It’s one of the grandest houses in Brussels. But maybe not the most beautiful.
The house at Boulevard Adolphe Max 1 was built in 1874 by the architect Henri Beyaert in Flemish Renaissance style. It stood proudly on one of the grand boulevards in central Brussels laid out after the River Senne was covered over.
The name, in Dutch, appears at the top of the house. Hier is ’t In Den Kater en de Kat – This is the house of the tomcat and the cat, it says. The statues of the two cats stand on ledges near the top of the house.
Two years later, the city organised a competition to choose the most beautiful façade in the city. The aim was to promote a Belgian national style. Henri Beyaert won first prize for this house, which borrows details from the 17th-century guild houses on Grand Place. Exactly what the city wanted.
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.
