Page 81 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Belgium & Luxembourg

BRUSSELS  79

from the Berlaymont. This
building is known as Justus
Lipsius, after a 16th­century
Flemish philosopher.
Further down the road from
the Justus Lipsius building is
Résidence Palace, a luxury
1920s housing complex that
boasted a theatre, pool and
roof garden. The International
Press Centre is currently based
in the palace.
This whole area is naturally
full of life and bustle during
the day, but much quieter in
the evenings; it can feel almost
deserted on weekends. Pleasant The European Parliament building behind the trees of Parc Léopold
at any time is the proximity of a
number of the city’s wonderful the build ing, which is similar to death, when the studio became
green spaces, which include a cheese of the same name, and a museum.
the Parc du Cinquantenaire to its lofty aspirations. Many also The enormous main room
and Parc Léopold. The verdant regret that to make room for the contains Wiertz’s largest paint­
Square Ambiorix, to the north, new complex, a large part of the ings. Many of them depict
contains the Maison St-Cyr at Quartier Léopold that stood here biblical and Homeric scenes,
No. 11 – the most extravagant has been lost. some of which are in the style
of all Art Nouveau houses in of Rubens, while others bear
Brussels, built in 1903 by wit ness to his macabre
architect Gustave Strauven. b Musée Wiertz imag ina tion. Also on display
are his sculptures and death
Rue Vautier 62, 1050 BRU. City Map 3
v European A4. Tel (02) 6481718. @ 12, 21, 22, mask. The last of the six rooms
contains his more gruesome
Parliament 27, 34, 36, 38, 44, 59, 60, 80, 95. efforts, with titles as fearsome
q Maelbeek, Schuman, Trone.
Rue Wiertz 43, 1047 BRU. City Map 3 Open 10am–noon & 12:45–4:45pm as their content. These include
A4. @ 21, 22, 27, 34, 38, 54, 60, 80, 95. Tue–Sun. Closed some public hols. Madness , Hunger and Crime
q Maelbeek, Schuman. 8 Book via ∑ fine-arts-museum.be and Premature Burial.
website: 10am, 11am, 2pm & 3pm
Mon–Thu, 10am & 11am Fri. 9 The 160 works, including oil n Institut Royal des
∑ europarl.europa.eu paintings, drawings and sculp­
tures that form the main body Sciences Naturelles
This vast, modern steel and glass of Antoine Wiertz’s (1806–65) Rue Vautier 29, 1000 BRU.
complex, situated just behind artistic output are housed in City Map 3 A4. Tel (02) 6274238.
the Quartier Léopold train Musée Wiertz. The collection fills @ 12, 21, 22, 27, 34, 36, 38, 54, 59, 60,
station, is one of the three homes a studio built for the immensely 64, 79, 80, 95. q Maalbeek, Schuman,
of the European Parliament, the popular Wiertz by the Belgian Trône. Open 9:30am–5pm Tue–Fri,
elected body of the European state, where he lived and 10am–6pm Sat & Sun. & 8 7 -
Union. Its permanent seat is worked from 1850 until his = ∑ naturalsciences.be
located in Strasbourg, France,
where the plenary sessions are Established in 1846, the Institut
held once a month. Luxembourg Royal des Sciences Naturelles
is the administrative centre, and is best known for its collection
the committee meetings are of iguanadon skeletons which
held in Brussels. date from 250 million years ago.
A gleaming state­of­the­art Dis covered in 1870 at Bernissart
building completed in 1997, near Mons (see p193), they were
it has many admirers, not least among the first complete
the parliamentary work ers and dino saur skel etons ever to be
Members of the European reassembled, providing a major
Parliament (MEPs). However, it contribution to paleontology.
also has critics – the huge domed The museum contains educa­
struc ture containing a hemicycle tional displays on natural
that seats 700­plus MEPs has history, and a gallery on
been dubbed le caprice des evolution was added in 2009
dieux – the whim of the gods – Awe-inspiring paintings in the huge studio to mark the 200th birth
referring both to the shape of space of the Musée Wiertz anniversary of Charles Darwin.

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