The Palace of National Industry (French: Palais de l'Industrie nationale; Dutch: Paleis van de Nationale Industrie), also known as the Palace of the Products of National Industry Exhibition[a] or simply the Palace of Industry,[b] was an exhibition hall located in Brussels, Belgium, which was established for industrial exhibitions in the 1820s.
| Palace of National Industry | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Alternative names | Palace of the Products of National Industry Exhibition, Palace of Industry |
| General information | |
| Type | Exhibition space |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| Town or city | 1000 City of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region |
| Country | Belgium |
| Coordinates | 50°50′32″N 4°21′24″E / 50.8423°N 4.3567°E |
| Year(s) built | 1825–1829 |
| Inaugurated | 1830 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Nicolas Roget |
History
editSituated in Brussels' Royal Quarter in the Rue du Musée/Museumstraat, the Palace of National Industry was adjacent to the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.[1] Before the Palace of Industry, the site was a former botanical garden that was originally the old garden of the Nassau Palace.[2][3] By the mid-1750s, a neoclassical wing for Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Governor-General of the Austrian Netherlands (now Belgium), was built at the site of the Nassau Palace during its conversion into the Palace of Charles of Lorraine. In the mid-1820s, another wing, created by architect Nicolas Roget, was attached to accommodate industrial exhibitions sponsored by King William I of the Netherlands.[4] It was an extensive building featuring two wings extending outward to create a courtyard facing the street, separated from the roadway by a railing.[5] On the east, opposite of the Palace of Industry was the site of the former Coudenberg Palace and Church of St. James on Coudenberg.[6] The Place Royale/Koningsplein led to the Palace of Industry, dedicated in 1829, for industry and arts.[5]
The Palace of Industry exhibited a collection of all improved tools and machines in agriculture, commerce, and science, where visitors could view the newest patents along with many intriguing models.[1] The Palace of Industry was designed to complement the Royal Museums by providing a venue for exhibitions that highlighted technological progress and artistic achievements. The Palace of Industry was inaugurated in 1830 for the country's national industrial exhibition, Exhibition of Products of Belgian Industry but the activities were interrupted by the Belgian Revolution.[7]
The Royal Academy of Fine Arts was transferred to the basement of the Palace of Industry in 1835, facing numerous closures due to the impacts of various wars.[8] In addition to the school, the Royal Library of Belgium was eventually housed in one of the wings of the Palace of Industry in 1837, opened to the public on 21 May 1839.[5]
By 1845, several rooms were utilized by the Conservatory of Arts and Trades. During this period, the complex also housed the public library, the Gallery of Paintings, the Gallery of Natural History, and the Cabinet of Natural Philosophy.[9]
See also
edit
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Bogue, D. (1852). Belgium and the Rhine. United Kingdom: D. Bogue.
- ^ Stroobant, F. (1846). Guide pittoresque dans Bruxelles: dédié aux dames : 24 planches dessinées par Stroobant ; accompagnées d'une description historique. Belgium: Société des Beaux-Arts - Gérant, A. De Wasme.
- ^ Le promeneur dans Bruxelles et dans ses environs: (...) précédé d'une histoire abrégée de la ville de Bruxelles. (1843). Belgium: Unknown publisher.
- ^ Wasseige 1995, p. 28.
- ^ a b c Belgium and Holland: Handbook for Travellers .... (1881). Germany: Baedeker.
- ^ A Handbook for Travellers on the Continent: Being a Guide to Holland, Belgium, Prussia, Northern Germany, and the Rhine from Holland to Switzerland. (1863). Germany: J. Murray.
- ^ Archives de la Ville de Bruxelles, Inventaire 26 (Instruction publique), dossier 108, dossiers relatifs à la contestation entre le Gouvernement et le sieur Onderdewijngaert-Canzius, ancien directeur du Musée des Arts et de l’Industrie ; musée d’armures et d’antiquités.
- ^ Bulletin. (1923). United States: U.S. Government Printing Office.
- ^ Hunt, F. K. (1845). The Rhine; Its Scenery and Historical and Legendary Associations. United Kingdom: (n.p.).