Kunsten Festival des Arts in Brussels: stunning projected pictures
‘Mont des arts’ or ‘Kunstberg’ is this precious place in Brussels that is absolutely stunning, you have a beautiful view on the city and the architecture is stunning. In this beautiful frame, Kris Verdonck, has presented his Still I and III. read more

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In the 13th century, Dame Gisèle, a Benedictine nun in Brussels wished to move to the Cistercians, an order founded in 1098 as a stricter branch of the Benedictines. Her superiors at Brussels’ Sainte Gudule chapter resisted the move and she had to obtain support in high places. With the assistance of the Duke Henri the First, she was allowed to acquire a vast peace of land in the Forêt de Soignes, around the spring of a little stream called the Maalbeek. She established a new abbey and named it after the room where Mary, mother of Christ, was supposed to have lived according to Christian mythology (the Camera Mariae): the Abbaye de La Cambre was born.

Right from the start the Abbey was very wealthy, with a vast expand of lands, including what is now the Bois de La Cambre, along with large areas of farmland in Flanders. At that time Ixelles was but a small village far away from Brussels, and there was ample room to erect buildings. Nowadays many of the remaining buildings date from the XIVth and XVIth centuries, including the nice Gothic church. From the start the place was a centre of teaching, with its boarding school that soon became very reputed. The Abbey still hosts part of the famous Cambre Achool of Visual Arts and Belgium’s National Geography Institute. French-style gardens have been added in the XIXth century, which form nice terraces up to Avenue Louise.

In the parks that surround the étangs d’Ixelles, leading to Place Flagey, you will find statues of Henri Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross, Camille Lemonier, a Belgian writer, and many other monuments. Already in the XIXth century the étangs were renowned to offer a place for charming and picturesque walks in Ixelles. The writer Hymans described it as follows:

« Il y avait, au bord des eaux, des guinguettes, où la bière brabançonne arrosait la gaufre dorée, et qui durant les belles après-midi de congé du printemps et de l’été, retentissaient des refrains et des cris d’enfants. Là, sur la cote, s’étageait, au centre des tonnelles, la Maison Rouge. Autour des étangs où se balançaient des verdures aquatiques, couraient des sentiers, au coin desquels des fermes et des métairies, demeures rustiques, égarées aux portes d’une Capitale, ouvraient leurs volets verts… »

Originally there were three ponds, but at the end of the XIXth century the third pond was filled and became the Place Sainte-Croix, later renamed Place Flagey. In the thirties the place was redeveloped around the Maison de la Radio, nowadays a cultural centre simply called “Flagey”.

Sources and further reading:

Adisc

Abbaye de La Cambre et Etangs d’Ixelles

Wikipedia article on Etangs d’Ixelles

Eurobru

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What’s on in Brussels? A short list of essential sites. Brussels doesn’t have the vibrant cultural life that Paris or London have to offer, but there is a lively jazz scene and lots of classic and pop concerts at places like Flagey. Exhibitions are not as grand as those found in larger cities, but there’s still a lot to do for short-time visitors and residents alike. A good source of information is Agenda.be which also includes movie listings. Cheap same-day tickets are available from Arsene.

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We decided to write down some of our thoughts on why we love Brussels. Once you have read this, you will understand why it’s a great place to live in.

• the Grand Place. Especially at night, Brussels’ central square is the heart of the city. Always plenty of tourists, but locals equally appreciate the place for its serene beauty. Make sure to catch the light show from one of the cafés. The square is downtown’s crossroads: it leads to the touristy restaurant street of rue des bouchers on one side, if you leave it downhill-side you end up in the trendy Dansaert area with trendy cafés and designer clothing shops. You can also choose to go to the West, pay your respects to the lying statute of T’Servaes T’Serclaes, make a right and you are in the maze of Gay quarter.
• The Sunday strolls in the Marolles. Many bruxellois take to the antique shops in the Marolles quarter during the weekend. There is everything for all budgets: from the flea market at one end to the more expensive shops closer to the Sablon.
• The cosmopolitan atmosphere. It’s the EU capital and it feels. Everywhere in town you will hear many languages spoken, see many different cuisines, witness different lifestyles… it’s a real melting pot and most communities intermingle. See for yourself in Ixelles’ Chatelain and Flagey areas or in Saint Gery downtown.
• The food. Belgians know how to live, and for them eating is a large part of living! Try the convivial Pain Quotidien chain of bread and brunch stores, the fish restaurants on place Sainte Catherine, or never hesitate entering any restaurant outside of the tourist areas: you will be pleasantly surprised.
• The markets. Everywhere in town, you will find markets selling fresh produce in a gentle, fun atmosphere. Try the Midi market next to the Midi station on Sundays, take a stroll along the lakes at the Flagey market on Sunday, or buy pricey food at the Chatelain market every Wednesday.
• The tramways. Public transport has improved greatly in the past few years, and trams seem to be taking you everywhere. Fast and comfortable, they let you see the city at your leisure.
• The Parks. Brussels is the EU capital, very cosmopolitan, but is at the same time a small peaceful city. Enjoy the greenery, with the large parks everywhere: around the Basilique in Koekelberg, in the Royal Park or the Cinquantenaire park uptown, around the Cambre Abbey, at the Bois de la Cambre, the Parc de Woluwé,… the list is endless. Wherever you go, you will find a patch of green to relax, do sports or simply enjoy the fresh air.
• The Châteaux. You never need to go far off in the outskirts of Brussels to find nice castles in beautiful green surroundings. Try Gaasbeek, Beersel, Tervueren, Genval, Parc Solvay, and many more. The kids will love it!
• The Atomium and Little Europe. Built for six months at the time of the 1958 World Fair, the Atomium has resisted the test of time and still stands. Completely anachronistic these days, it has now been refitted and hosts plenty of 1950’s memorabilia. Next to it stands Little Europe, a somewhat kitsch way to discover Europe.
• It’s not far! With high speed trains connecting it to Paris, London, Amsterdam and Cologne, day and weekend trip ideas abound. The airport is also close to the city and weekend getaways to many places in Europe are within easy reach.

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Brussels’ current mood in pictures On this website you will find a wealth of Brussels pictures showing lesser known parts of the city. Updated daily to keep in sync with city’s current mood. We like the pictures of the cartoon characters on the walls of many buildings.

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Brussels has a lot to offer to visitors, especially now with the unseasonably warm weather these days… See some pictures which we recently added on Blue Brussels to get a foretaste.

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Brussels Rue Haute.

Here’s a picture of the interior of a great pizza place on Rue Haute. Discover the Sunday buzz in the Marolles with our recent pictures.

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We’ve added new pictures to Blue Brussels, our contemplative guide to the European capital. As most of our sites (except maybe for Blue Bulgaria), BlueBrussels.com is still in its infancy, but we have now more than 130 pictures to choose from.

Popularity: 5% [?]