//
Photo: Spirou et Fantasio, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Belgium has a rich history of comics and comic characters, with titles like Suske en Wiske, Jommeke and Kiekeboe known by all Belgian children. Comic character figurines are popular, and the come to life in the museum. Visitors are immersed in the third dimension of the 9th art through a unique collection of comic book figurines. The collection is accessibly presented to a wider audience of young and old enthusiasts with numerous well known figures on display, as well as less known characters for a professional audience. Some figurines from American and French comic books are on display as well. Most of the sets are handcrafted by young local artists and students, staging a graphic and colorful universe. Temporary exhibitions are also occasionally hosted. Guided tours cost €85 and last 50-70 minutes. The final room of the museum is a pub that serves MOOF's beer.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Fontaine Charles Buls/Karel Buls fontein
Statue of Charles Buls, mayor of Brussels from 1881 until 1899. Charles was a prominent defender of equal rights, an intellectual, writer and widely regarded as the greatest mayor in modern history of the city. As son of a jeweler, young Charles was gifted with creativity and intelligence, and taught himself several languages including Latin and French. From 1879 he was elected into the Brussels city council and assigned the mandate of education. Through cunning diplomacy and liberal view points, he was promoted to mayor and gained fame as the defender of the Brussels cultural heritage. Most notable are his efforts to protect the historic city center, including the now classified Grand-Place, from demolition by king Leopold II. The king envisioned a layout for Brussels that resembled the graneur of Paris, with little regard for the organic growth of the city or its history. Charles Buls was among the only few politicians brave enough to oppose the large scale demolitions orchestrated by the king to make room for monumental buildings such as Law Courts building. Buls succeeded at preserving the Grand-Place but lost the Rochus neighborhood to make room for the Hill of Arts, a project ultimately cancelled and turned into the park it is today. Exhausted by his opposition against the king, and frustrated by the French dominion, he resigned as mayor in 1899 and withdrew from politics. His statue, around the corner of the Grand-Place he managed to save, was paid for by the architects who restored the facades of the Grand-Place buildings in 1999. It stands at the Grasmarkt where the jewelry store of his father used to be, and depicts Charles Buls with his dog.
An arthouse cinema and exhibition venue within the Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries. Cinéma Galeries, 26 Galerie de la Reine - Koninginnegalerij.
Chapelle de la Madeleine/Maria Magdalenakerk
One of the oldest churches in Brussels, dating from the 15th century. It is constructed from red bricks and local sandstone with a high carbonate content, making it very sensitive to acidic rain. The pointed facade, incorporating an octagonal bell tower, dates from 1453. The Baroque entrance portal with broken pediment bears the inscription DOM · S. MARIA MAGDALENA · SACRUM · ANNO 1637. The oak wood broker between the door leaves is special because the sculpture depicts the crucifixion of Christ, along with Mary Magdalene and angels. The current broker is a replica, the original one is hosted in the Museum of the City of Brussels. The north side of the chapel hosts a sacristy in pseudo-traditional style, against which the west facade of the former St. Anna chapel is built in Baroque style, a design by Leo van Heil dating back to 1661. The statue of Anna with Mary above the gate is a replica of a sculpture by Duquesnoy, the original can be viewed in the St. Gudula cathedral. The interior of the chapel has a basilic nave and two side aisles. Furniture and glass windows are modern, unfortunately nothing is left of the historical altars, burial tombs and paintings. The history of the chapel dates back to the 13th century, when it was founded by a mendicant order. They were taken over by the St. Gudula convent in 1299 and a monastery was built, but after a dispute with pope Clement V, the estate came in the hands of the city magistrate of Brussels who assigned it to the hospital friars of St. Nicholas brotherhood. By the end of the 15th century their numbers had dwindled however, and the endowments were assigned to the Carthusians of Scheut. The church was replaced by a late Gothic design, an initiative from the Brussels baker's guild. The bell tower was completed in 1453, and the monastery buildings demolished. From 1581 to 1585 the church was managed by the French Reformation, and in 1637 it received the status of an auxiliary church of St. Gudula. It sustained heavy damage by the shellings of the Nine Year War, but rebuilt in 1696. The scorched walls were demolished, and a new Baroque nave and choir added. In the early 20th century, the church was threatened by construction of the north-south railway connection, but its historic importance was recognized and the building saved, after which restoration commenced. Under coordination of architects Simon Brigode and Maxime Brunfaut, the 15th century building was restored based on iconographic documents and excavations. They removed the plastering and reconstructed the chapel walls that had been torn down in 1676, as well as buttresses, pillars, and the choir. The former sacristy was also built across the church with the facade of the former St. Anna chapel. The Baroque facade was rebuilt brick by brick. During the restoration between 1956 and 1958, older retaining walls were discovered, which are possibly remnants of a building constructed by the Templars, dating from before the first church.
Brussels City Tours is the main bus-tour company, with 2¾-hour tours of all the major sights.
A traditional Brussels' puppet theater, and an authentic café. Housed in a historic building with brick walls and tiles, crumbling plaster and wooden benches, the theater will give you an impression of what Brussels theater is like. The shows are only in French, but you don't need to understand what's being said to enjoy them. A variety of local beers is being served during shows, and afterwards of course.
Gallery for contemporary art, with works of Caroline Brisset, Lou-Brice Léonard, Peter Henri Stein, and countless others on display. The gallery covers the entire spectrum of fine arts, including sculptures, statues, and installations. Exhibitions regularly take place, the recurruring one is Resident Artists, on artists who work and live in the workshop of the gallery.