Brussels Parliament building, Parliament building in Centre Quarter, Belgium.
The Brussels Parliament building is a modern legislative structure in the city center featuring a distinctive hemicycle chamber with a zinc and glass roof on the upper level. Curved wooden interior walls shape the debating space and accommodate visitors in viewing galleries above.
The site was originally home to the noble Maes family, whose residence was destroyed in 1695 and subsequently rebuilt by Count Charles van den Berghe. The current parliament building layers historical foundations with early twentieth-century neoclassical design and later modern additions.
The parliament building displays contemporary art from Belgian artists throughout its interior spaces, reflecting the country's creative tradition and diverse perspectives.
Visitors can observe parliamentary sessions from the public gallery, positioned in a curved formation that overlooks the main debating chamber from above. Checking session times in advance and dressing appropriately will help you make the most of your visit to this official space.
The structure incorporates architectural elements spanning three centuries, with seventeenth-century foundations layered beneath early twentieth-century neoclassical features and contemporary modifications. Walking through different sections reveals this unusual historical layering and how each era contributed distinct design choices to the overall composition.
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