BRUSSELS 57577 LE RENARD, LE CORNET AND LE ROI D’ESPAGNE
Le Pigeon was home to Victor Hugo,
the exiled French novelist who chose
this house as his Belgian residence
in 1852. Some of the most compli-
mentary comments about Brussels
emerged later from his pen.La Maison des
Boulangers, also
known as Le Roi
d’Espagne, was
a showpiece
built by the guild
of bakers. The
1697 octa-
gonal copper
dome is topped
by a golden
dancing figure.Le Renard (The Fox)
was built in 1699 as
the guildhouse of the
haberdashers by the
Flemish architects Marc
de Vos and van Nerum.
Façade details show St
Nicolas, the patron
saint of merchants,
and cherubs, play-
ing with ribbons.La Maison des Ducs de Brabant is
a group of six guildhouses. Designed
by the Controller of Public Works,
Guillaume de Bruyn, the group looks
like an Italian Baroque palazzo.Le Roi d’Espagne now
houses the Grand
Place’s finest bar (see
p90), with a popular
terrace from which
to drink in the
splendours of the
square. The gilt bust
over the entrance
represents St Aubert,
the patron saint of
bakers. There is a vast
bust of Charles II of
Spain on the second
level of the façade.Le Cornet displays the Italianate Flemish
style. This boatmen’s guildhouse (1697)
is most notable for its gable, which is in
the form of a 17th-century frigate’s bow.Stone busts of the ducal line
along the façade gave this
group of houses their name.LOCATOR MAP
See Brussels Street Finder, Map 23 LE PIGEON 4 LA MAISON DES DUCS DE BRABANT
(305&."3,5
#05&3453""536&"6#&633&3%&4#3"44&634
#3068&34533$)"*3&51"*/7-&&4
&/#300%45336&$#6-4453""53%&4)"3&/(4)"3*/(453)&3#&4(3"4."3,5."3$)&"6936&%6(3"/%1-"$&