Posted 10 years ago
vetraio50
(751 items)
While researching the postcard of Notre Dame du Sablon I went to Google Maps and had a walk around the exterior of the Church. I looked down the Rue de la Regence aka Regentschaapsstraat and saw a building that I recognised. It was the Palais du Justice or Justitiepaleis! I had no idea that it was so close to the Sablon Church!
But the cupola looked familiar but different!
More on that later!
The look of the building is so different to anything that had interested Clara and Septimus Miller of their tour of Brussels in 1907. The look had nothing to do with Brabantine Gothic. At first glance I thought it was an Art Deco building. But this is much earlier: a building begun in 1866 and completed in 1883. The architect was Joseph Poelaert. The style is called 'eclectic' or Assyro-Babylonian, a mixture of different styles.
The Law Courts of Brussels.
In many ways it is a forgotten building in Brussels. People did not like it right from the word go. It had very bad press.
‘Schieven architek’!
It was built during the reign of Leopold II but even he disliked it and "and it's not considered part of his extensive architectural program in Brussels or his legacy as the "Builder-King"."
"In 1860, during the reign of Léopold I, a Royal decree announced the building of the Palace of Justice and an international architecture contest was organised for its design. The designs entered in the contest were found to be unacceptable and were thus rejected. The then minister of justice Tesch appointed Joseph Poelaert to design the building in 1861. The first stone was laid on October 31, 1866, and the building was inaugurated on October 15, 1883, four years after Poelaert's death in 1879.
For the building of the Palace of Justice, a section of the Marollen neighbourhood was demolished, while most of the park belonging to the House of Mérode was also expropriated. The 75 landlord owners of the houses, many of whom lived in their homes, received large indemnities, while the other inhabitants about a hundred also forced to move by the Belgian government, though they were compensated with houses in the garden city "Tillens-Roosendael" (French: cité-jardin Tillens-Roosendael) in the municipality of Uccle, in the "Quartier du Chat".
Poelaert himself lived in the Marollen neighbourhood in a house only a few hundred metres from the building, a house adjoining his vast offices and workshops. It is thus unlikely he saw himself as ruining the neighbourhood.
As a result of the forced relocation of so many people, the word architect became one of the most serious insults in Brussels. The Palace's location is on the Galgenberg hill, where in the Middle Ages convicted criminals were hanged.
The building includes huge interior statues of Demosthenes and Lycurgus, by sculptor Pierre Armand Cattier, and figures of Roman jurists Cicero and Ulpian, by Antoine-Félix Bouré." (Wikipedia)
Adolf Hitler liked it! So did Paul Verlaine and Sigmund Freud!
It is BIG!
I have read that it was the largest building built anywhere in the 19th century! It is larger than St Peter's Basilica in Rome.
"The building is currently 160 by 150 meters, and has a total built ground surface of 26,000 m². The 104 meter high dome weighs 24,000 tons. The building has 8 courtyards with a surface of 6000 m², 27 large court rooms and 245 smaller court rooms and other rooms. Situated on a hill, there is a level difference of 20 meters between the upper and lower town, which results in multiple entrances to the building at different levels." (Wikipedia)
And that dome that you see in the postcard had to be replaced after World War II. When the Germans were retreating they set incendiary devices below ground and in the cupola. They intended to destroy it!
The cupola collapsed!
But the replacement was built even higher!
Verlaine said of it: « C'est biblique et michelangelesque, avec du Piranèse et un peu, peut-être, de folie — de la bonne, ma foi »
A postcard published by L. Lagaert of Brussels - Number 1.
There's a smaller version of it in Lima, Peru.
Ironic...Palace of Justice, evicted tenants, appropriated parkland.
What is it now?
as all ways nice write up...........
stunning!!
"Quartier du Chat"? They moved the tenant's to the "red light" district? Never know. Maybe they welcomed it?
‘Schieven architek’!
Twisted!
Many thanks KAREN, BLUNDERBUSS, GEO, SEAN & ROYCROFTBOOKS FROM ME too!
It seems they are eternally doing it up. The facade has been covered in scaffolding since 2003. So long that it has rusted and is an eye sore. The renovators went out of business. It still functions as the Law Courts.
Some great photos here!
http://24-doors.tumblr.com
The red light area is further north these days BB ...
http://www.quartier-rouge-bruxelles.be/en/content/brussels-red-light-district
But I wasn't wrong for that era was I? The pronunciation of "chat" makes the difference. Sharp "C" means (you know what) instead of cat.
No, I don't mate. You will have to fill me in. My French is more school ma'am.
Sur la carte de Ferraris (vers 1777) "de Kat" est déjà indiqué sur des terres appartenant à Sa Majesté (A.S.M.) ! Tout à côté on trouve aussi "Spytighen Duyvel".
Vetra, you have to hear the diff. of pronunciation. Can't be spelled out. Go to France & you will learn fast enough! It's a subtle diff. but is a difference that is distinct when you know it. LOL
I think you might mean "chatte"?
Many thanks POPS52!
Many thanks INKY!
Many thanks TOM!
Many thanks LOURDESMELLO!
Many thanks DON & PHIL!
Your very welcome Kevin!!
"Racer... I guess that's another way of understanding "rough Justice"
The building really is massive. When you walk from Saint-Giles to Brussels city center you have to pass by and it is so huge, so out-of-scale... It really isn't a place i want to visit next time i'll be in Brussels, but it's a funny one now.
Ooooh, let me tell you this silly story!!! A friend of mine invited a French guy and his son -about 13- to dinner... As the boy was playing with the house dog someone starting asking him in a bad French how much he liked animals, and if he had some at home, or if he wanted to have one. The kid said he'd love to so the guy asked: Would you prefer a "chatte" (that thing) or a "chienne" (the owner of a pay-per-f*** "chatte"). The kid stood very still, looked at his father and they both began to laugh like crazy...
I am so sorry vertraio50!! I missed your comment and love , thank you :) !!
Thanks guys!
Many thanks RADEGRUNDER, AUSTROHUNGARO, ANNE 'n TONINO too!
Vetra, you are right on the spelling of chatte. I don't have to write much in French & get laugh from them when I try. I did know that though. I was wrong about the accent being on the "C". It is the "T" that is sharp. Had to say it out loud to remember. The word does come into shop talk fairly often.LOL. More often than not, I go into a shop & start speaking in French & they automatically respond in English. I continue to speak in their language & they continue to speak in English. Kind of funny. Do you think it might be my Alabamese accent? But I ain't got no accent!
Tell me about mon p'ti! And I speak "perfect Parisian French"! LOL!
The French can change the meaning of everything by playing with sounds at the ends of words.
The unspoken becomes spoke!
"Don't tink we got nobody har wo spek Par-rian". Americans & English complain about slang in other languages, while theirs is probably more loaded with it. The one thing I have never figured out, is why do the Fr. waste the time writing the last letter (especially nouns) when it isn't pronounced when speaking? I've got a few lines I use to pick up girls but think I would be banned by CW if I used any here, yet the girls smile & come along.
K,
Loved all of the information, a fascinating history.
Thanks,
T
Many thanks KERRY, ANTIQUES IN NJ 'n TONINO too!
Many thanks TOM!
Many thanks GARY!
Many thanks INKY!
Many thanks PETEY!!!