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A major art deco monument.
The benedictine abbey was built as a priory to women in the 12th century and expanded many times in the following century as it gained importance. The downfall came in the 18th century, when a fire ravaged the convent and later the aftermath of the French Revolution led to its suppression. The remaining building complex has been restored in the 1960s and serves now a community centre.
A white art deco church in the middle of a roundabout.
The former Volkswagen Vorst factory is, as of 2015, the sole production site for the Audi A1. It offers 2-hour guided factory tours in Dutch, English, French and German at different times of the day. Reservations are required in advance via an online applications and availability is limited.
The museum is housed in the villa purchased in 1928 by Dutch banker and patron David van Buuren, with an outdoor architecture typical of the Amsterdam School, and the indoor dectorations are characteristic art deco of the time. Van Buuren collected many rare items of furniture, carpets, stained-glass windows, sculptures, paintings (including many Flemish and Italian masters, and other pieces of art, which are still on display. The villa was turned into a museum in 1975 as requested by Alice van Buuren in her testament. The surrounding gardens, designed by landscape architet Jules Buyssens, are in perfect harmony with the art deco house. The 3 central parts are the picturesque garden, the labyrinth, and the garden of the heart. The picturesque garden in particular stands out, designed in the 1920s following the geometrical ideas of the art deco style. It is open to the public year round.
A small museum dedicated to the work and life of Constantin Meunier, a Belgian painter and sculptor. He made important contributions to the development of modern art by elevating the image of the industrial worker, docker and miner to an icon of modernity. His work reflects the industrial, social and political developments of his day. The museum is housed in the last residence in which Meuneir lived and worked, a beautiful studio. Sheltering an extensive collection of over 700 works, the house was acquired by the Belgian government in 1936, and after a renovation of 3 years opened in 1939 to the public as a museum. Over 150 of his works are displayed there, the remainder in the Museum of the Turn of the Century.
The home of noted Belgian Art Nouveau architect and designer Victor Horta. Seeing where he lived and worked is a great way to get an introduction to the art nouveau style in Brussels. It is one of four Horta works to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It can be very busy on rainy Sundays and the queue is outside, so don't forget your umbrella.