Brussels view from Mont des Arts, Brussels, Belgium. Photo by Ank Kumar. Wikimedia Commons.

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Mont-des-Arts


 

The Mont des Arts  “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, the Square  Brussels Meeting Centre, and a public garden. It is one of the most important cultural sites in Brussels. A classic among the city’s vantage points, it offers a fine city garden and restored showcase of architecture, in addition to several great museums.

This site is located between the Rue Montagne de la Cour/Hofbergstraat and the Place Royale/Koningsplein in its “upper” part, and the Boulevard de l’Empereur/Keizerslaan and the Place de l’Albertine/Albertinaplein in its “lower” part. It is served by Brussels Central Station.

1. It has served many purposes over time

Brussels view from Mont des Arts, Brussels, Belgium. Photo by Ank Kumar. Wikimedia Commons.

The area of the Mont des Arts knew different affectations during its history. Jews settled there until the 14th century, as attested by the old Escaliers des Juifs or Ioode trappen (“Jewish Stairs”), a former series of four steep staircases leading to Brussels’ upper town.

Later, it used to be a densely populated neighbourhood; the Saint-Roch Quarter, centred around the now-disappeared Rue des Trois-Têtes/Driehoofdenstraat.

2. King Leopold II the place to an arts center

By the end of the 19th century, King Leopold II had the idea to convert the site into an arts’ quarter and bought the whole neighbourhood. Various architects and urban planners were called upon to draw plans of the buildings which were to accommodate all kinds of cultural institutions.

The City of Brussels’ then-mayor, Charles Buls, had laid out a modest plan for the Saint-Roch district. His urbanistic and aesthetic conceptions were totally opposed to those of Leopold II. Buls was not followed by the municipal council which voted for the king’s project on 19 November 1894.

3. This project however stalled due to lack of finances

After the demolition of the old buildings in 1897–98, the site turned into an urban void because the project lacked sufficient finance. An agreement was finally signed in 1903 between the City of Brussels and the Belgian State for the construction of the Central Station and the creation of the Mont des Arts, at the same time as the complete reorganization of the old Saint-Roch and Putterie/Putterij districts.

4. Landscaping was done by landscape architect Pierre Vacherot

To increase the area’s appeal during the Brussels International Exposition of 1910, the king ordered the French landscape architect Pierre Vacherot to design a “temporary” garden on the hill.

It featured a park and a monumental staircase with cascading fountains and terraces descending the gentle slope from the Place Royale down to the Boulevard de l’Empereur/Keizerslaan.

5. The garden was however demolished to give room for Montes Des Arts

Photo by Marc Ryckaert. Wikimedia Commons.

Although the garden was conceived as temporary, it became a well-appreciated green area in the heart of the capital, but when the plans for the Mont des Arts came back by the end of the 1930s, it had to be demolished to create a new square as the centre of the urban renewal project.

The project was entrusted jointly to the architects Maurice Houyoux and Jules Ghobert. Between 1956 and 1969, the park and its surroundings gave way to massive, severe geometric structures such as the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR) and the Congress Palace.

6. Montes des Arts offers a fine view of the city

The Mont des Arts offers one of Brussels’ finest views. Though the glass and steel cube forming the new entrance to the convention centre has modified the upper part of the complex, the perspective created by Péchère has largely been preserved.

From the elevated vantage point, the famous tower of Brussels’ Town Hall on the Grand Place is clearly visible. On a sunny day, the Koekelberg Basilica and even the Atomium can be seen. And to the west rises the bronze equestrian statue of Albert I by the sculptor Alfred Courtens, inaugurated in 1951.

7. There many tourist attraction sites close to Montes des Arts

Major tourist attractions are located within walking distance of the Mont des Arts: the Musical Instruments Museum (MIM), the Royal Museums of Fine Arts, the Royal Palace, and the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula.

8. It has the Montes des Arts garden

Photo by Edison McCullen. Wikimedia Commons.

The Mont des Arts garden is located below place Royale and provides a green transition between the upper and lower parts of the city, between the Royal Quarter and the Grand-Place in the city’s historical centre. Originally built for the 1910 Universal Exhibition, it was adapted in the 1950s to form part of the vast urban complex of the Mont des Arts. The current garden was restored in 2001.

The garden is arranged in two parts. The main garden is made up of a green area planted with yews, compartments encircled with boxwood and planted with perennials, small circular basins and a monumental fountain. The secondary garden contains a basin with recreational fountains, along with a playground for younger children.

9. Montes des Arts has many features

The Mont des Arts “complex” includes the KBR (formerly the Royal Library); a shopping and office gallery on the other side of the street appropriately named the “Mont des Arts”; the Square congress centre, with its glass cube and statue of Albert I; gardens and esplanades and finally an underground car park.

10. You can access the library’s rooftop from here!

Photo by Fred Romero from Paris. Wikimedia Commons.

For another perspective over the Mont des Arts garden, you can also climb up to the rooftop of the royal library (for free). Buy a drink and pick a table to enjoy some rest while looking out over the center of Brussels and the Palace of Justice, another of Brussels’ famous landmarks.

The view is especially captivating around sunset, when the evening sun paints the sky in different shades of pink and orange. On a clear day, you can even spot the basilica of Koekelberg and the Atomium.