64 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp262–3 and pp284–6
Glittering chandeliers in the vast Throne Room of the Palais RoyalPalais Royal i
Place des Palais, 1000 BRU. City Map
2 E4. Tel (02) 5512020. @ 21, 27,
29, 34, 38, 54, 63, 64, 65, 66, 71, 80,- Q Trone, Gare Centrale, Parc.
v 92, 94. # mid-July–mid-Sep:
10:30am–5pm Tue–Sat. & 7 ^
The official residence of the
Belgian monarchy in central
Brussels, the Palais Royal is
located close to the site of the
old Coudenberg Palace. Its con-
struction began in the 1820s,
linking two 18th-century side
wings. Most of the exte rior
was completed during the
reign of Léopold II (1835–
1909) and in the 20th century,
the palace underwent interior
improve ments and restoration
of its older sections.
The huge Throne Room,
decorated in grand style with
large pilastered columns and
wall-mounted chandeliers,
is one of Brussels’s original
state rooms. Beyond this, the
Long Gallery displays late
19th-century ceiling paintings
representing dawn, day and
dusk. The Small White Room,
a gilt chamber with late 18th-
century Rococo furnishings,
features rows of 19th-century
royal portraits, while the Field
Marshal’s Room contains a
portrait of the first Belgian
king, Léopold I, after the 1843
original by Winter halter. The
Hall of Mirrors, similar in its
grand effect to the mirrored
chamber at Versailles, features
a ceiling that has been deco-
rated in green beetle and wing
designs by sculptor Jan Fabre.pilgrims en route to the
saint’s shrine at Santiago de
Compostela in Spain. When
the Coudenberg Palace was
built in the 13th century, it
became the ducal chapel. The
chapel suffered over the years:
it was ransacked during the
con flict between Catholics and
Protestants in 1579, and was
so badly damaged in the 1731
fire that it had to be demol-
ished. The present church
was built in Neo-Classical
style and was consecrated
in 1787. During the French
Revolution, it served as a
Temple of Reason and Law,
returning to the Catholic
Church in 1802. The interior
is elegant, with large paintings
by Jan Portaels (1818–95).
The church still has royal
connections, and the choir
has a direct link to the palace.Place Royale y
Rue Royale. City Map 2 E4. @ 21,
27, 29, 34, 38, 54, 63, 64, 65, 66, 71,
80, 95. q Trone, Parc. v 92, 94.
The influence of Charles de
Lorraine is still keenly felt in
the Place Royale. As Governor
of the Austrian Netherlands
from 1744 to 1780, he rede-
veloped the site which was
then occupied by the ruins
of the great, late-medieval
Coudenberg Palace that had
been destroyed by fire in
- The ruins of the palace
were demolished and the
entire site was rebuilt as two
squares along Neo-Classical
lines reminiscent of Vienna,
a city that Charles de Lorraine
greatly admired.
In 1995, excavations in the
area uncovered ruins of the
15th-century Aula Magna, the
Great Hall of the former pal-
ace. The hall was part of an
extension of the palace started
under the dukes of Brabant in
the early 13th century and fur-
ther developed by the dukes
of Burgundy, in particular by
Philip the Good. It was in
this room that the Habsburg
emperor Charles V abdicated
in favour of his son, Philip II.
The ruins can now be seen as
part of the BELvue Museum.
Although criss-crossed by
tramlines and traffic, the Place
Royale maintains a feeling of
dignity with its tall, elegant,
buildings set symmetrically
around a cobbled square. The
equestrian statue in the centre,
erected by King Leopold I in
1848, depicts the 11th-century
knight Godefroid de Bouillon,
a leader of the First Crusade.
Église St-Jacques-
sur-Coudenberg u
Place Royale, 1000 BRU. City Map 2
E4. Tel (02) 5117836. @ 21, 27,
29, 34, 38, 54, 63, 64, 65, 66, 71,
80, 95. q Trone, Parc. v 92, 94.
1–6pm Tue–Sat, 8:45am–5pm Sun.
Dedicated to the apostle St
James, the pretty St-Jacques-
sur-Coudenberg is the latest
in a series of churches to have
occupied this site. There has
been a chapel here since the
12th century, when it served
The 19th-century cupola of Église
St-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg