Museums

In the Regency Street, in the extension of the Place Royale/Koningsplein, there are three beautiful museums. If you only spend half a day in Brussels, you will unfortunately have to make a choice. Instead of going to the museum, you can also walk into the bookshop of the museums, one of the most beautiful art bookshops in the capital. The bookshop is located in a beautiful Art-Nouveau building.

• The Oldmasters Museum, a witness to a rich past. The collection spans the period from the 15th to the 18th century. You will discover paintings of Flemish primitives and work of numerous artists from creative eras such as the Flemish Renaissance and Baroque – Memling, Bosch, Bruegel, Rubens, Van Dyck, Jordaens, etc.

• The Modern Museum houses a collection of modern and contemporary art that covers the period from the end of the 18th century to the present day.
• The Fin-de-Siècle Museum – This is a fairly recent museum entirely dedicated to the 1900s, a unique artistic period and the nerve centre of Art Nouveau.

 

Opposite these three museums is the Belgian Court of Audit and a little further on Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, which is in urgent need of renovation.

In the distance you can see the Palace of Justice, an extensive court building built in an eclectic style from 1860 onwards by architect Joseph Poelaert. This building will soon be given a new purpose because it is too old and too unsafe to be used as a judicial palace. If you have time to walk there then you can enjoy the beautiful Panorama at the Poelaert square and take the elevator to the Marollenwijk.

Return from Regentschapsstraat/rue de la Régence to Place Royale/Koningsplein. If you descend back to Central Station from Place Royale/Koningsplein, it’s best to turn right at the bottom of the Kunstberg in the rue Ravensteinstraat and go through the Ravenstein gallery, so you’ll be faster in the station.