tripping on art in Brussels ~ prologue ~ the Triumphal Arch of the Cinquantenaire

• the Triumphal Arch of the Cinquantenaire, flanked by its semicircular colonnade, was part of an ambitious urban development project carried out by Leopold II.  the king wanted to enhance the appearance of his capital so that Brussels could compete with other prestigious European capitals.  the monument - a real city gate and therefore also called Tervurense Poort - is a beacon in the urban development sequence that connects the park of Brussels with the Royal Museum for Central Africa via the Wetstraat and the Tervurenlaan.  While the entire Cinquantenaire complex took almost half a century to complete, only the creation of the triumphal arch took more than 25 years.  The arcade was the result of two successive designs: the first was conceived by architect Gédéon Bordiau in 1879, the second was by French architect Charles Girault in 1905. The triumphal arch was created thanks to the persistence of the king who  considered its creation as a personal construction project.

• arty-farty.fun's opinion: *
  the hardest one yet. scusi. Brussels, capital of Europe and today's hellhole of Europe, had it all. due to corrupt (mostly red ) politicians the remains of a great past have either rotten away or have simply lost their glamour. due to a major lack of  the Belgian  / Brussels cultural policy, they got no money left to invest in our cultural heritage.

tripping on art in Brussels ~ act 1 ~ the Royal Museum for Art & History in Brussels

• from the 15th to the 17th century, diplomatic gifts, mementoes and curiosa owned by the Dukes of Burgundy and subsequently the Habsburg archdukes were displayed in the Royal Arsenal, a large hall in the vicinity of the palace on the Coudenberg. it was there that the first collections, which are now housed in the Royal Museums of Art and History, were established. regrettably, a large number of art treasures and objects were removed to the imperial museums in Vienna in 1794. in 1835, with the intention of giving the independence of the young Belgian State an historical perspective, a Musée d’Armes anciennes, d’Armures, d’Objets d’Art et de Numismatique ("Museum of Antique Weapons, Armour, Object of Art and Numismatics") was established, headed by Count Amédée de Beauffort. The collections were moved to the Palais de l’Industrie, the left wing of the present Royal Museums of Fine Art.

• the Royal Museums of Art and History (RMAH) are part of the Federal Scientific Insititutions and cover a group of prominent museums. the Royal Museums of Art and History (RMAH) are:

• Cinquantenaire Museum

• Musical Instruments Museum (MIM)

• Halle Gate

• Museums of the Far East

• the Art & History Museum hosts national archaeological artefacts from prehistory to the age of the Merovingians, as well as relics from Egypt, the Near East, Iran and Classical antiquity. among the star attractions are the collections of Egyptian sarcophagi and Greek vases, the great mosaic floor from Apamea and the model of Ancient Rome. there are also non-European art treasures from China, South-east Asia, Central Asia, the Islamic world, America and Oceania. particularly famous is the collection of pre-Columbian art and another eye-catcher is the colossal statue from Easter Island. there is also a representative selection of European decorative art, ranging from Romanesque Art to Art Deco. Among the collections not to be missed are the Mosan liturgical treasures, the tapestries, the retables, the glassware and the Art Nouveau figures.

• arty-farty.fun's opinion: ****
  it was a fantastic museum,  rediscovering top historical artefacts. thanks to Leopold II 's ambition to put Belgium on the worldmap. no need to go to Paris, London, or New York, it was all here , in Brussels.