Page 80 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guide - Brussels Bruges Ghent & Antwerp

78  BRUSSELS AREA B Y AREA

g Parc du Cinquantenaire

The finest of Leopold II’s grand projects, the Parc and Palais du
Cinquantenaire were built for the Golden Jubilee celebrations
of Belgian independence in 1880. The park was laid out on
unused town marshes. The palace, at its entrance, was to
comprise a triumphal arch and two large exhibition areas, but
by the time of the 1880 Art and Industry Expo, only the two
side exhi bition areas had been completed. Further funds were
eventually found, and work continued for 50 years. Before
being converted into museums, the large halls on either side . Musée de l’Armée
Opened in 1923, the museum
of the central archway were venues for trade fairs, the last covers all aspects of Belgium’s
of which was in 1935. They have also been used for horse military history, and exhibits
races and to store homing pigeons. During World War II, the over 200 years of militaria.
grounds of the park were turned over to vegetable growing Historic aircraft are on dis play
in the hall next door.
to feed the people of Brussels.

The Archway at the Centre of the Park
Based on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the arch was not
completed in time for the 50th anni versary celebrations but
was finished in 1905.

KEY
Tree-lined Avenue
In part formal garden, part 1 Pavillon Horta
forested walks, many of the 2 The Grand Mosque was built as
plantations of elms and plane the Oriental pavilion for the 1880
trees date from 1880. Exhibition. It became a mosque in 1978.
3 Underpass
4 The park is popular with Brussels’
Eurocrats and families at lunch times
0 metres 100 and weekends.
0 yards 100

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