Museum of Musical Instruments (MIM)

It’s hard to miss the former Old England Department Store, now the Museum of Musical Instruments. To say it stands out, would be an understatement. It is one of the most impressive Art Nouveau Façades of Brussels. Besides the Capital of Belgium, the EU, of chocolate and/or waffles, Brussels is also considered as the Capital of Art Nouveau architecture. Some of the greatest Art Nouveau architects lived and worked here. At the end of the 19th century, there was a group of architects who were sick of all the Revival styles, copying the styles of the past, such as Gothic or Renaissance Revival, and developed a new style typical of the times, using the materials of the Industrial Age: glass, steel and iron. The façade that we see here does not even use one stone or brick, only glass and steel/iron.  But also mimicking nature, look at the dark green color and the so-called ‘whiplash’ motive, like vines. 

 

Art Nouveau was popular for a brief period, the so-called Belle Epoque 1890 – 1910 but many townhouses as well as larger buildings such as department stores were built in Brussels. Many were destroyed in the 1960s-1970s unfortunately, and replaced by ‘modern’ large development projects. Fortunately, several have survived, including the Old England Department Store, and more and more are opened to the public and can be visited. The Horta Museum is definitely worth a visit if you would like to learn more about this architecture style.