Belgium and Luxembourg (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

76 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION

Parc du Cinquantenaire x

The finest of King Leopold II’s grand
projects, the Parc and Palais du
Cinquantenaire were built for the Golden
Jubilee celebrations of Belgian independence
in 1880. The park was laid out on land used
for military training. The palace, at its
entrance, was to comprise a triumphal
arch and two large exhibition areas, but
by the time of the 1880 Art and Industry Expo, only the
two side exhibition areas had been completed. Funds
were eventually found and work continued for 50 years.
Before being converted into museums, the large halls
on either side of the archway held trade fairs, the last
of which was in 1935. The halls have also been used
for horse races and to house homing pigeons. During
World War II, the grounds of the park were used to
grow vegetables to feed the people of Brussels.

View of Park with Arch
Originally conceived as a gateway into the
city of Brussels, the triumphal arch was
completed only in 1905.

Pavillon

Horta

Tree-lined Avenue Underpass
Many of the plantations of
elms and plane trees that
make up the forested walks
date from 1880.

The Grand Mosque was built in

Arabic style as a folly in 1880. It

became a mosque in 1978.

. Musée Royal de l’Armée
et d’Histoire Militaire
The museum exhibits cover
Belgium’s military history
with over 200 years of
militaria, including
historic aircraft.

Musée Royal
de l’Armée gun

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STAR SIGHTS

. Cinquantenaire
Museum
. Musée Royal de
l’Armée et d’Histoire
Militaire

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp262–3 and pp284–6