We Love Brussels
  • Urban Life
    • Urban Jungle
    • Photo Stories
    • But Why?
    • Smart City
    • City Branding
    • Seniors
    • Real Estate
  • Culture & Creativity
    • New Economy
    • Local Makers & Shakers
    • Illustrations
    • Fashion City
  • Discover & Meet
    • Travel & Tourism news
    • Foodie guide
  • Event Diary
  • Europolitan Trends
Social Links
Instagram 55K Followers
Facebook 56K Followers
Twitter 9K Followers
  • Our Story
  • Partnerships & Collaborations
  • Contact
55K
56K
9K
We Love Brussels
We Love Brussels
  • Urban Life
    • Urban Jungle
    • Photo Stories
    • But Why?
    • Smart City
    • City Branding
    • Seniors
    • Real Estate
  • Culture & Creativity
    • New Economy
    • Local Makers & Shakers
    • Illustrations
    • Fashion City
  • Discover & Meet
    • Travel & Tourism news
    • Foodie guide
  • Event Diary
  • Europolitan Trends
  • Community news
  • Building the platform
  • Community of city admirers
  • Partnerships & Collaborations
  • Get in Touch
Become our contributor. Join the team!

Sign up for our newsletter

Get our periodical updates. Zero spam.

  • archi & urban heritage
  • culture & creativity

Brussels, Buzzing Capital of Art Nouveau

  • Dorka Demeter
  • June 10, 2021
  • 3 minute read

Many claim Brussels to be the Capital of Art Nouveau. Wherever one strolls around the city, would be hard to miss some outstanding art nouveau facades. To mark the World Art Nouveau Day (10th June), the new ART NOUVEAU PASS is launched in order to turn the spotlight towards this outstanding architectural heritage. With BANAD Festival just behind us, what a great news for all art nouveau lovers!

Although there are other runner-up cities to claim the title of Capital of Art Nouveau, Brussels will always be referred to as the cradle of the European art nouveau movement thanks to the legacy of Victor Horta, Paul Hamesse or Henry van de Velde – just to name a few of the most famous artists of the time. Four houses by Victor Horta have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites to recognise the uniqueness of this movement and the ingenuity of the Master. While the amazing Art Nouveau facades have always enriched the appearance of the city, these last few years new opportunities have presented to emerge in the inner design and beauty of outstanding Art Nouveau buildings. The annual BANAD Festival by explore.brussels offers various interior visits and guided tours. Furthermore, at the end of 2013, a whole museum was dedicated to the masterpieces of the ‘Belle Époque’ with the name of “Fin-de-Siècle Museum”. 

It was also in 2013 that the first World Art Nouveau Day (WAND), an event dedicated to art nouveau, was organised on 10 June in various European capitals. The selected date is the anniversary of the death of two famous architects of the movement, Antoni Gaudí and Ödön Lechner. The WAND takes place annually ever since all over the world with various programs, conferences, dedicated visits etc. in order to create more awareness of the Art Nouveau heritage among the public. 

ART NOUVEAU PASS

This year the WAND is marked in Brussels by the official launch of the ART NOUVEAU PASS. This all-in-one pass by Brussels Museums and urban.brussels in collaboration with visit.brussels will allow visitors to discover 3 art nouveau places to choose from among 7 emblematic beauties of the movement in Brussels. The Pass brings together the Maison Autrique, the Maison Cauchie, the Horta Museum, the Hôtel Solvay, the MIM – Museum of Musical Instruments, the Belgian Comic Strip Centre and the Wolfers Frères jewellery store recreated in the Art & History Museum. The ART NOUVEAU PASS will offer two formulas and will be valid during a period of 6 months from the date of purchase. It will also offer several discounts for example on guided Art Nouveau tours.

“We want everyone to be able to discover and enjoy our Art Nouveau jewels in Brussels. They have to become real landmarks for our city worldwide. That is why I have supported the initiative for ART NOUVEAU PASS, which visitors can already use this summer. In addition, 2023 will be a year fully dedicated to Brussels Art Nouveau, with numerous activities. Also, new Art Nouveau locations will open their doors to the general public in the near future and numerous restorations and protections are in the pipeline. We have developed a complete strategy around Art Nouveau,” says Pascal Smet, Brussels state secretary for urbanism and heritage.

To give everyone the opportunity to discover the Art Nouveau masterpieces of Brussels, there is now an all-in-one pass. This ART NOUVEAU PASS lets you choose three options from seven iconic Art Nouveau pearls, namely the Autrique House, the Cauchie House, the Horta Museum, the Solvay House, the MIM – Musical Instrument Museum, the Belgian Comic Strip Center and the former shop of goldsmith Wolfers Frères , which was rebuilt at the Art & History Museum.

This museum pass bundles this unique heritage and at the same time promotes this too little-known offer to Brussels residents, Belgians and foreign tourists. New, fascinating locations will open in the near future. In the future, these will also have a place on the ART NOUVEAU PASS. This makes this affordable and handy discovery offer even wider and more attractive. Get more info on the dedicated website.

WeLoveBrussels team is of course very passionate about Art Nouveau and you can find many interesting articles about the local Art Nouveau heritage on our website. Visit Art Nouveau interiors virtually or in person during various events such as BANAD. You can also discover gems such as Maison Devalck, Hotel Frison or Maison Hap, to name only a few. Hotel Hannon will also soon become accessible to the public as a museum later this year. So, head out there to discover this amazing architectural heritage!

Photos and story by Dorka Demeter. Follow her on Instagram for more Art Nouveau adventures! 

Total
140
Shares
Like 140
Tweet 0
Share 0
Share 0
Like 0
Share 0
Dorka Demeter

Dorka is a Hungarian expat living in Brussels for 10 years. Admirer of art nouveau (Instagram: @magicofartnouveau @artnouveau.brussels) and arduous hiker (Instagram: @beyond.the.eububble), she explores and documents lesser-known parts of Brussels and beyond. She’s guided by the motto ‘Smile and see the miracle!’

You May Also Like
View Post
  • archi & urban heritage
  • photo stories
  • Urban Life

Rising Belgium: The Golden Palace

  • Laurent Glorieux
  • August 8, 2022
View Post
  • archi & urban heritage
  • urban jungle
  • Urban Life

5 parks in Brussels that are must visit this summer

  • Priyanka Roy Banerjee
  • July 30, 2022
View Post
  • culture & creativity
  • Events diary

Summer agenda: Literary readings in the Citizens’ Garden

  • Editorial Team
  • June 28, 2022
Brussels Inspiration Bureau

Exploring the best of Brussels since 2014.

Discover more!
Our columnists & bloggers:
Aleksandra Rowicka
Addicted to cultural life of Brussels, fashion photography and dark…
Aris Setya
Indonesian living in Brussels. Passionate about photography. Love…
Boro Milovic
Boro is the founder and editor-in-chief of WeLoveBrussels. His interests…
Dorka Demeter
Dorka is a Hungarian expat living in Brussels for 10 years. Admirer of…
Emilia Valbum
Expat from Copenhagen living in Brussels. EU + global politics nerd on…
Fadi Dalati
A urologist by profession, and a photographer by passion. I try to…
Julia Zelle
Half-Italian, half-German girl who has just moved to Bruxelles.…
Karolina
Karolina is a blogger sharing stories on European cities, local…
kateinbrussels
I am Kate. I've lived in Brussels for 16 years and am still discovering…
Meredith @ellesbxl
Meredith Geldof is a Flemish girl who moved to Brussels and enjoys…
Tireless_Traveler
Nath is born and raised in Brussels but with a serious case of…
Download our free guide!
Incentives & events in Brussels:
Incentives & events in Brussels:
Missed our printed edition?
Press Club Brussels Europe
As seen in
25 most popular instagram accounts in Belgium

Get our periodical updates. Zero spam.

Instagram 55K Followers
Facebook 56K Followers
Twitter 9K Followers
welovebrussels
  • Our story & more
  • Get in Touch
  • Privacy Policy
  • Legal notice
Brussels Inspiration Bureau. Your guide to city life, travel tips, Brussels events agenda & news.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT