Art Deco in the old harbor
From Europe's largest garage complex to iconic café
During the interwar period, the northern part of Brussels' city center became the setting for a radical urban redesign. The old harbor basins had already been filled in, making way for new streets and building sites. This gave the city the opportunity to reinvent itself at the intersection of commerce, housing, and infrastructure. This walk partly follows the course of the former harbor and shows how the interwar period literally inscribed itself in newly created urban space.
The 1920s and 1930s were characterized by a belief in progress, economic reorientation, and architectural ambition. Buildings from this period often combine commercial functions on the ground floor with residential units above, translating their practical program into a refined, expressive design. Art Deco and related styles give this neighborhood a distinct character and clearly show how architecture was used to radiate modernity, confidence, and representation, even outside the traditional middle-class neighborhoods.
As you walk, a layered urban landscape unfolds, in which the interwar period blends with older and newer structures. The former port area becomes as legible as a laboratory of urban renewal, where economic logic, aesthetic choices, and social changes converge. This walk invites you not only to recognize the interwar period in facades and details, but above all to understand it as a decisive moment in the development of the city.
Good to know
This city walk takes place in an urban environment where obstacles such as cobblestones, narrow sidewalks, and level differences cannot always be avoided. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
This walk takes 1 hour and 30 minutes. Want
to see more, discover more, hear more stories? Extend your walk by an extra hour and experience what others miss!
This walk is a linear walk with a different end point. Don't want to walk back to the starting point? No problem: there is always a public transport stop nearby. At the start, you can agree on the end point with the guide.
Reservation and guide fee. We are exempt from VAT.
