Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert

The Galeries Saint-Hubert opened in 1847 to a design by Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar, a covered street more than two hundred metres long in three linked sections, the Galerie du Roi, the Galerie de la Reine and the Galerie des Princes, roofed in glass on an iron frame with an Italianate facade of pilasters and arched bays running the whole length. It was among the first purpose-built shopping arcades in Europe, opening before the great Milan and Paris examples, and it was built explicitly as a public promenade as well as a commercial street, with a theatre and cafes. It still holds chocolatiers, booksellers, a cinema and the Taverne du Passage, and it is one of the few places in central Brussels that works in rain.

History

The young Dutch architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar conceived the arcade in 1836 to sweep away a warren of dark alleys between the Rue du Marché aux Herbes and the Rue Montagne aux Herbes Potagères; the city council approved it on 22 February 1845 and a royal decree on 3 April authorised the work, funded by a company backed by the banker Jean-André Demot. The galleries were built in 1846 and 1847 under the motto Omnibus omnia, everything for everybody, and became a meeting place where writers such as Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas and Baudelaire gathered at the Taverne du Passage, and on 1 March 1896 the first public showing of the Lumière brothers' films in Brussels took place here (Wikipedia, Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries).

What to look for

• A two-hundred-metre glass roof - iron and glass over the whole arcade.
• Italianate facades inside - pilasters and arched bays along the length.
• Chocolatiers and old shops - the trades the arcade has always held.
• The three linked galleries - King, Queen and Princes sections.

When to go

Year round; it is covered and works in any weather, which is its point in Brussels. One hour. Evenings when it is lit are the best time to walk it. Shops keep ordinary retail hours.

What to expect

It is a shopping arcade and prices are high, particularly the chocolate shops aimed at visitors. It gets crowded in the middle of the day. There is little to do beyond walking and looking. The cinema and theatre have separate schedules.

Nearby

The Grand Place is a short walk south; the cathedral lies uphill east.

Key facts