Listed by UNESCO in 2000, this astonishing Art Nouveau town house was built by Victor Horta in the 1890s. The client was Edmond Van Eetvelde, the wealthy secretary-general of the Congo Free State.
It is a thrilling building to visit, with fanciful ironwork, stained glass and a spectacular iron winter garden lit by a glass dome. You begin in the small corner house built by Horta at number 2, where Van Eetvelde’s office has been carefully reconstructed.
The museum reminds visitors that Van Eetvelde acquired his wealth in Leopold II’s Congo. The beautiful Art Nouveau architecture was funded by human suffering.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
