The Royal Palace (Palais Royal) is the official palace of the Belgium monarchy, and it is here that court ceremonies, royal audiences and state receptions are held. If the Belgium flag is flying on top of the building it signifies that the Monarch is resident in the country.
The official residence of the Royal family is not the Royal Palace, but rather the Royal Castle of Laken - which is located on the outskirts of Brussels (near the Atomium.)
The Royal Palace is open to the public between July and September, when locals and tourists are allowed entrance to gaze in awe at its splendid rooms. Rooms of particular note include: the throne room -decorated with bas-reliefs by Auguste Rodin; the Goya Room - hung with tapestries modelled on paintings by the Spanish Court painter Francisco de Goya; the Mirror room which in 2002 its ceiling and chandelier were decorated with the wing cases of 1.4 million Thai jewel beetles.
A Palace has stood on this site since the 12th century, originally called the Coudenberg Palace. It served as the home of the Dukes of Brabant, and other Royal residents such as Charles V (Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire). This palace was destroyed by fire in 1731.
After the fire Louis Montoyer was commissioned to build two town mansions: one for the Abbot of the Coudenberg Abbey and the other for the use of government officials. William of Orange had these two mansions joined by a gallery and this marked the beginning of the Royal Palace you see today.
King Leopold II (1835-1909) , believing the Palace to be too modest for a monarch of his stature, commissioned his architect Alphonse Balat to greatly extend and embellish the Palace. It was during Leopold’s reign that the elegant rooms that awe visitors today were completed. The work was completed in 1904 with the addition of the Louis XVI-style facade and formal front gardens.
The history of the Belgium Monarch and of the Coudenberg Palace is explained at the BELvue Museum which is next to the Royal Palace.
Opening Times
Generally only open last week of July to first week in Sept: 10:30am-4:30pm
Address
Royal Palace
Place des Palais
(next to Brussels Park)
1000 Brussels
Telephone: 02 551 2020
How to Get There
Metro: Parc/Park
External link
Official Web Site
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