
have been perfecting their craft
since 1829. Behind a ravishing
shop window lie goodies such as
speculoos, sablés and waffles.
Statue of Charles Buls
8 Église Notre-Dame de Bon Secours
MAP C3
In Place Agora is one of Brussels´ a domed ceiling. The façade bears
most delightful statues: a portrait the coat of arms of the enlightened
of the bearded and moustachioed 18th-century governor of the Austrian
artist, scholar and reformer Charles Netherlands, Charles of Lorraine.
Buls (1837–1914) and his dog. Buls,
Église Saint-Nicolas
who served as Burgomaster from 0
1891 to 1899, is credited with MAP C3 • Rue au Beurre 1 • 02
restoring the Grand Place. 513 80 22 • Open 8am–6:30pm Mon–
Fri, 9am–6pm Sat, 9am–7:30pm Sun
Église Notre-Dame
9 St Nicholas of Myra – aka Santa
de Bon Secours
Claus – was patron saint of mer-
MAP B3 • Rue du Marché au Charbon chants, and this church has served
91 • 02 514 31 13 • Open daily Jun– the traders of the Grand Place
Nov: 9:30am–6pm, Dec–May: since the 14th century. It retains a
10am–5pm fine medieval atmosphere, despite
The most striking feature of this desecration by Protestant rebels
delightful church, built in 1664–94, is in the 16th century and damage
its soaring hexagonal choir, rising to during the bombardment of 1695.
THE ÎLE SAINT-GÉRY AND THE RIVER SENNE
Brussels began as a group of little islands on a marshy river. Legend has
it that in the 6th century AD, St Géry, Bishop of Cambrai, founded a
church here, and a settlement grew around it. The name Broeksele
(later Brussels), meaning “house in the swamp”, is first mentioned in
966, and a castle was built on the island by Charles, Duke of Lorraine,
a decade later, effectively launching the city. The river, called the Senne,
ran through the city until the 19th century. Never large, it became
overwhelmed by the growing population, and such a health hazard that
it was covered over in 1867–71. This process created Boulevard Anspach
and Boulevard Adolphe
Max, among others, while
the river formed part of
the city´s new sewer and
drainage system. It can still
be glimpsed here and
there in the city.
The River Senne in 1587
016-017_Top_10_Brussels.indd 17 29/06/2016 12:29
18 ❯❯ Top 10 Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent
Musées Royaux
des Beaux-Arts
Brussels’ “Royal Museums of the Fine Arts” are a tour de force.
Many of the great names in art history are represented here. The
galleries are divided into three integrated parts: the Old Masters
Museum (15th to 18th centuries), the Fin-de-Siècle Museum (19th
and early 20th centuries) and the Magritte Museum. Overall, they
represent one of the greatest and most comprehensive collections
of art from the Low Countries anywhere in the world.
Realism to 1
Post-
Impressionism (Fin-
de-Siècle Museum)
Belgian artists echoed
French art movements,
but applied their own
originality. Social
Realism emanates from
works by Hippolyte
Boulenger; Émile Claus’s
bucolic scenes reflect
the late-Impressionist
style, Luminism; Henri
Evenepoel’s Post-
Impressionist style is
redolent of Degas;
James Ensor prefigured
the Expressionists (right).
Gillian Crowet Collection
3
(Fin-de-Siècle Museum)
This outstanding collection showcases the work of Art
Nouveau masters such as Victor Horta, Émile Gallé,
Alphonse Mucha and Fernand Khnopff (below).
Early
2
Netherlandish
Painting (Old
Masters Museum)
One of the most precious
parts of the collection:
extra ordinary work by
Old Masters Museum
Rogier van der Weyden 4
(above), Hans Memling, This extraordinarily rich collection spans the
Dirk Bouts and Petrus 15th to the 18th centuries, and includes the Flemish
Christus. The “Flemish Primitives and the Golden Age of Rubens, Van Dyck
Primitives” perfected the and Jordaens. Although primarily focusing on
technique of oil painting, Belgian art, it also has work by major European
and had a major painters such Claude Lorrain, Tiepolo and Jacques-
influence on Italian art. Louis David (including his Death of Marat).
018-019_Top_10_Brussels.indd 18 29/06/2016 13:03
Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts ❮❮ 19
NEED TO KNOW
MAP C4 • Rue de la
Régence 3 • 02 508 32
11 • www.fine-arts-
museum.be
Open 10am–5pm Tue–
Fri, 11am–6pm Sat–Sun
Adm: €13, including
entry to the Magritte
Museum; otherwise, €8
(€3 for 6–25 yrs, €9 for
above 65 yrs, under 6s
free). Free admission on
Magritte Museum
5 1st Wed of each month
René Magritte’s work (above) is
after 1pm
so often seen in reproduc tion that it is
a treat to see it up close. The museum, • The museums have
in a separate part of the Musées their own cafeteria, but
Royaux des Beaux-Arts, houses the far more exciting is the
world’s largest col lec tion of his work. mim restaurant on top
of the nearby Musée
Fin-de-Siècle Museum
6 des Instruments de
Musique (see pp20– 21).
This museum embraces not
just painting and sculpture, but early Also, just a short walk
away, are the cafés of
Art Nouveau artifacts and architecture the Place du Grand
from 1884 to 1914. Sablon, including the
The Modern Collection
7 exquisite chocolatier
Wittamer (see p78).
The museum has a fine collec-
tion of 20th- and 21st-century art • The museums tend
(below) but this is due to move to the to be quieter mid-week
Vanderborght building, in 2018. during the middle
Until then, some items are on of the day, so this
show in the Patio. can be the ideal
time for a more
Gillian Crowet Collection
The Rubens
3 8 leisurely visit.
(Fin-de-Siècle Museum)
Collection
This outstanding collection showcases the work of Art (Old Masters Gallery Guide
The Old Masters
Nouveau masters such as Victor Horta, Émile Gallé, Museum) Museum is set out in
Alphonse Mucha and Fernand Khnopff (below). To those who think of sequence on a single,
Rubens only in terms of extensive upper floor
scenes filled with plump, of the building. The Fin-
naked ladies, this collection de-Siècle Museum
comes as a revelation, occupies a spiralling
displaying vigour, sponta- sunken building
neity and artistic risk-taking. originally built to
house the modern art
The Buildings
9 Belgian collection. The Magritte
Museum is on five floors
Set on the crest
Symbolism
of the Coudenberg, the 0 in an adjacent building.
old royal en clave of (Fin-de-Siècle Visitors can choose
Brussels, the museum’s Museum) to visit each of these
main buildings were Look out for the individually, but it is
designed by one of the inventiveness and skill far cheaper to buy a
leading architects of the of such artists as Léon “combi” ticket, which
day, Belgian Alphonse Spilliaert, Jean Delville permits entry to all.
Balat (1818–95). and Léon Frédéric.
018-019_Top_10_Brussels.indd 19 29/06/2016 13:03
20 ❯❯ Top 10 Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent
Musée des
Instruments de Musique
The Musée des Instruments de Musique, often referred to
as “Le mim”, exhibits musical instruments from ancient
to modern, including the largest collection of instruments
by Adolphe Sax. The exhibits – selected from a collection
totalling more than 7,000 pieces – are beautifully arranged,
and headphones permit visitors to hear what the
instruments actually sound like. The museum is
housed in an exhilarating location: the classic Art
Nouveau department store called “Old England”.
Stringed Instruments
The “Old
1 3
England”
Sharing the 2nd floor is
Building the stringed instrument section,
Completed in 1899, including violins (right),
this is a classic example psalteries, dulcimers, harps,
of the innovative iron- lutes and guitars, plus a recon-
and-glass structures struction of a violin workshop.
pro duced by Art Nouveau
20th-Century
architects (below). 4
The interior is equally Instruments
impressive. Technology has had a
Mechanical
major impact on music 6
in the late 20th century, Instruments
from electric amplification The ingenuity of
to synthesizers and instrument-makers is
computer-generated most evident in this
music. This small collection, which
collection offers a includes some
fascinating snapshot. If you outrageously elaborate
don’t know what an ondes musical boxes and a
martenot is, here’s your carillon – a set of bells
chance to find out. used to play tunes.
Non-European Instruments
5
The mim runs a strong line in ethnomusicology.
This impressive collection includes panpipes, sitars,
African harps and drums, gamelan orchestras, and
giant Tibetan horns (below).
The Historical
2
Survey
This section charts the
evolution of western “art”
instruments from antiquity
through the Renaissance
to the 19th century. The
headphone guide shows
the evolving complexity
of musical sound.
020-021_Top_10_Brussels.indd 20 29/06/2016 13:05
Musée des Instruments de Musique ❮❮ 21
mim Restaurant
Visitor
7 0
Guidance
Even if you don’t need refuelling, take
the lift up to the 10th floor to admire the System
view. From here you can see the statue A guidance system
of St Michael on the top of the spire of is given to visitors;
the Hôtel de Ville in the Grand as you approach
Place, and far across town some instruments,
to the Basilique Nationale recordings and
and the Atomium. images of those
exhibits are triggered.
Trombone with
six valves
7
Key to Floorplan
Basement (-1)
First floor
Second floor
Third floor
Fourth floor
Fifth floor 8
Eighth floor 3
Tenth floor
Keyboard
8 2
Instruments
The star exhibits here 5 9
include harpsichords by
the Ruckers family, who 6
worked in Antwerp from 4
the 16th century.
European Folk Instruments
9
This fascinating collection includes pipes,
rattles, accordions, hurdy-gurdies and some
splendid odd ities – chief among them a collection
of Belgian glass trumpets.
NEED TO KNOW off to the cafés of the features mechanical,
Place du Grand Sablon, electrical and electronic
MAP D4 • Rue Montagne just a short walk away. instruments. The 1st floor
de la Cour 2 • 02 545 01 30
• www.mim.be • Expect to spend at least covers instruments of the
world. The 2nd floor is a
Open 9:30am–5pm Tue– two hours in this museum; historical survey of western
to do it full justice, give it
Fri, 10am–5pm Sat–Sun instruments, from Egyptian
three to four hours.
Adm: €8 (free on first Wed Although the Museum origins to 19th-century
of every month after 1pm) closes at 5pm, staff like innovations. The 4th floor
to empty the exhibition is used to show parts of
• mim Restaurant, on the the perma nent collection
top floor of the museum, rooms by 4:45pm. and for temporary
serves reasonably priced Museum Guide exhibitions. There is a shop
light lunch dishes such as The museum is set out on on the 3rd floor, library on
sandwiches, pasta and a four of the building’s ten the 5th, and a concert hall
selection of salads. If this floors. Floor –1 is called on the 8th; the restaurant
is too busy, you can head "Musicus mechanicus" and is on the top floor.
020-021_Top_10_Brussels.indd 21 29/06/2016 13:05
22 ❯❯ Top 10 Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent
Horta Museum, Brussels
In the late 19th century, Brussels was a centre for avant-garde
design, and a rapidly growing city. To feed the market for stylish
mansions, architects scavenged history for ideas; the result was
the so-called “eclectic style”. In 1893, architect Victor Horta created
a new style – later labelled “Art Nouveau” – full of free- flowing,
naturalistic lines, elaborated with wrought iron, stained glass,
mosaics, murals and finely crafted woodwork. Horta brought this
style to full maturity when he built his house – now this museum.
Scale Model
The Building 1 6
When designing of the Maison
for his clients, Horta du Peuple
liked to tailor the house Horta was well-known
to how they lived. His for his designs for
own house (right) has commercial and public
two distinct parts: on buildings. The Maison
the left his residence; du Peuple was an
on the right, his offices innovative cast-iron
and studio. structure built for the
Société Coopérative in
Furniture
2 1895. A scale model of it
Horta also liked to
can be seen in the cellar.
design the furniture to go
Art Nouveau Sculpture Collection
in his houses. Although it 4
bears an Art Nouveau Throughout the museum are fine sculptures
stamp, Horta’s furniture by late 19th-century Belgian artists. Look out for La
tends to be simple, Ronde des Heures (below), in the rear salon on the
restrained and practical. first floor. This intriguing little bronze was created by
Philippe Wolfers (1858–1929), a leading Art Nouveau
Woodwork
3 jeweller and silversmith who worked with Horta.
There is a note of
austerity as well as luxury
in Art Nouveau design. The
richly carved wood in the
dining room is left natural,
allowing the quality of the
wood to speak for itself.
Structural
5 Leaded Glass
Ironwork
In what was considered a 7
The use of stained
bold gesture at the time, glass – shapes of col-
Horta used iron oured glass held together
structures to support his by lead strips – was
houses. He even made a embraced by Art Nouveau
virtue of it, by leaving archi tects. Examples
some of the iron exposed appear at various points
and drawing attention to in the house – notably
it with wrought-iron in the door panels and
embellishments (left). stairwell skylight.
022-023_Top_10_Brussels.indd 22 29/06/2016 13:03
Horta Museum, Brussels ❮❮ 23
Mosaics
8 VICTOR HORTA
The sinuous lines
of Art Nouveau design in The son of a Ghent
the mosaic tiling of the shoemaker, Victor
dining room floor (left) Horta (1861–1947)
help to soften the effect studied architecture
of the white-enamelled from the age of 13.
industrial brick lining After designing the
that covers the walls. Hôtel Tassel (see p48) in
1893–5, his reputation
soared. Thereafter he
designed houses,
department stores
and public buildings.
With World War I, Art
Nouveau fell from
favour, and Horta
turned to a harder style,
seen in his Palais des
Beaux-Arts in Brussels.
He was awarded the
title of Baron in 1932.
NEED TO KNOW
MAP C8 • Rue
Américaine 25, 1060
BRU (Saint-Gilles)
• 02 543 04 90
• www.hortamuseum.be
Open 2–5:30pm
Tue–Sun. Closed
Mon, public hols
Adm: €10
• There are several
bars and cafés nearby,
around Place du
Châtelain. For a spot
of good-value lunch
before the museum’s
2pm opening hour,
The Staircase
9 try the charming La
The interior design hangs on a central
Canne en Ville (see p87);
stairwell, lit from the top by a large, curving skylight. for somewhere with
The ironwork bannisters have been given a typically real design flair, head
exuberant flourish (above). for Rue du Page and
La Quincaillerie, dating
Fixtures and 0 from 1903 (see p87).
Fittings • The Horta Museum
Horta was an ensemblier: he is at the heart of a
liked to design an entire cluster of Art Nouveau
building in all its detail, down buildings. Key streets
to the last light fixture include Rue Defacqz,
(right), door handle and coat Rue Faider and Rue
hook. This attention to detail Paul-Émile Janson.
conveys the impression of Hôtel Hannon is also
complete architectural mas- close by (see pp48–9).
tery: nothing is left to chance.
Following pages Cathédrale des Saints Michel et Gudule, Brussels
022-023_Top_10_Brussels.indd 23 29/06/2016 13:03
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26 ❯❯ Top 10 Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent
Comics Art Museum
Tintin is perhaps the most famous Belgian in the world. But this
comic-strip hero is just one of hundreds produced in Belgium over
the last century. The comic strip – bande dessinée in French – is
called the “ninth art”. The library at Brussels’ Comics Art Museum
contains 40,000 volumes. Set out in a renovated fabric warehouse,
the museum (formerly called the Centre Belge de la Bande
Dessinée) presents the history of the form, shows how strips are
made, and explores some of the key characters and their creators.
Invention of
1 The Building 4
the Comic
The museum
Strip (right) occupies what
This exhibition explores was formerly the
how the comic strip Magasins Waucquez, an
began (below). Discover innovative Art Nouveau
the history of the art form structure of cast iron
and its use by civilizations supporting large
throughout the world – expanses of glass,
from early cave art to designed by Victor Horta
19th-century magazines. in 1903–6 (see p49).
6
Slumberland
The Art of the
2 5
Comic Strip
Bookshop
This exhibition contains Named after the Little 0
a selection of original Nemo adventure, the
drawings showing how shop stocks everything 1 7
comic strips are made. on the comic strip theme. 3
A wide range of artists,
Temporary
from the traditional to 6 8 9
the modern, donated Exhibitions 2
their sketches and A constantly changing
studies to demonstrate space used for exhibitions
each step involved in dedicated to a particular
the process of creating artist, theme or movement
a comic strip. within comic strips. 5
Pieter De Poortere Auditorium
3 Key to Floorplan
Ground floor
Created by Pieter De Poortere, Dickie is a
First floor
magazine character adopted by the screen. Here you Second floor
can view comic strip gags and successful cartoons. Third floor
026-027_Top_10_Brussels.indd 26 29/06/2016 13:03
Comics Art Museum ❮❮ 27
Horta and the
7 TINTIN
Waucquez
Warehouse The story of Tintin goes
The exhibition covers the back to 1929, when he
fascinating history of this first appeared in a
Art Nouveau former children’s newspaper
warehouse (left). supplement Le Petit
Vingtième. Brussels-born
Library
8 inventor Hergé (Georges
Rémi, see p42) created
The library has a
public reading room, the character as he took
which is open to anyone him through a series of
adventures related to
with a museum ticket. real events, such as the
rise of fascism (King
Ottakar’s Sceptre). The
charm of Tintin is his
naive determination, as
well as the multitude of
archetypal characters
that surround him, such
as Captain Haddock and
his faithful dog Snowy.
The Gallery
9
The Gallery
displays a broad range of
international albums –
both classical and
contemporary style. The
space is dedicated to
new comics from a wide
variety of genres from
fantasy and satire, to
crime and autobiography.
Tintin
NEED TO KNOW 0
Of course, the main hero of the
MAP D2 • Rue des Sables 20 • 02 219 museum is the famous boy-reporter
19 80 • www.comicscenter.net Tintin, creation of Hergé. Translated
Open 10am–6pm Tue–Sun into some 40 languages, over 140
Adm: €10 million copies of the books have been
7 sold worldwide. The museum
• The museum’s own Brasserie Horta is acknowledges his status with 3-D
3 a convenient place for refreshments and models of key characters (below), and
serves a good range of lunch dishes. If the rocket that went to the moon.
9 that doesn’t appeal, you are only a
2 short walk from the Grand Place and
its multitude of cafés and restaurants.
Nearer at hand is the famous bar À la
Mort Subite (see p78), a traditional
place to sample gueuze beer.
• This museum is not guaranteed to
entertain children, especially if they do
not speak French or Dutch. It is, rather,
a museum showing the evolu tion of
the craft. Free guides in English.
026-027_Top_10_Brussels.indd 27 29/06/2016 13:03
28 ❯❯ Top 10 Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent
The Burg, Bruges
Bruges began life in the 10th century as a 0 7
castle built on marshland formed by the River
Reie. The castle has disappeared, but the PHILIPSTOCK-
STRAAT
charming square that replaced it, the HOOG-
STRAAT
Burg, has remained the historic heart of 6
the city. The most impressive building BREIDELSTRAAT 3
is the Stadhuis, a classic late-medieval 1 BURG 9
town hall built when Bruges was a hub of WOLLESTRAAT VIS-
international trade. Just about every MARKT
century is represented by the buildings on
the Burg, which disclose fascinating secrets
that lie behind this extraordinary city. 4 85 2
Breidelstraat
1
The quaint little
street that connects
Bruges’ main market
place, the Markt, to the
Burg is lined with shops
selling souvenirs as well
as one of the city’s most
famous products, lace.
Blinde
Heilig
2 Bloedbasiliek 4
Ezelstraat
A lovely street leads off On the west side of the
the south of the Burg, Burg is the Basilica of
beneath the arch (above) the Holy Blood (right), a
that links the Oude chapel lavishly restored
Griffie to the Stadhuis. in Neo-Gothic style in
The name “Blind Donkey the late 19th century. Its
Street” may relate to a museum holds a phial of
nearby inn. blood said to be Christ’s.
Renaissancezaal van
3
het Brugse Vrije
In the corner of the Burg is the Renaissance Room,
whose star exhibit is the Charles V chimneypiece, a
virtuoso piece of 16th-century wood carving.
028-029_Top_10_Brussels.indd 28 29/06/2016 13:03
The Burg, Bruges ❮❮ 29
THE MISSING
CATHEDRAL
Images of the centre
of Bruges before 1799
PHILIPSTOCK- capture the north side
STRAAT
HOOG- of the Burg occupied
STRAAT
by the impressive hulk
of the Sint-Donaaskerk.
3 The first church on this
BREIDELSTRAAT
BURG site dated back to
9
Bruges’ origins, and
VIS- Jan van Eyck was buried
5 here. Enlarged over
MARKT Stadhuis
WOLLESTRAAT
One of medieval Europe’s great secular
buildings (above), the Stadhuis (town hall) is an the centuries, in 1559
it became the city’s
expression of Bruges’ self-confidence in medieval cathedral. During the
times. It was built in 1376–1420 in the aptly named occupation by French
Flamboyant Gothic style. revolutionary forces, it
was torn down. Parts of
St Basil’s
8 its foundations can still
Chapel
be seen in the Crowne
Beneath the Heilig Plaza Hotel (see p127).
Bloedbasiliek is another
chapel of an utterly
contrasting mood. NEED TO KNOW
Constructed of hefty grey
stone in the 12th century, MAP L4
it is a superb and Renaissancezaal van het
atmospheric example of Brugse Vrije: Burg 11a.
muscular Romanesque 9:30am–12:30pm &
style, and also a 1:30–5pm daily. Adm:
reminder of the Burg’s included in ticket for
origins as a castle. Stadhuis
Oude Civiele
9 Heilig Bloedbasiliek/St
Basil’s Chapel: Burg 10.
Griffie
The Renaissance Apr–mid-Oct: 9:30am–
noon & 2–5pm daily,
touched Bruges’ archi- mid-Oct–Mar: 10am–
tecture only lightly; this noon & 2–5pm Mon,
“Old Recorders’ House”, Tue & Thu–Sun. Adm to
built in 1534–7, is the Schatkamer (museum):
A bird’s-eye view of the exception to the rule. €2.50
Stadhuis and the Burg The North Stadhuis (“Gothic Hall”):
Proosdij
Side
6 0 Burg 12. 9:30am–5pm
daily. Adm: €4 (inc.
The Provost’s
The little park occupies
House lining the north the site of the Sint- audioguide and
entrance to
side of the Burg is in Donaaskerk (see panel). Renaissancezaal;
Flemish Baroque style The bronze statue of The children under 12 free)
(1622), with a roof-line Lovers (1986) is by local
balustrade topped by the sculptor Stefaan Depuydt • De Garre (see p97),
figure of Justice. and his wife. just off the Burg, is an
ancient café serving
Landhuis van het Brugse Vrije
7 drinks and snacks.
This 18th-century mansion was the head-
• All the sights in the
quarters of the “Liberty of Bruges”, an administrative Burg can been seen in
jurisdiction covering a large region around the city, an hour or two.
while Bruges governed itself separately.
028-029_Top_10_Brussels.indd 29 29/06/2016 13:03
30 ❯❯ Top 10 Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent
Two Museums of Bruges
These museums, on separate sites a short distance apart,
contain some of the world’s finest examples of late medieval art,
presenting a selection of work by artists such as Jan van Eyck
(c.1390–1441). The Groeningemuseum is a small and charm ing
gallery with a radical edge. The Sint-Janshospitaal, part of the
medieval hospital, is devoted to that historic tradition, with the
paintings of Hans Memling that were commissioned for its chapel.
The Legend
The Last
1 4
of St Ursula
Judgment
This series of panels by Hieronymus Bosch
the “Master of the Saint (c.1450–1516) is famous
Ursula Legend” tells the for his nightmarish
popular medieval tale of paintings of spiritual
St Ursula and her anguish, torture and hell.
company of 11,000 This example is an
virgins, cruelly martyred insight into the religious
in pagan Germany (left). psyche of the times.
The St Ursula Shrine
2
Completed by Memling for the
Sint-Janshospitaal in 1489, this impressive
reliquary (below) depicts the Legend
of St Ursula in six panels.
NEED TO KNOW
Groeningemuseum:
MAP L4 • Dijver 12
• 050 44 87 11
Open 9:30am–5pm
Tue–Sun. Adm: €8
(children under 12 free)
Sint-Janshospitaal:
MAP K5 • Mariastraat 38
Open 9:30am–5pm
Tue–Sun. Adm: €8
(children under 12 free)
• The Groeninge
museum is only a short
walk from the centre of
town, where there is a
wide choice of cafés and
The Adoration
restaurants (see p97). 3
• Available from the of the Magi
tourist office, the Bruges This work, displayed in
City Card gives access to the Sint-Janshospitaal’s
24 museums (including chapel, was painted by
the two described here), Memling in 1479. It is
a canal trip, a bus tour known as the Triptych of
and other discounts. Jan Floreins after the
For details visit www. patron, seen behind a
bruggecitycard.be. low wall on the left of the
central panel (right).
030-031_Top_10_Brussels.indd 30 29/06/2016 13:03
Two Museums of Bruges ❮❮ 31
The Moreel
Secret-Reflet
5 8 THE GOLDEN AGE
Triptych
This Symbolist
Burgomaster of Bruges, work of 1902 by Belgian OF BRUGES
Willem Moreel, commis- painter Fernand Khnopff Under the dukes of
sioned this work from (1858–1921) includes an Burgundy Bruges
Memling in 1484. Moreel image of the Sint- prospered, and in 1429
is depicted in the left- Janshospitaal. The title it became the capital of
hand panel and his wife refers to the play on the the Burgundian empire.
in the right, with various word “reflection” in the Its elite became wealthy,
saints in the middle. two images. educated patrons of the
arts. The dukes of
Burgundy married into
European royalty: Philip
the Good married
Isabella of Portugal;
Charles the Bold,
Margaret of York. Their
marriages were
celebrated with vast
feasts – the stuff of
European legends. This
is the world glimpsed in
the paintings of the
Flemish masters.
Madonna with
0
Canon Joris
van der Paele
The supreme
masterpiece of the
Groeningemuseum
collection was painted in
1436 by Jan van Eyck.
The detail is astonishing.
The Judgment
6 Martyrdom 9
of Cambyses
of Saint
In 1488, Bruges ill- Hippolytus
advisedly imprisoned This triptych (c.1468)
their ruler, Maximilian, by Dirk Bouts and
the Holy Roman Emperor. Hugo van de Goes, in
This large diptych by one scene depicts
Gerard David depicting the saint being pulled
the gruesome flaying apart by four horses –
of a corrupt judge at once horribly
(above) was commis- gruesome, strangely
sioned for the town hall calm and exquisitely
as a public apology. detailed (right).
The Triptych with Sts John the
7
Baptist and John the Evangelist
Painted by Memling in 1479, this work celebrates the
two St Johns, patron saints of the Sint-Janshospitaal.
030-031_Top_10_Brussels.indd 31 29/06/2016 13:03
32 ❯❯ Top 10 Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent
Antwerp Cathedral
Antwerp Cathedral (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal) is the largest
Gothic church in the Low Countries. Its wedding-cake spire, rising
up from a medieval market square, is still a major landmark in the
city. The cathedral took 170 years to build, and even then was not
complete. It was the church of the wealthy guilds, richly adorned
with their shrines, reliquaries and altarpieces. Gutted by fire and
vandals in the 16th and 18th centuries, the cathedral still has
major treasures, notably two triptychs by Rubens.
The Raising
1
of the Cross
This triptych, and the
impressive Descent from
the Cross on the other
side of the nave, secured
Rubens’ reputation in
Antwerp. The central
and right-hand panels
display the dynamic
energy that was Rubens’
hallmark (below).
The Nave
The Pulpit
3 4
Elaborately carved
The interior
oak pulpits feature in (above) is bright and
many Belgian churches. uplifting, largely by virtue
The subject of this one, of its scale, the expanse
the propagation of the of glass, and the soaring
Original Murals
2 faith in the “four” space that rises to the
continents, is tackled
rib vaults. Unusually,
The cathedral was
once bright with murals with extraordinary the columns of the aisle
that have fallen away ambition – a riot of have no capitals, so
or been overpainted. birds, trees, textile bend seamlessly to
Restoration has revealed swags, angels, saints form Gothic arches,
some of these originals. and symbolic figures. creating a serene effect.
The Burgundian
5
Window
A fair number of the cathedral’s
original stained-glass windows
have survived. The Burgundian is
the oldest window, dating from
1503 (left). It depicts Philip the
Handsome, the Duke of Burgundy,
and his wife Joanna of Castile, with
their patron saints behind them.
032-033_Top_10_Brussels.indd 32 29/06/2016 13:03
Antwerp Cathedral ❮❮ 33
The Spire 6
The cathedral’s ICONOCLASTS
dainty spire (right) was AND FRENCH
built over about 100 years REVOLUTIONARIES
from the mid1400s Antwerp Cathedral was
onward. As it rises to its once richly decorated;
pinnacle at 123 m (404 two episodes have
feet), it shows increasingly rendered it rather more
daring Gothic style. The austere. The first, during
the 1560s, was the
only other comparable
spire is that of the Hôtel onslaught of Protestant
zealots, or “iconoclasts”,
de Ville in Brussels. who set about ridding
churches of statues,
paintings and relics. The
second occurred in the
1790s, when the forces
of the French Revolution
The Cupola
9 went about demolishing
churches, or putting
From outside, the
dome looks like a tiered them to secular use as
black onion. Inside, its stables, barracks, law
logic is clear: the glass courts and factories.
tiers let in light to illu
minate the Assumption of NEED TO KNOW
the Virgin (1647), Cornelis
Schut’s notable ceiling MAP T2
painting. The effect is of • Handschoenmarkt
looking straight up into • 03 213 99 51
the heavens. • www.dekathedraal.be
Open 10am–5pm
The Virgin
0 Mon–Fri, 10am–3pm
Exalted
Sat, 1–4pm Sun and
through Art public hols
In the late 19th century, Adm: €6, students and
the cathedral was rescued over 60s €4, children
by restoration. The effort under 12 free
to recreate a medieval
effect in some of the • There are many cafés,
chapels behind the choir bars and restaurants in
is admirable. Albrecht De the streets around the
Vriendt’s fine triptych cathedral. One tavern,
shows the “Eyckian” Het Vermoeide Model
revival at its best. in Lijnwaadmarkt (see
The Madonna
p106), is built against
7 Cathedral Floorplan the cathedral walls.
of Antwerp
This exceptional wooden Het Kathedraalcafé
(see p107) in Torfbrug
statue (above) has been 0 has a terrace and an
a focus of devotion since inside decorated with
the 16th century, and has 5 statues of saints and
a changing wardrobe of 1 religious artifacts.
robes and crowns.
7 • Listen out for the 49
The Schyven
8 9 3 carillon bells that play
Organ
tunes on the hour. In
This impressive instrument is 4 the summer, carillon
housed in a superb 17th 2 concerts are given,
when the bells are
century case created by three 8 played from a keyboard.
leading sculptors of the day.
032-033_Top_10_Brussels.indd 33 29/06/2016 13:03
34 ❯❯ Top 10 Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent
Rubenshuis, Antwerp
In 1610, Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) – court
painter, recently returned from Italy, and newly
married – found himself in a position to buy a
large house, where he lived and worked until his
death. After centuries of neglect, the house was
rescued by the City of Antwerp in 1937, and has
been refurbished to look as it might have done in
Rubens’ day. Apart from the sheer charm of the
place, it provides a rare opportunity to see the
physical context in which great art was made. Peter Paul Rubens
The Building
1
The house (above) is set around
an inner courtyard. As you enter, the
older, Flemish-style half is to the left –
housing the domestic quarters, where
Rubens lived. The right half, designed
by the artist in grander Baroque style,
contains his studio. The Baroque The Art Gallery
Portico
The Parlour
A painting exhibited
2 4 6
This room is
The massive ornamental here, The Art Gallery of
notable for its wall screen was designed by Cornelis van der Geest
hangings. Embossed Rubens in Italianate (above), shows how Rubens’
Spanish leather was Baroque style to link the own gallery might have
used as a kind of wall- two parts of the house. It looked – every inch of wall
paper in the houses of also provides a theatrical space hung with pictures.
the well-to-do. entrance to the formal
garden beyond, with
The Kitchen
3 decorative elements.
This charming
kitchen, with its tiled The Dining 5
walls and open fireplace, Room
is typical of Flanders. Eating and drinking
Note the pothooks with played a central role
ratchets, designed to in social habits of
adjust the height of Rubens’ day (right). A
cooking vessels over the highlight in this room
fire. The robust traditions is a self-portrait of
of Flemish cuisine were the artist, one of just
forged in such kitchens. four in existence.
034-035_Top_10_Brussels.indd 34 29/06/2016 13:03
Rubenshuis, Antwerp ❮❮ 35
The Little
7 SWAGGER
Bedroom
The most eye-catching 8 AND VERVE
item in this room is Rubens began training
the 17th-century box as an artist aged 13, but
bed in which people it was an eight-year stay
slept half sitting-up, in Italy that transformed
said to promote 0 him. His work chimed
good digestion. with the grandeur and
7 swagger of Baroque
architecture and the
4
Key to Floorplan Counter-Reformation, as
Ground floor well as with the luxurious
First floor 6 lifestyle of the European
9 aristocracy. Working
with ceaseless energy,
2 he and his dedicated
assistants produced
5 3 over 2,000 major
paintings in his lifetime.
The Semi-
9 Rubens’ Studio
Circular
Museum 0
In this impressive
This elegant marble- room (below), Rubens
lined room inspired by worked with a team of
the Pantheon in Rome assistants and appren-
was used by Rubens to tices to maintain his
exhibit his collection of huge productivity. Pictures
sculpture. Among the shown here include the
pieces shown today is a exhilarating but unfin-
notable antique marble ished Henry IV in the Battle
bust of Seneca. of Ivry (c.1628–30).
The Large
8
Bedroom
This is the room in
which Rubens died. The
beautiful oak-and-ebony
curio cabinet located
here is decorated with
mythological scenes
based on Rubens’ work.
NEED TO KNOW free. Free on last Wed of the corner at Hopland 2
MAP U2 • Wapper 9–11 every month (see p106).
• 03 201 15 55 • The museum gets
• Next to the Rubenshuis
• www.rubenshuis.be very busy at peak times,
is an elegant café-
Open 10am–5pm Tue–Sun. restaurant called Rubens especially in summer. For
Closed Mon and public hols. Inn, serving snacks as well some chance of a quieter
visit, arrive at opening
Adm: €8 (includes audio- a substantial lunch menu. time – although you may
For a touch of modern
guide; ID needed as style, the upbeat Grand find scores of other people
security); those aged 12–25 Café Horta is just around have had the same idea.
and over 65 €6, under 12s
034-035_Top_10_Brussels.indd 35 29/06/2016 13:03
36 ❯❯ Top 10 Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent
The Adoration of
the Mystic Lamb, Ghent
St Bavo’s cathedral in Ghent is home to one of Northern Europe’s
great cultural treasures. This huge, exquisitely painted polyptych is
the masterpiece of brothers Hubrecht and Jan van Eyck. Its survival
is a miracle. It was rescued from Protestant vandals in 1566, and
from fire in 1822. Parts were taken by French soldiers in 1794, sold
in 1816, then stolen in 1934. Under going a seven-year restoration,
the polyptych is still on show but panels may be missing.
The Polyptych
1
The painting consists of 12
panels (above), four in the centre 5 8
and four on each of the folding 9
wings. The lower tier depicts the 7
spirituality of the world, and God’s
chosen people; the upper tier 2 3
shows the heavenly realm, with
Adam and Eve on either end. 6
NEED TO KNOW Adm: €4, (7–12 yrs €1.50) overlooking the square
MAP Q2 • Sint- • There are several (see p113).
Baafskathedraal, Sint- friendly cafés immediately • Get there well before
Baafsplein • 09 269 20 45 outside the cathedral. closing time: the Vijd
Open Apr–Oct: More spectacular, though, Chapel shuts promptly.
9:30am–5pm Mon–Sat, is the De Foyer café- Last tickets are issued 30
1–5pm Sun; Nov–Mar: restaurant on the first minutes before closing,
10:30am–4pm Mon–Sat, floor of the Schouwburg including audio guides
1–4pm Sun (theatre), with a terrace (which last 50 minutes).
036-037_Top_10_Brussels.indd 36 29/06/2016 13:04
The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, Ghent ❮❮ 37
God the
5 INFLUENCE ON
Almighty
The central figure of EUROPEAN ART
the upper tier is God, Flemish painters are
depicted in a brilliant red sometimes credited
robe and a bejewelled with inventing oil
mitre (left), carrying a painting. This is an
sceptre and with a crown exaggeration, but
at his feet. The benign certainly they perfected
calm and poise of the the technique.
Antonello da Messina,
face radiate throughout the Italian credited with
the polyptych. pioneering oil painting
in Italy, is believed to
have learnt his skills
The Mystic Lamb of God
2 from Flemish artists. As
The focus of this panel (below)
is the Lamb of God, which is spurting a result of this, the
advantages of oil
blood on an altar. It depicts four painting over tempera
sets of figures approaching: virgin or fresco became
martyrs; figures from the New clear. Italian artists
Testament and the Church; patriarchs adopted oil painting,
and prophets of the Old Testament; and Italian art
and confessors of the Faith. accelerated toward the
High Renaissance.
Eve
8
Jan van Eyck’s
contemporaries
were startled by the
realism of his Adam
and Eve. Even today,
their nudity among
the luxuriously
clothed figures is
The Idealized City
3 striking (left). They
show the painter’s
To the rear of the central panel
rise the towers and spires of the great under standing
heavenly city of Jerusalem. of the human form.
The Inscription
Mary
Flowers
4 6 9
The figure of Mary
In the 19th century,
The numerous
a verse inscription by the flowers make a tells us much about
two brothers, thought to philosophical point: the concept of feminine
be original, was uncovered everything in nature is beauty in medieval times.
on the frame. an expression of God’s Fine-featured, absorbed
work. The painter’s job in her reading, she is
was to record it faithfully. decked with jewels.
The External
The Angel-
7 0
Musicians
Panels
A heavenly choir sings on The wings of the painting
one side of the upper tier can be closed. The
(left), while on the other, external panels are
an orchestra of angels tonally quite flat, inten-
plays. The figures are sifying the moment they
tightly crowded, but the are opened to reveal the
perspective is good. sumptuous interior.
036-037_Top_10_Brussels.indd 37 29/06/2016 13:04
The Top 10
of Everything
Beer on display at Huisbrouwerij
De Halve Maan, Bruges
038-039_Top_10_Brussels.indd 38 29/06/2016 12:29
Moments in Belgian History 40 Children’s Attractions 56
Famous Belgians 42 Performing Arts Venues 58
Belgian Artists 44 Types of Belgian Beer 60
Churches 46 Things to Buy 62
Art Nouveau Buildings Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp
in Brussels 48 & Ghent For Free 64
Museums 50 Festivals and Events 66
Art Galleries 52 Excursions 68
Off the Beaten Track 54
038-039_Top_10_Brussels.indd 39 29/06/2016 12:29
40 ❯❯ The Top 10 of Everything
Moments in Belgian History
50s BC: Julius Caesar
1 their control over the Low Countries.
Burgundian rule reached a Golden
The Roman army suffered
repeated setbacks in its struggle Age under Philip the Good (reigned
against the courageous “Belgae”, 1419–67). Bruges, his capital, was
but Rome won out, and Belgium the centre of a rich trading empire.
flourished under the Pax Romana
1568: Religious Strife
of provincial rule for 400 years. 5
Charles V, Holy Roman
AD 843: Treaty of Verdun
2 Emperor and King of Spain, inherited
the Burgundian territories, but faced
After the Romans came the
Franks, whose empire reached its violent opposition as Protestantism
apogee under Charlemagne. gathered pace. A decisive moment
Following his death, his homeland came in 1568, during the reign of
was split by treaty along the River Philip II, when counts Egmont and
Scheldt – the division from which Hoorn were executed in the Grand
Flanders and Wallonia would evolve. Place for opposing the persecution of
Protestants. Eventually the
1302: Battle
3 territory was divided into
of the Golden
Protestant north (the
Spurs Netherlands) and Catholic
France dominated south (now Belgium).
Flanders for much of the
1815: Battle
medieval period, resul- 6
ting in popular revolt. At of Waterloo
the Battle of the Golden When the Spanish
Spurs, a Flemish rebel Battle of the Netherlands passed to
force humiliated the cream Golden Spurs Austria in 1713, conservative
of the French army. groups began to agitate for
Belgian independence. Their revolt
1384: Burgundy
4 was swept aside in 1794 when the
Takes Over
French revolutionary armies invaded.
When Louis de Male, Count of The Belgians were divided over the
Flanders, died in 1384, his title was merits of Napoleonic rule, and
inherited by his son-in-law Philip the fought on both sides when Napoleon
Bold (1342–1404), Duke of Burgundy. was defeated by the Allies at
The dukes of Burgundy extended Waterloo (see p69).
The Treaty of Verdun played a significant part in Belgian history
040-041_Top_10_Brussels.indd 40 29/06/2016 12:29
Moments in Belgian History ❮❮ 41
1830: The Belgian
7 TOP 10 HISTORICAL FIGURES
Revolution
Following Waterloo, the Congress 1 Baldwin Iron-Arm
of Vienna placed Belgium under Baldwin (d. 878) became the first
Dutch rule, which was a deeply Count of Flanders, making Bruges
unpopular solution. Anger boiled his stronghold.
over in 1830, independence was 2 Pieter de Coninck and
declared, and the Dutch army was Jan Breydel
forced out of Brussels. De Coninck, a weaver, and Breydel,
a butcher, were instrumental in the
successful Flemish rebellion against
the French, launched in 1302.
3 Philip the Bold
Philip the Bold ushered in the
Burgundian era in the Netherlands
after inheriting control of Brussels
and Flanders.
4 Philip the Good
Philip the Good founded the Order of
the Golden Fleece and was a great
patron of the arts.
5 Charles V
Born in Ghent, Charles V (1500–58)
forged the largest empire in Europe
since Roman times. His press is mixed.
Scenes from the Belgian Revolution
6 Isabella and Albert
1914–18: World War I
8 The dazzling court of the Infanta
Isabella (1566–1633) and Archduke
At the outbreak of World War I,
the German army swept into neutral Albert (1559–1621) marked calmer
times for Spanish Habsburg rule.
Belgium. The Belgians thwarted
their advance by flooding the land. 7 Charles of Lorraine
Austrian governor-general (ruled
The front settled near the medieval 1744–80) credited with bringing the
town of Ypres (see p69). Over the next Age of Enlightenment to Brussels.
four years, half a million people from
both sides died there. 8 King Léopold I
First King of the Belgians (ruled
1940–44: World War II
9 1831–65), popular for his total
commitment to the task.
History was repeated in May
1940, when the German army 9 King Léopold II
Second king of Belgium (ruled
launched a Blitzkrieg against neutral 1865–1909) (see p84).
Belgium to outflank the Maginot
Line, which blocked their entry into 10 Paul-Henri Spaak
Socialist prime minister
France. Brussels was liberated in from 1938 to 1939
September 1944. and during
the post-war
1957: Treaty
0 years, Spaak
of Rome
(1899–1972)
Having been unwitting played a
victims of two World Wars, central role in
the Belgians were enthus the creation of
iastic supporters of the the European
Treaty of Rome, which Community.
laid the foundations for the
European Union. Over time, King Léopold I
Brussels has effectively become
the “Capital of Europe”.
040-041_Top_10_Brussels.indd 41 15/08/2016 16:59
42 ❯❯ The Top 10 of Everything
Famous Belgians
Hergé at work illustrating Tintin inside a copy of his famous comic book
Queen Astrid
Hergé
1 4
Prince Léopold of Belgium
Georges Remi (1907–83)
was a self-taught illustrator from married the beautiful Swedish
the Brussels suburb of Etterbeek. princess Astrid in 1926. By the
In 1929 he published a story called time of their coronation in 1934,
Tintin au Pays des Soviets, and they had three young children,
Belgium’s most celebrated comic- but tragedy struck the following
strip character was born. Since year when she was killed in a car
then, 200 million Tintin books have accident in Switzerland, aged 29.
been sold worldwide in some 50
Jacques Brel
languages. Georges Remi devised 5
his pen name, Hergé, by simply MAP C3 • Place de la Vieille
reversing his initials and spelling Halle aux Blés 11, 1000 BRU • 02 511
out the sounds. 10 20 • www.jacquesbrel.be • Open
noon–6pm Tue–Sun; Aug: daily;
Georges Simenon
2 closed Mon & public holidays
One of the world’s best-
• Adm
selling authors, Simenon (1903–89) Jacques Brel (1929–78) still ranks in
was born and bred in Liège. His many people’s minds as the greatest
most famous creation, which was singer-songwriter in the French
Inspector Maigret, appeared in 75 language. Although he first made
of his 400 novels. his name in France, he remained
loyal to his Belgian origins. The
Gerard Mercator
3 Jacques Brel Foundation
in Brussels celebrates
Most school maps
of the world are still his life and work.
based on the “Mercator
Johnny
projection” – an 6
ingenious way of Hallyday
representing the Although Johnny
spherical globe on Hallyday (born 1943)
a flat page. Mercator is most famous as the
(1512–94) is also “godfather of French
credited with creating rock ‘n’ roll”, Belgium
the first “atlas”, a word also claims him: his
he introduced. Gerard Mercator father was Belgian.
042-043_Top_10_Brussels.indd 42 29/06/2016 12:29
Famous Belgians ❮❮ 43
In a long career Hallyday has sold
over 100 million records. He has TOP 10 SLIGHTLY LESS-FAMOUS
also had a parallel career in film BELGIANS
acting, impressing critics with his
superb performance in the title
role of L’Homme du Train (The Man
on the Train, 2003).
Jean-Claude
7
Van Damme
A former karate champion, Jean-
Claude Van Damme (born 1960)
did odd jobs in California, such as
delivering pizzas and laying carpets, Jacky Ickx, Formula One legend
before making his name with action
thrillers such as Cyborg, Kickboxer 1 Andreas Vesalius
(1989) and Universal Soldier (1992). Physician to Charles V and Philip II of
Spain, Vesalius (1514–64) was known
Eddie Merckx
8 as “the father of modern anatomy”.
2 Adolphe Sax
Cycling is a major sport in
Belgium, and no name ranks higher Best known as inventor of the
saxophone, Sax (1814–94) devised a
than Eddie Merckx (born 1945), five range of other musical instruments.
times winner of the Tour de France
(from 1969–72 and in 1974). 3 Father Damien
A missionary (1840–89) who devoted
his life to caring for lepers in Hawaii.
He was canonised in 2009 by Pope
Benedict XVI.
4 Victor Horta
The innovative Art Nouveau architect
credited with bringing the style to
maturity (see pp22–3).
5 Léo-Hendrik Baekeland
A great chemist (1863–1944) who
invented Bakelite, the first totally
synthetic plastic.
6 Henry van de Velde
Leading Art Nouveau designer
(1863–1957) laid the foundations
Eddie Merckx in action for the Bauhaus movement.
Justine Henin
9 7 Jacky Ickx
Ickx was one of the great Formula One
One of the great women tennis
players of the early 2000s, famed racing drivers of the 1960s and 1970s
(born 1945).
for her athletic grace on the court, 8 Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker
Henin (born 1982) won seven Grand A leading choreographer (born 1960)
Slam titles in her career. Her great in the world of contemporary dance.
Belgian rival Kim Clijsters won four. 9 Dries van Noten
Eden Hazard
0 A celebrated fashion designer (born
1958) who has helped bring Antwerp
One of a new generation of
Belgian football stars, Hazard (born to the forefront of haute couture.
10 Matthias Schoenaerts
1991) has played for Chelsea, Lille Film actor and heart-throb (born 1977)
and Belgium. His compatriots on the who has achieved international
international football stage include acclaim in films including Far from
Romelu Lukaku, Vincent Kompany the Madding Crowd (2015).
and Thibaut Courtois.
042-043_Top_10_Brussels.indd 43 29/06/2016 12:29
44 ❯❯ The Top 10 of Everything
Belgian Artists
work, such as The Seven Sacraments
in the Koninklijk Museum voor
Schone Kunsten, Antwerp (see p101).
Working mainly in Brussels, he
became the leading painter after the
death of van Eyck.
Hans Memling
3
Born in Germany, Hans
Memling (c.1430–94) was probably
trained by Rogier van der Weyden in
Brussels before moving to Bruges.
Memling went on to become one of
the most successful artists of his
day (see pp30–31).
Pieter Bruegel
4
the Elder
During the 16th century, Flemish
artists turned to Italy for inspiration,
which muddied their distinctive north
European vision. But Pieter Bruegel
(c.1525–69) rejected this trend and
painted in a personal style based
on what he saw around him. His
Altarpiece of the Seven Sacraments: depictions of rural villages generate
Eucharist by Rogier van der Weyden a charm and honest naivety.
Jan van Eyck
1
The sheer technical brilliance
and almost photographic detail of
work by Jan van Eyck (c.1390–1441)
are self-evident in paintings such
as Madonna with Canon Joris van der
Paele (see p31) and The
Adoration of the Mystic
Lamb (see pp36–7). Van
Eyck’s work had a major
impact on Italian art, Rubens and Helene Fourment in the
and helped to fuel Garden (c. 1631), Rubens
the Renaissance. Peter Paul Rubens
Rogier
2 5
Almost all the best Flemish
van der
Weyden artists trained in Italy in the 16th
century, and Peter Paul Rubens
Rogier van der (1577–1640) used his experience to
Weyden (c.1400–64) combine his prodigious Flemish
was one of the technique with Italian flourish to pro-
leading Flemish duce art full of verve and dynamism.
“Primitives”, and is
Antoon van Dyck
best known for 6
the intense Antoon van Dyck (1599–1641)
Statue of van Eyck emotion of his was a colleague and friend of
044-045_Top_10_Brussels.indd 44 29/06/2016 12:29
Belgian Artists ❮❮ 45
TOP 10 LESSER-KNOWN
BELGIAN ARTISTS
1 Constantin Meunier
Sculptor and painter (1831–1905)
best-known for his bronzes of
industrial workers (see p85).
2 Émile Claus
Post-Impressionist painter (1849–1924)
famous for rural scenes of sparkling
clarity, achieved through a technique
that he called “Luminism”.
3 Jean Delville
One of the most inventive of the
Four Doctors of the Church, Jordaens Symbolists (1867–1953), famed for
colourful visions of Satanic forces.
Rubens and matched many of the 4 Léon Frédéric
latter’s skills, as well as addressing Symbolist (1856–1940) who combined
a similar range of subject matter. social realism with poetic vision.
Van Dyck, however, is best known 5 Fernand Khnopff
for his portraits. He became court A painter (1858–1921) whose
painter to Charles I of England, who enigmatic Symbolist work is suffused
rewarded him with a knighthood. with suppressed sexuality.
6 Léon Spilliaert
Jacob Jordaens
7 Symbolist (1881–1946) of great
After Rubens’ death, another
originality, whose works, often black
of his collaborators Jacob Jordaens and white, are instantly recognizable.
(1593–1678) became Antwerp’s 7 Rik Wouters
leading painter, best remembered A painter and sculptor (1882–1916)
for allegorical paintings expressing whose work is noted for being full of
the joie-de-vivre of the Baroque age. light, verve and charm.
8 Constant Permeke
James Ensor
8 A painter (1886–1952) of the second
phase of the Sint-Martens-Latem
The work of James Ensor
(1860–1949) has earned him a school. His work has a social edge
reputation as one of art history’s and dark, gritty textures.
great eccentrics. His paintings 9 Panamarenko
incorporate skeletons, masks True to Surrealist traditions, this artist
and hideous caricatures. (born 1940) creates machines and
attempts to make them work.
Paul Delvaux
9 10 Luc Tuymans
One of several contemporary Belgian
Some memorable images
of Surrealism came from the studio artists who have achieved international
of Paul Delvaux (1897–1994). He is recognition (born 1965).
famous for his sensual, trance-like
pictures of somnolent nudes in
incongruous settings.
René Magritte
0
The dreamlike paintings of
René Magritte (1898–1967) rank
alongside Salvador Dalí’s work as
archetypal Surrealism. The Mag ritte
Museum (see p86) displays paintings
by the artist, plus photographs, Bords de la Lys (1920), Émile Claus
drawings and archives.
044-045_Top_10_Brussels.indd 45 29/06/2016 12:29
46 ❯❯ The Top 10 of Everything
Churches
Nave of Sint-Salvatorskathedraal, Bruges’ majestic cathedral
Cathédrale des Saints
Sint-Salvators-
1 5
kathedraal, Bruges
Michel et Gudule,
Brussels Both grand and sombre, the tone
Brussels’ honey-coloured Gothic of this church befits its status as
cathedral is a sanctuary of calm Bruges’ cathedral. Although mainly
after the bustle of the Grand Place. Gothic, St Saviour’s may date back in
Used for royal weddings and origin to early Christian times. The
funerals (see p74). turreted tower was built in Neo-
Medieval style in the late 19th
Église Saint-Jacques-
2 century (see p94).
sur-Coudenberg,
Onze-Lieve-
Brussels 6
MAP D4 • Place Royale, 1000 BRU Vrouwekerk, Bruges
(Ixelles) • 02 511 78 36 • Open Bruges’ most striking church,
noon–2pm Mon, noon–5:45pm Tue– with a rocket-like spire in the
Fri, 1–6pm Sat, 8:30am–6:45pm Sun austere style of Scheldt Gothic.
This distinctive church occupies a The interior has been tinkered
prominent position overlooking the with ceaselessly since the 13th
Place Royale. Its bell tower apart, it century. Its outstanding treasure
looks more like a Roman temple is Michelangelo’s Madonna and
than a Christian church. Child, donated by a wealthy
merchant in 1514 (see p92).
Église Notre-Dame du
3 Sint-Jacobskerk,
Sablon, Brussels
Antwerp
The 15th-century church of the Guild 7
of Crossbowmen is a beautiful example The richly ornate interior of this
of Brabantine Gothic style, lit by large church bears testimony to the fact
expanses of stained glass (see p73). that it was frequented by
the well-to-do during
Église Saint-Jean-
4
Baptiste au Béguinage,
Brussels
The lavish Flemish Baroque façade
of this church contrasts with
its history as the focal point
of a béguine community of
women (see p75). Tomb, Sint-Jacobskerk
Eyewitness Travel – Top 10 series LAYERS PRINTED:
Two-column, 8.5pt grid “UK” LAYER
(SourceReport v.1.9)
046-047_Top_10_Brussels.indd 46 15/08/2016 16:59
Date 24th June 2015
Size 100mm x 191mm
Churches ❮❮ 47
Antwerp’s 17th-century heyday –
among them was Rubens, who TOP 10 ARCHITECTURAL STYLES
was buried in his family chapel
here (see p103).
Sint-Baafskathedraal,
8
Ghent
The soaring Gothic interior and
Baroque choir give Ghent’s
impressive cathedral a forceful
quality (see p109). It is upstaged,
however, by its greatest treasure:
Jan and Hubrecht van Eyck’s
magnificent Adoration of the Mystic A perfect example of Gothic style
Lamb (see pp36–7).
1 Romanesque
Sint-Niklaaskerk, Ghent
9 10th–12th centuries. Semi-circular
arches and hefty columns. The style is
The interior of
Ghent’s most attractive called “Norman” in Britain.
and imposing church 2 Gothic
has been scrubbed 13th–16th centuries. Pointed arches
allowed for lighter structures.
clean by a programme
of restoration, 3 Scheldt (or Scaldian) Gothic
resulting in a light 13th–14th centuries. An early, rather
and joyous space austere version of Gothic typical of
that found in northern Belgium
that makes the (around the River Scheldt).
most of the
robust Gothic 4 Brabantine and
Flamboyant Gothic
stonework 14th–15th centuries. A daintier form of
(see p109). Gothic, which is used for town halls
such as Bruges’ Stadhuis.
5 Renaissance
15th–17th centuries. An elegant style
taking its inspiration from Greek and
Roman architecture.
6 Baroque
17th–18th centuries. A lavish
interpretation of Classical style,
full of exuberance and swagger.
7 Neo-Classical
18th–19th centuries. Classical revisited
again, and even more determined to
emulate Greek and Roman temples.
Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal 8 Neo-Gothic
Onze-Lieve-
0 19th-century. Gothic style revisited
that was adopted particularly by the
Vrouwekathedraal,
Antwerp Catholic Revival.
With one of its two towers unfinished, 9 Art Nouveau
Late 19th–early 20th centuries. A florid,
Antwerp’s cathedral bears the battle organic style, an effort to create an
scars of its centuries-long struggle utterly new approach: hence “new art”.
for completion, but the immense 10 Art Deco
interior gives an indication of the 1920s–1930s. A brash, angular but
scale of its creators’ ambitions. It’s glamorous style. Name is based on a
also an apt setting for two stunning decorative arts exhibition in Paris 1925.
triptychs by Rubens (see pp32–3).
046-047_Top_10_Brussels.indd 47 29/06/2016 12:29
48 ❯❯ The Top 10 of Everything
Art Nouveau Buildings
in Brussels
Hôtel Saint-Cyr
3
Square Ambiorix 11,
1000 BRU (Brussels)
Art Nouveau tended toward excess,
and this accusation is proven at this
house – all loops and curves, with a
circular picture window on the top
floor. It was designed for painter
Saint-Cyr in 1900.
Hôtel Hannon
4
MAP G2 • Avenue de la
Jonction 1, 1060 BRU (Saint-Gilles)
Built in 1903–4, this was a private
mansion designed by Jules Brunfaut
for Édouard Hannon, an industrialist,
painter and photographer with a
keen interest in Art Nouveau. Access
to the rare internal decorations is
possible when the building is used
to mount exhibitions.
La Maison Cauchie
5
Rue des Francs 5, 1040 BRU
Inside the Horta Museum (Etterbeek) • 02 733 86 84 • Open
1st weekend of every month,
Horta Museum
1 10am–1pm, 2–5:30pm • Adm
Behind a façade of geometric shapes
The former home and studio
of the great maestro of Art Nouveau with dreamy Art Nouveau murals
architecture, Victor Horta, serves as lies the home of little-known painter
a masterclass in the art (see pp22–3). Paul Cauchie (1875–1952).
Hôtel Tassel
Hôtel Ciamberlani
2 6
Rue Defacqz 48, 1050 BRU
Rue Paul-Émile Janson 6, 1050
BRU (Ixelles) (Ixelles)
Designed by Victor Horta in 1893–5, The artist Albert Ciamberlani (1864–
this is considered the first Art 1956) was one of those responsible
Nouveau house. Up to this point, for the huge mural in the triumphal
the well-to-do who commissioned colonnade of the Cinquantenaire
new private mansions in the mush-
rooming Belgian suburbs adopted
any style going, from Moorish to
Medieval or Tuscan. Horta extra-
polated from this “eclectic” style to
evolve some thing more integrated
and considered. The private mansion
of a bachelor engineer, Hôtel Tassel
was carefully tailored to all aspects
of his lifestyle, but this individualized
approach also made it less adaptable
for subsequent owners. The façade of La Maison Cauchie
048-049_Top_10_Brussels.indd 48 29/06/2016 12:29
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True to its name, DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Top 10 Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent covers all the
region's major sights and attractions in easy-to-use "top 10" lists that help you plan the vacation that's right for you.
This newly updated pocket travel guide for Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent will lead you straight to the
best attractions these cities have to offer, from the Grand Palace in Brussels to a restful trip on the Dijver Canal in Bruges, and from the Design Museum Ghent to the high-class fashion of Antwerp. Find the best beer, chocolate, and waffles in the country.
Expert travel writers have fully revised this edition of DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Top 10 Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent.
• Brand-new itineraries help you plan your trip to these areas of Belgium.
• Expanded and far more comprehensive, new laminated pull-out map now includes color-coded design, public transportation maps, and street indexes to make it even easier to use.
• Maps of walking routes show you the best ways to maximize your time.
• New Top 10 lists feature off-the-beaten-track ideas, along with standbys like the top attractions, shopping, dining options, and more.
• Additional maps marked with sights from the guidebook are shown on inside cover flaps, with selected
street index and metro map.
• New typography and fresh layout throughout.
You'll still find DK's famous full-color photography and museum floor plans, along with just the right amount of coverage of history and culture. A free pull-out map is marked with sights from the guidebook and includes a street index and a metro map.
The perfect pocket-size travel companion: DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Top 10 Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp &
Ghent.
Recommended: For an in-depth guidebook to Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent, check out DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent, which offers a complete overview of these cities; thousands of photographs, illustrations, and maps; and more.
Series Overview: For more than two decades, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides have helped travelers experience the world through the history, art, architecture, and culture of their destinations. Expert travel writers and
researchers provide independent editorial advice, recommendations, and reviews. With guidebooks to hundreds of places around the globe available in print and digital formats, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides show
travelers how they can discover more.
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