In the nineteenth century, many artists moved to the area around Brussels-Luxembourg railway station where building plots were cheap and the wealthy clients of the Leopold district were nearby. Antoine Wiertz, the Rubens of his day, had a house and painting studio built for himself here, paid for by the government. His garden and its beautiful kiosk, now overshadowed by the European Parliament, is open to the public. This guided walking tour explores Rue Vautier and Rue Wiertz which are lined with unusual and picturesque heritage buildings: a hamlet that has been miraculously preserved in the middle of a district where a group of artists has recently set up home.