It nearly died. The legendary cafe La Fleur en Papier Doré (The Flower in Gold Paper, or Het Goudblommeke in papier) closed down during the pandemic. It looked like the city had last another iconic bar. But it reopened a couple of months ago with support from the Brasserie Verscheuren.
Originally called the Café des Artistes, it acquired its more romantic name after it was taken over in October 1944 by the eccentric poet and art dealer Geert Van Bruaene. It became a popular meeting place for Belgian artists and writers including René Magritte, Hugo Claus and the members of the Cobra group.
Take a look inside. The café still has its old iron stove, tiled floor and ageing wooden furniture. The three dark little rooms are crammed with mysterious objects that don’t belong together, including faded newspaper cuttings, dark oil paintings and a dusty South African stuffed parrot.
The cafe has been listed as a protected monument since 1997. But that didn’t save this Brussels landmark from bankruptcy in 2006 and again in 2022. But the café is back in business again serving local beers in an authentic old interior.
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.
