Fighting the Cobbles - My trip to Belgium in 2018, Part 14 - In Brussels (7)

This blog continues the previous Part 13,
https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/08/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_12.html

Monday, June 25, 2018

Front of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium

   I continued the Rue de la Régence which led me to the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium or the Musees Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Begique (in French). As the plural 'museums' suggest there are actually six different museums connected with this one, the two main museum are in the main building: 

- Musée Oldmasters or Old Masters Museum, covering art up to the year 1750 covering the period running from the 15th to the 18th centuries. The collection originated during the French Revolution and was founded in 1801 by Napoleon Bonaparte. 

- Musée d' Art Moderne (Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art) featuring a collection of modern and contemporary art from the late 18th century to the present.

   The Magritte Museum opened in 2009 and the Fin-de-Siecle Museum opened in 2013, are adjacent to the main building. 

- Musée Magritte (Magritte Museum) presents an outstanding collection of works by Belgian Surrealist artist Rene Magritte (1898-1967)

- Musée Fin-de-Siecle (Fin-de-Siecle Museum) reflect the multitude of artistic disciplines between 1868, the date of the founding of Société libre des Beaux-Arts, and 1914. 'All art history fans will enthuse about this new museum that is dedicated to the 1900's when Brussels was a unique artistic crossroad and the capital of Art Nouveau. The sanctuary of cultural history hosts paintings, drawings, watercolors, prints, sculptures, photographs, films models and decorative objects d'art.

   Counting the above described museums were are still two museums short of the six mentioned: the Constantin Meunier Museum and the Antoine Wiertz Museum are dedicated to specific Belgian artists and not located in this building and a few kilometers from the city center. 

   Still walking along the same building there is the museum shop which is ‘one of the most attractive art book stores in Brussels'. It is right at the corner of the museum at the Place Royale or Koningsplein which I already covered previously, see ‘Fighting the Cobbles, part 8’. 

   For some visitors the culture and art might be overwhelming in this area, it seems with every step the air is filled with witnesses of the past. But I believe the designers had purposes to build and keep historical buildings in this area, right in the center of the city. Even me interested personally in history this might be overwhelming. But I will stay longer in Belgium and plan to return later; so I took it easy for today.

Royal Palace of Brussels (French: Palais Royal de Bruxelles) 

   I continued to the Royal Palace of Brussels (French: Palais Royal de Bruxelles) which I covered previously and went to the Brussels Park (French: Parc de Bruxelles or Parc Royal), right across the Palace. It is the largest rectangular public park covering 13.1 ha (32 acres) right in the center of the city. The park was created between 1776 and 1783 in a Neoclassical style on the site of the former Coudenberg palace garden and was recently renovated between 2000 and 2002.

   Walking to an iron gate I followed the main path. It was just a cooling and refreshing contrast to the former historical part walking under shadow of the sun, surrounded by plants and nature. Soon I discovered the many statues in the park so I went for 'statue hunting', no very seriously.

Parc de Bruxelles

   I was surprised that not many visitors have been visiting this green oasis. In the meantime it was noon and time for lunch. I would take my food here to enjoy it in fresh cool air, watching birds and listening to people passing by.

   Halfway to the fountain I came to a small artificial pond with a mother duck leading her ducklings into the water. I did not know if I witnessed history for the young ones but I am sure that many took their smart phones to take this cute scene.

   I continued to the dominant water fountain right across of the palace following the main path. The weather became better and better, the shadows of the trees together with the fountain created a very welcome refreshing oasis in the center of the city. While I was near the fountain I've notice a man fishing for the leaves on the water...

   With the fountain my visit to the Brussels Park ended. Tomorrow I will turn right and walk to Namur, a city in the Wallonian part of Belgium. I estimated I would take around five days for the route.

   But today I will turn left to the Grand-Place or Grote Markt in Dutch with the famous market place and the many historical buildings. Not far away is the even more famous Manneken Pis statue, the landmark 61 cm small bronze sculpture famous boy depicting a naked little boy urinating into a fountain's basin.

(to be continued @ 
https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/08/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_17.html)

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