Art Nouveau in Brussels

It is quite hard to get into other houses. Hôtel Solvay (a house, not a hotel) is near the Horta Museum and I believe it opens on request. But there are other properties you can see without too much trouble: the Musical Instruments Museum is in a former department store, Old England, and is worth seeing as a museum anyway. You can travel to the roof, eat in the Belgian restaurant there and see the view, as well as appreciate the wrought iron on each floor. They have done a really good job of preserving its features. The Comics Art Museum is also in an Art Nouveau building, a former fabric warehouse, also Horta. It is less spectacular than the MIM, but if you want to learn a little bit about the Belgian passion of cartooning, it's up your alley. You probably won't know any of the characters except the Smurfs. Finally, there is the Square Ambiorix neighbourhood, near Schuman metro. You can't go in any of the houses but it's a fairly well preserved Art Nouveau neighbourhood. Hôtel van Eetvelde and Maison Cauchie are two of the important houses there. Large parts of St.-Gilles and Schaerbeek are Art Nouveau, but you realistically probably won't get to see them unless you do a tour with ARAU. You would have to be lucky, though, as ARAU gives tours infrequently (they are a residents' action group) and possibly your dates won't line up with theirs. There are also Art Nouveau guides to Brussels available. Do have a google on this topic, there is more than I can feasibly cover here, but I hope I have given you a few leads.

Lavandula

Excuse me, Megan, but I'm about to do something I usually avoid. But since I'm a huge fan of Art Nouveau myself, I can't help it.

If you ever come to Munich, please feel free to contact me, because there are quite a few Art Nouveau buildings to see there, and even a public indoor swimming pool, that you'd definitely love.

So, please excuse me for giving you an unsolicited tip.

Thank you both for your replies. I have been trying to get my parents interested in the Museum of Musical Instruments, with little luck so far. Unfortunately the cafe on the top floor is currently closed for renovations as well. I will keep trying though. We defintitely plan on some walks around those neighborhoods. Cauchie House is open for tours on Saturdays. We might look into that, but we are already going to the Horta Museum and Maison Hannon on Saturday, so that might be too much to add a third place. We will see.

If I ever get to Munich, I would consider touring some Art Nouveau properties and would love any advice. That might have to be a future trip. We have always loved Art Nouveau architecture, art, jewelry, and decor. So much creativity and intricate craftsmanship go into this style!

Megan - I have found this website of the TI in Brussels. Maybe you are already familiar with it, nevertheless it give some ideas that can be of use I think. You can always contact the TI for more info if needed.

https://www.visit.brussels/en/visitors/what-to-do/10-must-visit-art-nouveau-houses-and-mansions-in-brussels

Did you know that Antwerp has a complete district with turn of the century architecture with a lot of Art Nouveau houses too? The Zurenborg district where you feel thrown back in time is easy to reach with the tram, or even the train as Berchem railway station is at an easy walk from it. I think there are guided tours, for this you can contact the TI in Antwerp. There is more to see in Antwerp like "Het Bootje" near the Museum of Fine Arts, but Zurenborg is not to miss. No idea if you will see interiors.

https://visit.antwerpen.be/en/neighbourhood-in-the-spotlight-zurenborg

Ghent has also some Art Nouveau architecure, but not so much as Antwerp and Brussels even it was the birthplace of Victor Horta. The Design Museum there has a collection of Art Nouveau items.

Not a house museum, but the Musée Fin de Siècle in Brussels would be up your street. There are rooms full of beautiful Art Nouveau furniture and glass in addition to paintings from the era.

There are also a few free-standing Art Nouveau commercial buildings in Antwerp, like the "Boat house", The Rudolph Steiner School (now a retail store), and a midtown restaurant. I can endorse the, roughly 100 townhouses, exteriors only, in the Zurenborg/Cogels Osy-Lei district. There are styles other than Art Nouveau, but they are all, striking buildings.

Shame about the MIM. But you can see Old England from the outside and marvel at the fact that the Pharmacie Anglaise, which is at the corner just a few houses away, was built at about the same time. Catholic and Protestant citizens had different tastes in architecture and commissioned houses in different architectural styles, so there were different ones in competition with each other. You can have a drink at the Pharmacie Anglaise, it's a fashionable bar now.

They were going to pull down Old England and it was saved from demolition - crazy to think that all of these amazing buildings were not preserved. There are whole neighbourhoods that did not survive; the European Quarter is a case in point.

I have never been to the Hannon House, please can you write a trip report of your adventures with Art Nouveau when you come back?

Lavandula

Wil: Thank you for the link! I think we will try to tour either Hotel Solvay or the Cauchie House. I also found an account on Instagram where the lady made a google map of all of the interesting art nouveau facades around Brussels and many are in the neighborhood (Ixelles) were we are staying. So, our schedule will be full of stuff to see. We will be staying in Mechelen after Brussels and in addition to a day in Ghent, we might spend a day in Antwerp too. I had researched the art nouveau neighborhood there too, so I will see if my parents are interested in visiting there. Thanks for all of your suggestions!

I had looked at the Fin de Siècle Museum too, but it seems to also be closed because it is undergoing renovation. I saw that a huge exhibit on Art Deco and Art Nouveau will be opening at the Art and History Museum though, on June 13th, complete with a restored winter garden designed by Horta as a centerpiece. We will probably check that out.