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Photo: Michael Kramer, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The hill (often referred to its historic French name Mont des Arts, literally Mountain of Arts) is the northern slope of the Koudenberg, and roughly halfway between the Royal Palace and the Grand-Place. One of the first and oldest residential neighborhoods of Brussels, the St. Rochus Quarter (Sint-Rochuswijk in Dutch) was here. By the 15th century, the quarter had become a ghetto for Jews. Later, large sections of the quarter were claimed by the city for the construction of administrative buildings and palaces. Between the 15th and 18th century, monumental palaces were constructed: the Palace of Nassau from 1440 to ca. 1750, the Palace of Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine (1757), the Granvelle Palace (1555-1931) and the Palace of the Coudenberg (mid 14th century until 1731). At the end of the 19th century, King Leopold II launched the idea to transform what was left of the St. Rochus Quarter into the cultural heart of Belgium. Various architects made designs for the hill, and King Leopold II himself acquired all the properties in the medieval quarter, which were subsequently razed, and the Jews were expelled to Antwerp where they still thrive. Only the Palace of Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine and the Granvelle Palace were preserved. Unfortunately, the Belgian government refused to fund the king's project, and for 8 years the large area remained an unused brownfield, and an eye sore in the heart of the capital. With the upcoming World Fair of 1910, King Leopold II commissioned Parisian architect Pierre Vacherot to hastily find a new purpose for the area. He designed a monumental staircase with numerous fountains, waterfalls and sculptures. The park was inaugurated by the king's successor and son, King Albert I, in 1910 after the death of his father. When Brussels prospered after the Second World War and funding was no longer a problem, the original project was revived, and many buildings constructed that remain: the Royal Albertina Library, the Congress Palace, and the Dynasty Palace. The current layout follows a design of architect Jules Ghobert, whereas the Albertina was designed by Maourice Houyoux. The park gradually shrunk to make room for these new buildings, as well as for parking garages and the Central Station. The current park, Tuin van de Kustberg in Dutch (literally: garden of the Hill of Arts), was a design of garden architect René Pechère, which were complemented with a few new buildings for the 1958 World's Fair. The staircase offers visitors one of the most spectacular views over the city, looking out over the Grand-Place. When the weather is clear, the Koekelberg Basilica and even the Atomium can be seen in the distance.
The Mont des Arts or Kunstberg, meaning "Hill/Mount of the Arts", is an urban complex and historic site in central Brussels, Belgium, including the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR), the National Archives of Belgium, Square – Brussels Convention Centre, and a public garden designed by the landscape architect René Pechère.
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Cinematek
Museum for cinema, with an exhibition focussing on objects and discoveries that represent the many steps leading to the invention of cinema: from Thomas Edison and the Lumière brothers, through the phenakistiscope of Joseph Plateau. Many displays are interactive, with mechanisms to operate the devices to understand their operation better. Interactive consoles allow visitors to watch short and medium length films, and a small video projection room broadcasts additional images of filmmakers, trailers, commercials, and short films. The archives and library of the film association, along with documentation, books, and magazines, are also on display along with relevant Belgian press cuttings and photos. The museum features 2 rooms: the Ledoux room with 117 seats, and a small auditorium with 29 seats, where 40 films per week are screened. Silent films are accompanied by piano, or with restored sound where available. Until its destruction in 2006, the museum operated the last authentic mute cinema room in the world.
Musée des Instruments de Musique/Muziekinstrumentenmuseum
The museum houses more than 7000 instruments, from all times and all over the world. The museum’s reputation is built on its extraordinary collection. The exhibits are displayed on four different floors featuring a wide range of instruments from all time periods and areas of the world. The MIM is a place to experience music. An infrared headphone system allows each visitor to enjoy the sound and melodies played by the instruments presented. The restaurant on the roof is also famous because of its panoramic view over Brussels. You need around 3 or 4 hours to really enjoy the whole museum, make sure you have enough time! The ornate façade of the building was decorated as such to promote the work of local tradesman and to protest the loss of jobs due to automation.
This museum is dedicated to the life and art of the Belgian artist René Magritte. It holds a multidisciplinary collection containing more than 200 of Magritte's works. This is part of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium: use the same entrance and ask for a ticket which includes the Magritte Museum.
Part of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, this hosts a remarkable collection of paintings from the Old Masters, with masterpieces from Rogier van der Weyden, Petrus Christus, Drik Bouts, Hans Memling, Hieronymus Bosch and many others. For the 16th century, Pieter Bruegel the Elder is magnificently represented with major works like The Fall of the Rebel Angels or The Census at Bethlehem. The 17th and 18th centuries are covered by work from the Flemish School, represented by Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, and Jacques Jordaens, with minor works from the Italian and French schools on display as well. The majority of the collection originated during the French Revolution, when many works of art were seized by the occupying forces, works from religious institutions in particular. The museum was founded in 1801 by Napoleon Bonaparte himself, but it was only in 1830 after Belgium gained independence that the museum became a major institution. The last major addition to the collection dates from 1913, when de Grez donated over 4 000 works on paper dating from the 16th to 19th centuries, including works from Hendrick Goltzius, Jacques de Gheyn the Younger, and Rembrandt. Admission to the museum is free on the 1st Wednesday of each month.
Musées Royaux des Beaux Arts de Belgique/Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten van België
Features both historical art and modern art in the one building. In a vast museum of several buildings, this complex combines the Musée d'Art Ancien-Museum voor Oude Kunst and the Musée d'Art Moderne-Museum voor Moderne Kunst under one roof (connected by a passage). The collection shows off works, most of them Belgian, from the 14th to the 20th century, starting in the historical section, with Hans Memling's portraits from the late 15th century, which are marked by sharp lifelike details, works by Hiëronymus Bosch, and Lucas Cranach's Adam and Eve. You should particularly seek out the subsequent rooms featuring Pieter Brueghel, including his Adoration of the Magi. Don't miss his unusual Fall of the Rebel Angels, with grotesque faces and beasts. But don't fear, many of Brueghel's paintings, like those depicting Flemish village life, are of a less fiery nature. Later artists represented include Rubens, Van Dyck, Frans Hals, and Rembrandt. Next door, in a circular building connected to the main entrance, the modern art section has an emphasis on underground works - if only because the museum's eight floors are all below ground level. The collection includes works by van Gogh, Matisse, Dalí, Tanguy, Ernst, Chagall, Miró, and local boys Magritte, Delvaux, De Braekeleer and Permeke. Don't miss David's famous "Death of Marat."
Musée du Coudenberg
From the middle ages, a castle overlooked Brussels from Coudenberg hill. From the 12th century, the successive monarchs and their representatives transformed a small fortified castle into a sumptuous residential palace, one of the most beautiful palace of Europe and one of Charles V’s main residences. This prestigious building is severely damaged by fire in 1731. Some forty years later, the ruins of the palace are pulled down and the ground flattened out for the construction of the new royal district. The remains of this palace make up the Coudenberg archaeological site. During your visit, you will discover the Isabella Street and the old structures of the main buildings of the former palace of Brussels, which are now the foundations for today’s royal district and the Hoogstraeten House where the most interesting discoveries made during the various archaeological excavations conducted on the Coudenberg are displayed.