The third edition of the Brussels Biennale Neoclassic (BBN), which celebrates neoclassical architecture in Brussels, opens this Saturday and will run until 6 October.
Organised by Explore.Brussels every two years, the event programme includes visits inside buildings usually closed to the public, as well as guided walking and cycling tours, lectures, and activities.
Running over two weekends (28 and 29 September, and 5 and 6 October) it is a chance to "(re)discover remarkable sites and places that reveal the neoclassical heritage, a major yet underestimated style in the history of architecture in the Brussels region".
Neoclassical architecture involved the revival of classical architecture around the 18th and 19th centuries. The neoclassical style prevailed in Brussels between the second half of the 18th century and the beginning of the 20th century, embodied in a variety of mansions, private houses, castles, palaces, theatres, museums, and schools.
22 buildings in Brussels will be accessible, including the Chancellery of the Spanish Embassy, the former Office of Court Works (King Baudouin Foundation), the BLAN Foundation, the École Notre-Dame des Champs, the former Château Bischoffsheim (The International School of Brussels), the former Solvay estate, the former Hôtel du Chastel de la Howarderie (Costermans Antiques), and the Pavillon des Passions Humaines.
Already open to the public on a regular basis, the Théâtre de la Monnaie, Théâtre du Parc, Charlier Museum, Royal Military School, Palace of the Nation and Palace of Charles de Lorraine will be showcased through the prism of architecture by specialist guides, most of them art historians.
How to attend
Tours will be offered in several languages, including French, Dutch and English, starting at €13 for a single visit, with ticket prices lower for those who make multiple visits.
Tickets are half-price for students, those aged under 26, people with disabilities or job-seekers. Children under 12 can explore and take part in activities for free, but booking in advance is required.
On Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 September, the BBN programme focuses on Brussels (Pentagon and South Extension), Uccle, Forest, Ixelles and Watermael-Boitsfort.
Meanwhile on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 October, the programme focuses on Brussels (Pentagon and Eastern Extension), Schaerbeek, and SaintJosse-ten-Noode.
The festival is also organising tailor-made guided tours for Alpha and FLE audiences, as well as tours adapted for the visually and hearing impaired, people with reduced mobility, people with mental disabilities and, for the first time, people on the autistic spectrum.
Like BANAD (Brussels Art Nouveau Art Deco) and BBEA (Brussels Biennale of Eclectic Architecture), BBN is organised by Explore.Brussels and its founding associations: ARAU, Arkadia, Bruxelles Bavard and Pro Velo; with the support of the Brussels Capital Region, Visit.Brussels, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, Cocof, Equal.Brussels, the National Lottery and its players, the City of Brussels and the municipalities of Ixelles and Schaerbeek.
Find more information on the full programme here.
