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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Jan Hus Memorial

The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Šaloun and paid for solely by public donations.

Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.

Lars R (5 years ago)
Sehr hübsch

Juan Carlos Lacruz (5 years ago)
No se puede entrar.

Laurent Leenders (6 years ago)
Domaine Royal non accessible au public

Bosco BUSSET Y Burons (6 years ago)
Lugar con encanto, muy interesante historia

Stéphane Collard (6 years ago)
J'aime bien ma nouvelle résidence.

Belvédère Castle

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Jan Hus Memorial