Belgium’s history dates back much further than 1830, when it declared independence. These eleven distinctive structures depict the nation’s historical progression.
Earlier versions of these buildings’ descriptions appeared in 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die, edited by Mark Irving. In parentheses, authors’ names are listed:
1. Antwerp Central Station
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Visitors arriving in Antwerp, the most important port in Belgium, are always awestruck by the grandeur of the city’s Central Station. It is a railway cathedral and one of the most impressive stations in Europe. Belgium was an early adopter of railroads, with the first line between Antwerp and Mechelen (Malines) opening in 1836. The current structure is the third to occupy this site since then.
The ornate station building was designed by Louis de la Censerie in an exaggerated Neo-Renaissance style known in the region as Léopold II. According to legend, De la Censerie was inspired by the Lucerne train station in Switzerland and the Pantheon in Rome. The magnificence is enhanced by an impressive staircase and a giant glass roof dome centered by an ornate clock. The enormous iron and glass roof of Clement Van Bogaert measures 140 feet (43 m) in height, 610 feet (186 m) in length, and 216 feet (66 m) in width. The structure was inaugurated in 1905, when Antwerp was a prosperous and thriving port city. Although Belgium is a small nation, the Congo basin in Africa was part of its empire, and Antwerp Central Station served as the European gateway to the Congo’s vast wealth. It has endured two world wars and German occupation. It was designed as a terminal from which trains had to reverse direction. Since 1998, ambitious reconstruction has made it possible for high-speed train services between Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam to traverse the city via tunnels. Between 1993 and 2005, the station building was renovated, resulting in three levels and fourteen platforms. It is one of the greatest train stations in the world. The author is Aidan Turner-Bishop.
2. Brussels Town Hall
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Brussels Town Hall, the focal point of the city’s Grand Place, is arguably the most significant secular building constructed in the Brabantine Gothic style. The building’s main entrance is located at the base of its massive, 315-foot-tall (96 m) bell tower, which faces the square and is arranged to face the square. The overall design, which featured a smaller bell tower, is attributed to Jacob van Thienen and dates back to the early 1400s. In 1444, the ten-year-old duke Charles the Bold presided over the foundation ceremony for the expansion of the town hall, which was designed and supervised by the city architect Herman de Voghele. Jan van Ruysbroek, the court architect of Philip the Good, oversaw the completion of the final phase in 1455, which included the extension of the bell tower and the addition of a Flamboyant-style crowning portion to the octagonal tower. The tower’s apex is crowned by a 5 m-tall (16.4 ft) bronze sculpture of Saint Michael gilded in gold.
Despite this complex building history and the vicissitudes that resulted in the building’s destruction in various military events (it was ransacked during the French Revolution), the city hall presents a unified and impressive façade to the city. An open ground-floor gallery is defined by Gothic arcading, which is repeated on two successive stories of cross-mullioned windows topped with crenellations and a steeply pitched roof with dormer windows. The entire facade is adorned with lively figural sculptures of nobles, saints, and allegorical figures (some of whose homes were demolished to make way for the palace). The facade is held together as a unified whole by the continuity of this decorative scheme.
3. Palace of Justice
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The Palace of Justice in Brussels was the world’s largest structure built in the nineteenth century. It has a height of 344 feet (105 m), a footprint of 525 by 492 feet (160 by 150 m), a surface area of 853,000 square feet (79,246 square meters), and contains eight courtyards, 27 large courtrooms, and 245 smaller rooms. The building is even more imposing due to the fact that it was constructed on a hill overlooking the former Gallows Field, where criminals were executed.
In 1860, the design of the building was subject to a competition. When there were no declared winners, King Leopold II awarded the relatively unknown architect Joseph Poelaert the project in 1861. The building’s eclectic and ostentatious design is typical of late 19th-century European official architecture. The structure has been variously and inconsistently referred to as Assyrian, Byzantine, Roman, and Neo-Gothic.
Poelaert did not live to see the completion of the project, which appeared to be cursed from the outset due to its numerous delays. By the time the construction project was completed in 1883, it had cost six times as much as anticipated. In order to clear the site for construction, a section of the Marolles neighborhood was demolished, causing further controversy and a great deal of animosity. A later café in the area was named De Scheve Architect, which translates to “the crooked architect.”
The Palace of Justice was one of Adolf Hitler’s favorite buildings, and in September 1944 it was ordered to be destroyed by retreating German troops. However, they only succeeded in destroying the dome, which was rebuilt even higher after the war
4. Hôtel Tassel
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The elegant Hôtel Tassel was constructed in 1893 by the Belgian Art Nouveau architect and artist Victor Horta. It is his first mature Art Nouveau structure, incorporating hints of French Gothic Revival and establishing the style’s precedent.
This two-story building is situated in the heart of Brussels. It was designed and constructed for geometry professor Émile Tassel on a site that was both narrow and deep. The facade of the urban residence Hôtel Tassel is defined by centered, stacked bay windows with a balcony at the top. The architect employed regularly curved forms, firmly believing in their utility as opposed to viewing them as merely decorative. He also experimented with glass and steel in the house’s free-flowing interiors and custom-made furniture. The façade is nearly Neoclassical in appearance, but the balcony section’s oblique shape reveals its decorative influences. The warm-colored patterns on the walls and floors, as well as the ornate metalwork of the staircase, feature expressive, nature-inspired designs.
Horta furnished the residence in opulent fashion, but the revolutionary aspect of the structure lies elsewhere: in the unrestricted use of interior space and the varying levels of access to the various rooms, thereby subverting the conventional separated-room approach to residential design. (Ellie Stathaki)
5. Maison and Atelier Horta
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This elegant Art Nouveau structure in Brussels was designed by the revolutionary Belgian architect Victor Horta to serve as his home and studio (studio). Maison Horta was built between 1898 and 1902, followed by a lengthy period of renovations and alterations that gave it its final appearance; it was sold in 1919, when Horta moved to nearby Avenue Louise. This narrow townhouse and atelier exemplify the zenith of his Art Nouveau abilities and represent the pinnacle of his career.
An exquisitely detailed organic staircase dominates the entrance, which leads to the more private areas of the bow-windowed home, and serves as the primary circulation-well connecting the majority of the major rooms within. Above the top of the main staircase are a number of curved glass and metal skylights that perfectly demonstrate the Art Nouveau style of decoration. Horta’s nature-inspired patterns appear on the majority of the house’s fixtures and furnishings, from balconies to doorknobs and from drainpipes to the master bed, all of which are designed in pure Hortian fashion. Even though the two components of the complex—the house and the studio—were designed together and communicate internally, they each have a distinct personality that distinguishes residential from commercial space.
The house and atelier became the Horta Museum in 1969; within a few years, the buildings were restored and connected. In 2000, the Maison and Atelier Horta, as well as Horta’s townhouses Hôtel Tassel, Hôtel Solvay, and Hôtel van Eetveld, were designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. (Ellie Stathaki)
6. Palais Stoclet
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Even though it is situated on a boulevard in Brussels, 900 kilometers (570 miles) from Vienna, Palais Stoclet is arguably the most iconic creation of the Secession movement. German and Austrian artists broke away from academic art institutions and established the Secession movement. The Vienna Secession evolved into a more restrained form of Art Nouveau. Adolphe Stoclet commissioned Josef Hoffman to design a residence for him, allowing him and the artist-craftsmen of his newly established Wiener Werkstatte to create interiors in which the design of every object was integral to the whole. With its marble cladding, bronze edgings, and cascading composition of towers, the exterior of the house is geometrically complex but relatively restrained; however, four enormous figures by sculptor Franz Metzner stand atop the soaring tower, making a dramatic statement. This is Craftsman style with a distinctly contemporary twist. The interior is lavishly decorated with precious stones, metals, veneers, and enamels. The dining room is decorated with one of Gustav Klimt’s most extraordinary works. Fulfillment, his glittering 46-foot-wide (14-meter) frieze, wraps the room in two sections. The Palais Stoclet is a paradise for enthusiasts of turn-of-the-century Vienna. Tim Brittain-Cattin
7. Atomium
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The Atomium is a 165 billion-fold enlarged model of a metal crystal molecule. It stands 101 meters tall on the Heysel plateau near the site of the 1958 World’s Fair, for which it was constructed. The structure consists of nine spheres with a diameter of 59 feet (18 meters), connected by diagonal tubes that are 75 feet (29 meters) long and 11 feet (3 meters) wide. A large model was tested in a wind tunnel, which is why the “molecule” is supported by three “bipods” for stability and emergency evacuation stairways. At the time of its construction, the longest escalators in Europe were used to connect the spheres.
One of the Atomium’s designers, Eugène Waterkeyn, hoped that it would “inspire young people to pursue careers in the technical field or in scientific research.” Some of the spheres originally contained scientific and medical exhibits. The Atomium is now regarded as a relic from a time when atomic symbols were prevalent in domestic architecture. The Atomium was built when Brussels was reconstructed following World War II and during a period of military occupation. Today, it is a popular symbol of the capital city of the European Union, and it may reflect a deeper taste for the surreal. Belgian artists René Magritte and Hieronymus Bosch were born there. The author is Aidan Turner-Bishop.
8. Yser Tower
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The IJzertoren (Yser Tower) is a pleasant surprise in Flanders’s flat landscape. This 84-meter-tall (275-foot) brick and concrete tower was constructed to honor the World War I soldiers of Flanders. Despite the country’s declaration of neutrality, the Germans occupied almost all of Belgium in 1914, with the exception of a small area in southwest Flanders. The IJzertoren overlooks the front line where fighting was so intense that Diksmuide was completely demolished.
1930 saw the construction of an earlier tower, which was destroyed by unknown parties in 1946. It is asserted that the tower, which is also viewed as a symbol of Flemish identity, was constructed to honor Flemish-speaking Belgian soldiers who may have felt resentment toward their French-speaking officers during World War I. Some Walloon (French-speaking) Belgians may have felt, after 1945, that some Flemish Belgians were too sympathetic to the Nazi occupiers.
The 1952-begun construction of the present tower with Flemish bricks in the Dutch Moderne style. The top “cube” is dominated by the letters AVV (Alles Voor Vlaanderen) and VVK (Vlaanderen Voor Kristus). The 22 floors feature exhibits on war, peace, and Flemish history. The top floor offers a view of the former battlefield, including the Dodengang (Trench of Death), a section of the Belgian front line that has been preserved. The author is Aidan Turner-Bishop.
9. Casa Nanon
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Born in Innsbruck, Austria, Ettore Sottsass studied architecture in Turin. He traveled extensively throughout Europe, North America, and Asia in search of inspiration for his signature style. As a furniture and industrial designer, Sottsass gained notoriety for his innovative, experimental use of new materials, particularly fiberglass.
The passion of Sottsass for furniture design was in perfect harmony with his architectural designs. He designed Casa Nanon in Lanaken for his close friend and fellow designer and art collector, Edmund Mourmans. This friendship allowed Sottsass to design a home that was truly tailored to its owner and family, as well as their collection of birds, which Sottsass accommodated by incorporating aviaries into the house’s exterior.
The 1998-completed home was designed specifically for the Mourmans family, with “secret staircases” for the children to play and hide in and artistically arranged gardens. The entire project emphasizes community without invading individual privacy: the Mourmans’ home is organized around a courtyard from which the other rooms radiate. On the floor above the kitchen and library are the living area, kitchen, and bedrooms. Strong emphasis is placed on color, harmony, and accessibility. Sliding glass doors provide access to and views of the rooms from the courtyard, thereby integrating the courtyard and the house as integral components. (Lucinda Hawksley)
10. Bruges Concert Hall
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The enormous Bruges Concert Hall (Brugge Concertgebouw) sits on the Zand, Bruges’s main square, at the heart of the old city, dwarfing the surrounding streets. Despite its size and uncompromising, angular modernity, it has the appearance of having existed for centuries.
The structure, designed by Belgian architects Paul Robbrecht and Hilde Daem, was completed in time for Bruges’ 2002 year as European Capital of Culture. The concert hall is a simple, incomprehensible structure. It is not immediately clear what its purpose is; it resembles a modern cathedral, but also has a rural appearance and could almost be a massive barn. Defined by its simple but potent geometry, the building descends in a series of angled planes from the square fly tower. As a result of these slants and the building’s overall terracotta hue, the building makes an implicit reference to the surrounding city’s pitched roofs. The Lantern Tower, which houses the chamber music hall, connects it to the Zand in a less monumental manner. Here, a glass facade is juxtaposed with long vertical louvers.
The main auditorium is a striking space with inclined walls covered in grooved plaster panels that reduce reverberation and resemble pleated fabric from a distance. The auditorium is located in the heart of the building, which is insulated from the exterior by the circulation spaces—an architectural promenade of exposed concrete geometry and minimal, yet beautiful detailing.
How the architects Robbrecht & Daem managed to create such an imposing mass with such delicacy is astonishing. As an object, the Bruges Concert Hall avoids being spectacular, but its intensity and precision make it memorable.