La Monnaie, the theatre that sparked a revolution

In front of you is the Brussels opera house, and its name already tells a story: this was where coins were struck, the Monnaie in French, the Munt in Dutch. After the bombardment of 1695 a theatre went up on the site, opening in 1700.

1An opera about a revolt

The building you see dates from 1819 and was designed by Louis Damesme, but a fire gutted it in 1855 and Joseph Poelaert rebuilt it almost exactly as before. What really matters, though, happened inside in 1830. Belgium was then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, ruled by William I, and discontent was widespread.

On 25 August, Auber’s “La Muette de Portici” was performed, an opera about the Naples uprising of 1647. When the duet “Amour sacré de la patrie” rang out, part of the audience poured into the street shouting for freedom. The crowd ransacked the house of a journalist loyal to the king and the homes of several senior officials.

Rarely has an opera performance had such real consequences: weeks later, there was fighting in the Royal Park.

2From riot to independence

In September volunteers arrived from Liège and other cities, the Dutch troops were driven out after four days of fighting, and on 4 October 1830 a provisional government proclaimed Belgium’s independence.

3What to look for

• The sculpted pediment, with an allegorical group on the harmony of human passions.
• The columns of the portico, which Poelaert kept when he rebuilt the theatre after the fire.
• The square, where the audience spilled out into the city in 1830.