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Leopold Il initiated the construction of the present Royal Palace(1904-1910) in Louis XVI style to plans by the architect Henry Maquet. There is a bas-relief by T. Vinçotte on the pediment depicting Belgium between Agriculture and Industry, with in the left corner, a symbolical representation of the River Maas and in the right, of the River Scheldt. The central building is connected by galleries and small constructions to two pavilions: on the left that of the Civil List (the ruler's official income) and on the right Belle-Vue house where i.a. Prince Leopold and Princess Astrid Iived after their marriage in 1926. To the left of the staircase of honour on the first floor are the Empire Room, the Small White, and the Large White Drawing Rooms. To the right the Thinker's Room, the Great Gallery (41 m. long and 10 m. wide) which leads to the Throne Room and, further, to the Marble Hall. ln the left wing are the King's apartments, with to the right accommodation for visiting heads of state. The ruler gives audience in the Large White Drawing Room with its beautiful tapestries, of which the furniture comes from the Tuileries Palace. The Great Gallery is one of the most attractive apartments in the palace, furnished as it is with work by the architect Balat in Louis XVI style. The King's study is on the ground floor facing an inside courtyard. The Royal Palace can be visited annually, free, during July. Free tickets are at your disposal at your hotel’s desk.
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The present day Place Royale was planned by Charles of Lorraine, who governed the Austrian Netherlands at the end of the eighteenth century. On the hill on which stood the attractive castle of the dukes of Brabant which was devastated by fire in 1731, this popular Governor developed a new district. It included the Place Royale, Place du Palais, the City park and neighbouring streets, including old hotels. The new square where the so-called "Baliën van 't Hof" had stood, was conceived in neo-c1assical style. The French architect Guimard was inspired by the Stanislas Square in Nancy. ln the symmetrical centre rose, at one time, the bronze statue of Charles of Lorraine (1794). It was destroyed during the French Revolution by the Sansculottes and replaced by the Tree of Liberty. This was cut down in 1815. It was replaced in 1849 by the statue of the crusader and King of Jerusalem Geoffrey of Bouillon. The church of Saint James on the Coudenberg (1776) built in pure neo-c1assical style, lost its original character when a hexagonal tower and dome were added in 1849 by the architect Suys. The front imitates a Roman temple, and is the royal family's parish church. One of the seven hills on which Brussels is built, is called the Mont des Arts, near the Central station.
Unfortunately, there are no hotels in front of the Royal Palace, nor around the Place Royale.
From the steps of the Albertina complex the knightly statue of King Albert, by the sculptor Alfred Courtens, the white statue of Queen Elizabeth after Cliquet, the slim towers of the town hall, and the attractive façades of the Rue de la Madeleine can be observed.
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