Brussels showcases the jewels of Art Nouveau on October weekends

Brussels - Over the next four weekends in October, Brussels will present to the public around eighty of its Art Nouveau architectural gems. People will have the opportunity during the fourth Biennale Art Nouveau to visit and explore, with professional commentary, not only well-known places like the Horta Museum or the Comic Strip Museum, but also smaller gems typically unseen and often unknown to many.
Each weekend will be dedicated to a different theme and a different part of the city. This Saturday and Sunday, interested parties will be able to explore the roots of Art Nouveau from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly in the Saint-Gilles district, and visit, for example, the Max Hallet Hotel designed by the famous architect Victor Horta on Avenue Louise. The following weekend will focus on the Schaerbeek district and northern Brussels and the development of Art Nouveau.
The third weekend will showcase the creative works of Art Nouveau in Etterbeek and Ixelles. The fourth and final weekend of the biennale will concentrate on the city center and the Marolles and Saint-Josse-ten-Noode districts.
The biennale is organized by the association of agencies Voir et Dire Bruxelles, which aims to protect and promote Brussels' cultural heritage. Due to a rather uncomprehending approach to Art Nouveau monuments, many of them, especially in the 1950s, were irretrievably lost beneath the wheels of bulldozers and gave way to new constructions. According to Brussels' Minister of Tourism Evelyne Huytebroeck, Art Nouveau placed Brussels on the cultural and artistic map of Europe.
Over the past hundred years, in her view, Brussels’ "love story" with Art Nouveau architecture has experienced both peaks and troughs. "It hit rock bottom in the 1950s when many splendid examples of Art Nouveau were partially or completely demolished. Today, I am proud to say that we have learned from this. We know that we must protect the heritage of the past," the minister told the Brussels weekly The Bulletin.

More information about the biennale program and tours can be found on the website www.voiretdirebruxelles.be.