Belvédère Castle, Brussels, Belgium

Belvédère Castle is a Belgian royal castle in Laeken which currently houses Albert II of Belgium and his wife Queen Paola of Belgium. Belvédère was originally built in the 1780s, but the castle was bought by King Leopold II in 1867. The castle was meant for his sister Carlotta of Mexico, but she chose to live in Tervuren which left Belvédère empty for a while. In 1890 a fire broke out in the Royal Palace of Laeken and King Leopold and his wife Marie Henriette of Austria moved to Belvédère while repairs took place. Once the repairs were finished Leopold and Carlotta moved back to the Royal Palace, while Belvédère became the residence of their youngest daughter, Princess Clementine. She lived in Belvédère until her father died and she got married, leaving the castle for the Royal Palace. From there the castle was occupied by different members of the royal court.

In 1958 the palace was used for exhibitions during the World Expo. The following year the newlyweds Albert II and Paola moved to Belvédère, which expanded to 12 acres, having acquired parts of a local park. All three of the royal couple's children were born and raised in Belvédère. After the couple became the monarchs of Belgium, they stayed at the castle instead of moving to the Royal Palace.

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Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.

Lars R (6 years ago)
Sehr hübsch

Juan Carlos Lacruz (6 years ago)
No se puede entrar.

Laurent Leenders (7 years ago)
Domaine Royal non accessible au public

Bosco BUSSET Y Burons (7 years ago)
Lugar con encanto, muy interesante historia

Stéphane Collard (7 years ago)
J'aime bien ma nouvelle résidence.

Belvédère Castle

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Church of St Donatus