The Palais de l'Industrie nationale (English: Palace of National Industry), also known as the Palais de l'exposition des produits de l'industrie nationale or simply the Palais de l'Industrie was an exhibition hall located in Brussels, Belgium, which was established for industrial exhibitions in the 1820s.
| Palace of National Industry | |
|---|---|
Palais de l'Industrie nationale | |
 | |
 | |
| Alternative names | Palais de l'exposition des produits de l'industrie nationale |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| Town or city | City of Brussels |
| 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, the Palais de l'Industrie was adjacent to the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.[1] Before the Palais de l'Industrie nationale, 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 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 William I.[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 Palais de l'Industrie was the site of the former Coudenberg Palace and Church of St. James on Coudenberg.[6] The Place Royale led to the Palais de l'Industrie, dedicated in 1829, for Industry and Arts.[5]
The Palais de l'Industrie 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 Palais de l'Industrie was designed to complement the Royal Museums by providing a venue for exhibitions that highlighted technological progress and artistic achievements. The Palais de l'Industrie was inaugurated in 1830 for the country's national industrial exhibition, Exposition des produits de l'industrie belge but the activities were interrupted by the Belgian Revolution.[7]
The Royal Academy of Fine Arts was transferred to the basement of the Palais de l'Industrie 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 "Palais de l'industrie nationale" 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
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: Editeur non identifié.
- ^ 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.).