In front of you opens a street with a glass roof that was a genuine revolution in 1847. Before department stores existed, the people of Brussels could stroll here in the rain, from one shop window to the next.
1A bold project
The architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar had to clear a maze of alleys to lay out this straight axis. King Leopold I laid the foundation stone in 1846 and the galleries were inaugurated on 20 June 1847. There are three linked sections: the Galerie du Roi, the Galerie de la Reine and the small Galerie des Princes. The two large ones measure 213 metres between them, beneath a vault of glass and iron.
2Firsts under glass
On 1 March 1896, just weeks after Paris, the first public screening of the Lumière cinematograph in Belgium took place at number 7 Galerie du Roi. And in the Galerie de la Reine, Jean Neuhaus opened his shop in 1857; according to the company, it was his grandson who invented the filled praline there in 1912.
It was here, in July 1873, that Verlaine bought the revolver with which he wounded Rimbaud a few hours later.
The galleries are still a place to stroll, with bookshops, glovemakers, theatres and historic cafés.
3What to look for
- The glass vault, some 18 metres above the floor.
- The wooden shopfronts, framed by pilasters.
- The Neuhaus shop, in the Galerie de la Reine.
Documented
The galleries, by Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar, were inaugurated on 20 June 1847; on 1 March 1896 they hosted the first public cinematograph screening in Belgium.
Oral tradition
The invention of the praline here in 1912 comes from the Neuhaus company’s own history.
Sources and credits
Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, official website (grsh.be); Neuhaus, “Made in Belgium since 1857” (neuhauschocolates.com); French Wikipedia, “Galeries royales Saint-Hubert”.
Photos:
- Entrance to the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert on Rue du Marché aux Herbes: KoS, CC BY-SA 3.0.
- Inside the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert under the glass roof: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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