Photo story: Floralia Brussels

As soon as spring comes, flowers aficionados flock to Floralia Brussels to enjoy the lovely scenery of the Groot-Bijgaarden castle and its popular flower show.

The 16th edition of the Floralia Brussels takes place from 6th April until 5th of May 2019. The exhibition in the park and the greenhouses of the castle of Grand Bigard (Groot-Bijgaarden) offers an unforgettable flower experience. The park of 14 hectares incorporates nearly all spring bulb varieties. For the new flowering time, the gardeners of the castle have planted by hand more than one million bulbs. Special attention goes to the tulips, with almost 400 varieties, hyacinths and daffodils are also well represented.

2019 – Year of Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525-1569) has always been considered the most important artist of the Spanish Netherlands in the sixteenth century. He gets great fame during his life and the popularity of his work continued to grow after his death in 1569. His life is little known, he lived in Antwerp, traveled to France and Italy. He moved to Brussels after his marriage. We learn more about Bruegel through his admirable work: some 40 paintings and some 70 drawings. Bruegel’s art is the fruit of Flemish realism and popular poetry besides any foreign influence. An artist with a rich imagination, an extraordinary ability to observe and a strong sense of humor, Bruegel is one of the greatest painters in the history of Western art.

On the occasion of the 450th anniversary of his death (1569) Floralia show decided to honour the great artist, by exhibiting 20 reproductions of his most famous paintings. You can find them in original size between the flowers in the park, greenhouse, chapel and Donjon. The frames are decorated with flowers and greenery by famous floral designers.

The floral designers: Natallia Sakalova, Els Vuylsteke, Chantale Van Damme, Wout Knuts, Yvonne Scheenloop, Chris (Net Even Anders) and Tania Huyghe.