62 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp262–3 and pp284–6
Alfresco dining at the restaurants along Rue des Bouchers
Soaring domed glass roof of the
19th-century Galéries St-HubertCentre Belge de la
Bande Dessinée e20 Rue des Sables, 1000 BRU. City
Map 2 E2. Tel (02) 2191980.
@ 29, 38, 46, 47, 61, 63, 66, 71,
86, 88. Q Botanique, De Brouckère,
Rogier. v 3, 4, 31, 32, 33, 92, 94.
# 10am–6pm Tue–Sun. & 7 8Affectionately known by
its initials as cébébédé, this
museum for comic strip art
pays tribute to the Belgian
passion for bandes dessinées
(comic strips) and to many
internationally acclaimed
comic strip artists from both
Belgium and abroad.
Arranged over three levels,
the collection is housed in a
classic Art Nouveau building
originally designed in 1903
by Victor Horta (see p80) as
Les Magasins Wauquez, an
enormous fabric warehouse.
Saved from demolition in the
1980s, it reopened in 1989
as an impressive museum
and archive centre dedicated
to the comic strip, which
is often referred to as the
“ninth art” (see pp24–5).
One of the most popular
permanent exhibitions is a tour
of engaging comic strip heroes
such as Hergé’s Tintin,
arguably the most well-known
Belgian comic character. The
tour also includes The Smurfs,
which first appeared in the
Spirou journal in 1958 and
went on to have its own tele-
vision show and hit records.
Other displays detail the stages
of putting together a comic
strip, from initial ideas and
rough pencil sketches through
to final publication. Major
exhibitions featuring the work
of fam ous cartoonists and
studios are regularly held. The
museum also houses some
6,000 original plates, displayed
in rotation, as well as an
archive of photographs,
bio graphies and other artifacts.Galéries
St-Hubert wRue des Bouchers, 1000 BRU. City
Map 2 D2. v 25, 94. q Gare
Centrale. 7Sixteen years after ascending
the throne as the first king
of Belgium, Léopold I inaug-
urated the opening of these
grand arcades in 1847. St-
Hubert has the distinction
of being the first shopping
arcade in continental Europe,
and one of the most elegant.
Designed in Neo-Renaissance
style by Belgian architect
Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar, its
vaulted glass roof covers
three sections – Galerie du
Roi, Galerie de la Reine and
Galerie des Princes – which
house a range of luxury
shops and cafés. The ornate
interior and expensive goods
on sale made the galleries aRue des
Bouchers q
City Map 2 D2. @ 27, 29, 38, 46,
47, 48, 63, 66, 71, 86, 88, 95. q De
Brouckère, Bourse, Gare Centrale.
v 3, 4, 31, 32, 33.
Like many streets in this area
of the city, Rue des Bouchers
retains its medieval name,
evoking the time when this
meandering, cobblestoned
street was home to the
butcher’s trade. Aware of
its historic importance and
heeding the concerns of
the public, the city council
declared this area the Ilot
Sacré (Sacred Islet) in 1960,
restoring surviving buildings
and forbidding the further
alteration or destruction of
architectural façades. Hence,
Rue des Bouchers abounds in
17th-century step ped gables
and decorated doorways.
Today, this pedestrianized
thoroughfare is best known as
the “belly of Brussels”, a ref-
erence to its plethora of cafés
and restaurants. Many types
of cuisines are on offer here,
including Chinese, Greek,
Italian and Indian. The most
impressive sights are the
lavish pavement displays of
seafood, piled high on mounds
of ice and lit by a romantic
amber glow from the lamps.
At the end of the street, at
the Impasse de la Fidélité, is
a recent acknowledgement of
sexual equality. Erected in
1987, Jeanneke-Pis is a coy, yet
cheeky, female version of her
“brother”, the more famous
Manneken-Pis (see p60).
fashionable meeting place for
19th-century society, including
the resident literati – Victor
Hugo and Alexandre Dumas
have attended lectures here.
The arcades remain a popular
venue, with their shops, a cin-
ema, theatre and restaurants.