It can’t be captured in one word, but the city is certainly beautiful: Brussels. From Brutalist to Belle Époque, concrete to brocante and folksy to vogue: seek out the frayed edges outside the city centre or go chic and immerse yourself in the grandeur of days gone by.
Place du Jeu de Balle
Every morning, Place du Jeu de Balle comes alive with Brussels' oldest flea market. In the heart of the Marollen district, antique dealers, collectors and curious wanderers search for forgotten treasures. Surrounded by vintage stores and second-hand boutiques, it remains one of the city's most authentic corners.
Treasure hunters experience Brussels as one big treasure hunt. The famous, old-fashioned flea market at Vossenplein is one to get up early for. Here every day there’s a chance you will go home with a design gem, literally and figuratively. Vossenplein, called Place du Jeu de Balle in French, refers to the ball games that took place there in the nineteenth century. Continue on to Rue Haute (High Street) and Rue Blaes (Blaes Street), whose high density of retro and second-hand shops turns the De Marollen neighbourhood into a veritable vintage.
Place du Jeu de Balle
Every morning, Place du Jeu de Balle comes alive with Brussels' oldest flea market. In the heart of the Marollen district, antique dealers, collectors and curious wanderers search for forgotten treasures. Surrounded by vintage stores and second-hand boutiques, it remains one of the city's most authentic corners.
Treasure hunters experience Brussels as one big treasure hunt. The famous, old-fashioned flea market at Vossenplein is one to get up early for. Here every day there’s a chance you will go home with a design gem, literally and figuratively. Vossenplein, called Place du Jeu de Balle in French, refers to the ball games that took place there in the nineteenth century. Continue on to Rue Haute (High Street) and Rue Blaes (Blaes Street), whose high density of retro and second-hand shops turns the De Marollen neighbourhood into a veritable vintage.
Victor Horta
Flemish architect Victor Horta was one of the founders of Art Nouveau, the movement known for its flowing forms, organic lines, natural motifs and graphic glasswork. He designed four townhouses that are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Besides the so-called Horta Houses – Hôtel Tassel, Hôtel Solvay, Hôtel van Eetvelde and Maison & Atelier Horta – there are about a thousand well-preserved buildings that make Brussels the cradle of Art Nouveau.
From opulent Art Nouveau in the flourishing Belle Époque, Brussels architecture evolved effortlessly in the 1920s and 1930s towards the more modern Art Deco movement. This is reflected in the geometric lines of the Palace of Fine Arts (also by Horta), the concrete domes of the Basilica of Koekelberg (the largest Art Deco building in the world) and the Great Gatsby-like Villa Empain.
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Kanal-Centre Pompidou museum
A former Citroën garage converted into a museum. The new Kanal-Centre Pompidou museum, which opens on 28 November this year, symbolises how the old effortlessly makes room for the new in multifaceted Brussels. This meeting place forms a ‘city within a city’ that will be open 16 hours a day, also for people who not only want to look at art, but need space to work, study, meet or read.
Looking for a slightly more intimate setting that’s already open? Then follow the canal into town to pull into an equally renovated but much smaller garage. At Nightshop, you’ll find seasonal dishes and natural wines on the menu. A little further down the street, you can add to your art book collection even before the new museum opens by visiting the Saint-Martin Bookshop.
Lionel Jadot
Brussels' creative energy extends far beyond its Art Nouveau heritage. Designer Lionel Jadot has become one of the city's most influential contemporary voices, known for transforming reclaimed materials into distinctive interiors and objects.
There is no shortage of architecture in Brussel. Just look up to tick off the architecture bingo, from Art Nouveau façades, eye-catching Art Deco features, Brutalist concrete blocks to contemporary Brussels design. The term ‘Dutch Design’ may be known around the world, but they’re good at it in Brussels too. Just as the Dutch Design City of Eindhoven has the designer Piet Hein Eek, in Brussels it is Lionel Jadot who is the authority when it comes to design. Both turned an industrial site on the outskirts of their city into a creative hotbed. The comparison does not end there. The frequent use of recycled materials is also characteristic of their approach.
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