La Patinoire Royale

Brussels


This huge 19th-century former skating rink looks more like a church, with a rose window, wrought-iron and a timber roof. It has been converted into a contemporary-art gallery, where the art can look a little muted in comparison with the architecture.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Brussels attractions

1. Rudolphe Jansen

0.08 MILES

Founded way back in 1991, this gallery has broadened from its original remit to represent photographers. It's a striking glass-roofed white-walled space.

2. Rue Defacqz 71

0.16 MILES

An 1893 house was designed by prominent art nouveau architect Paul Hankar (1859–1901) as his own studio.

3. Rue Faider 83

0.21 MILES

Art nouveau house boasting beautiful, gilded sgraffito design at the top.

4. Hôtel Tassel

0.24 MILES

Victor Horta’s first truly art nouveau house, built in 1893.

5. Rue Africaine 92

0.3 MILES

Art nouveau house with creamy tones, harmonious lines and a big circular window.

6. Église des Augustins

0.32 MILES

A lovely art deco church built from concrete, a bold move in 1935 when it was completed.

7. Musée d’Art Fantastique

0.36 MILES

In what seems an outwardly typical Ixelles town house, this museum hits you with jumbled rooms full of cyborg body parts, Terminator heads and vampire…

8. Musée Horta

0.37 MILES

The typically austere exterior doesn’t give much away, but Victor Horta’s former home (designed and built 1898–1901) is an art nouveau jewel. The…