Travel Belgium About Brussels Upper Town Galerie Ravenstein And The Musee Du Cinema
Just to the south of the cathedral, along boulevard de l'Impératrice, the carrefour de l'Europe roundabout is dominated by the curving, modern stonework of
Le Meridien Hotel , one of the city's more successful modern buildings. Opposite is the
Gare Centrale , a bleak and somewhat surly Art Deco creation seemingly dug deep into the slope where Lower and Upper Town meet. Behind the station, on the far side of rue Cantersteen, the
Galerie Ravenstein shopping arcade is traversed by a covered walkway. A classic piece of 1950s design, the arcade carries cheerfully bright decorative panels and an airy atrium equipped with a water fountain. It has, perhaps, seen better days, but its walkway is still an agreeable way to climb up to rue Ravenstein.
The latter is home to the Palais des Beaux Arts , a severe, low-lying edifice designed by Victor Horta during the 1920s in complete contrast with his flamboyant earlier works. The building holds a theatre and concert hall and hosts numerous temporary exhibitions, mostly of modern and contemporary art. Part of the complex - though it also has its own entrance a few metres up the stairway at the side - accommodates the
Musée du Cinéma (daily 5.30-10.30pm; ¬2.25), which has displays on the pioneering days of cinema and shows old movies every evening. One projection room presents two silent films with piano accompaniment every night, the other shows three early "talkies".
From the museum, there's a choice of routes: you can either climb the steps up to rue Royale near the Palais Royal; or stroll south along rue Ravenstein to the top of Mont des Arts and the Musée des Instruments de Musique
