BRUSSELS 65Unique marble floor in the state
room, Palais de Charles de Lorraineshowpiece of Art Nouveau
architecture. Architect Paul
Saintenoy gave full rein to his
imagina tion when he
designed these shop premises
for the Old England company
in 1899. The façade is made
entirely of glass and elaborate
wrought iron. There is a
domed gazebo on the roof,
and a turret to one side.
Surprisingly, it was only in
the 1990s that a listed
buildings policy was adopted
in Brussels, which has
secured treasures such as this.
In 2000, it became the new
Musée des Instruments de
Musique (MIM). Meanwhile,
the Old England company is
still flourishing, with its
premises on the fashionable
Avenue Louise.
The collection of the MIM
began in the 19th century
when the state bought 80
ancient and exotic instruments.
The collection was doubled
in 1876 when King Léopold II
don ated a gift of 97 Indian
musical instruments presented
to him by a maharaja. A
museum displaying all of
these artifacts opened in 1877,
and by 1924 it boasted 3,300
pieces and was recognized as
a leader in its field. Today,
the collection contains more
than 6,000 items and includes
many fine examples of wind,
string and keyboard instru-
ments from medieval times
to the present. Visitors to the
museum are provided with
headphones which allow them
to hear the sounds produced
by many of the instruments
on display. Among the chief
attractions are prototype
instruments by
Adolphe Sax,
Belgian inventor
of the saxophone
(see p205); mini
violins favoured
by street
musicians; a
violin-maker’s
studio; and a
superb group of
mechanical
instruments,
including the componium, a
19th-century barrel organ that
composes its own music as it
plays. There is also a restaurant
(see p285) on the top floor
with fine views over Brussels.BELvue Museum
and the
Coudenberg o
Place des Palais 7, 1000 BRU.
City Map 2 E4. Tel (070) 220492.
@ 21, 27, 29, 34, 38, 54, 63, 64,
65, 66, 71, 80, 95. q Trone, Parc,
Porte de Namur. v 92, 94. #
10am–5pm Tue–Fri, 10am–6pm Sat &
Sun. & 7 0 = http://www.belvue.be
With its collection of paintings,
documents and other royal
memorabilia, the BELvue
Museum charts the history of
the Belgian monarchy from
independence in 1830 to the
present day. The museum is
housed in the former Hôtel
Bellevue, an 18th-century
Neo-Classical build ing.
There is a permanent
exhibition in honour of King
Baudouin (r.1951–93). Also
on display are informal
photographs, which give
insight into the lives of the
royal family. An underground
archaelogical site and
museum, the Coudenberg, is
located in the grounds of the
BELvue Museum.
The dome of Old England,
home to the MIMThe broad and elegant Neo-Classical
façade of BELvue Museum
Musée des
Instruments de
Musique p
Rue Montagne de la Cour 2, 1000
BRU. City Map 2 E4. Tel (02)
- @ 27, 29, 38, 63, 65, 66.
q Gare Centrale, Parc. v 92, 94.9:30am–4:45pm Tue–Fri,
10am–4:45pm Sat & Sun. & 8
7 0 = http://www.mim.fgov.be
Once a department store,
the building known as
Old England is a striking
Palais de Charles
de Lorraine aPlace du Musée 1, 1000 BRU.
City Map 2 D4. Tel (02) 5195372.
@ 27, 29, 38, 63, 65, 66. q Gare
Centrale, Parc. v 92, 94. # 1–5pm
Wed & Sat. ¢ last week in Dec.
8 for details call (02) 5195372.Set behind a Neo-Classical
façade are the few surviving
rooms of the palace of Charles
de Lorraine, Governor of the
Austrian Netherlands and a
keen patron of the arts. Few
original features remain, as
the palace was ransacked by
marauding French troops in- The bas-reliefs at the top
of the stairway, representing
earth, air, fire and water, reflect
Charles de Lorraine’s interest
in alchemy. Most spectacular
of all the original features is
the 28-point star, set in the
floor of the circular state
room. Each of the
points is made from
a dif ferent type of
Belgian marble,
taken from
Charles
de Lorraine’s
personal mineral
collection. Belgian
marble was a
much sought-
after material
used to construct St Peter’s
Basilica in Rome. The rooms
contain a range of 18th-century
furnishings and exhibits
representing intellectual life
during the Enlightenment.