The Béguinage district of Brussels has a history going back almost a thousand years. The beguines who set up their convent here in the thirteenth century gave the district its name and left behind them one of the most beautiful examples of Baroque architecture in Brussels, the Béguinage church. In the early nineteenth century, the district was completely rearranged following the construction of the Grand Hospice, which housed beggars, old people and the sick behind very sober walls that typify the Neo-Classical style, which was in fashion at that time. This guided walk will take us through one of the less-well-known districts of Brussels where some beautiful architectural ensembles from different periods have been preserved, which allow us to examine the development of the city from a different point of view and which highlight the major trends in Brussels architecture, from the Middle Ages to the present.

Duration: 2 hours

Place of departure: At the corner of place Sainte-Catherine and rue de Laeken, 1000 Brussels