The houses of Ixelles
If you like to discover a city on foot and are not indifferent to architecture, go on an Art Nouveau tour in the municipality of Ixelles and look up. The area is full of characteristic buildings of this style.
Between Etang d'Ixelles and Avenue Louise, walk down Rue Vilain XIV. Stop at numbers 9 and 11, in front of the houses built by Ernest Blérot.
The arabesques of the doors and windows offer themselves to passers-by.
Continue your way in the avenue du Général de Gaulle and discover another residence of Ernest Blérot at n° 39.
The curves of the railings and the exterior staircase are splendid. Before turning into rue du Lac where you can admire the stained glass windows of n° 6, designed by Ernest Delune, treat yourself to a relaxing break on the shore of the Ixelles pond.
Finally return to Avenue Louise and head to No. 224 where the Hôtel Solvay was erected between 1894 and 1903, commissioned by the wealthy industrialist Armand Solvay from the architect Victor Horta.
A masterpiece of Art Nouveau, its facade is fabulous. It mixes blue stone and Euville stone, wood and steel. A little further on, at 6 rue Paul-Emile Janson, is the Hôtel Tassel, the first Art Nouveau building in the world.
Here again, the plans for this private mansion were drawn by Victor Horta in 1893. The young architect was still only 32 years old. This is the beginning of Art Nouveau in Belgium.
The Horta Museum
Central station, Palace of Fine Arts, Pavilion of Honor of Belgium, mansions, Victor Horta left his mark on the city of Brussels.
In 1965, Victor Horta's house and studio became a museum worth seeing.
Glazed doors, spiral ramp, glass roof in an arc of a circle, everything in this house is just an undulation.
Nature seems to have penetrated every room, every piece of furniture, and every door handle. In this confidential atmosphere, the candlesticks almost look like ivy.
The museum is made up of two sections, on one side the architect's house, on the other his studio. A specialized library is accessible on justified request.
Le Falstaff
End your day at Falstaff, one of the city's best Art Nouveau cafes, located right next to the Stock Exchange.
You can enjoy a delicious rabbit with prunes cooked in Gueuze or a Flemish Carbonnade, a kind of beef stew steamed in beer.
These Belgian specialties can even be served on the heated terrace.
Our proposed activity: Private tour of Brussels
Practical information
All information and addresses to discover Art Nouveau in Brussels: http://www.bruxellesartnouveau.be
Official website of the Horta Museum in Brussels: http://www.hortamuseum.be
