Neoclassical architecture (Dutch: Neoclassicistische architectuur, French: Architecture néo-classique) appeared in Belgium during the period of Austrian occupation in the mid-18th century and enjoyed considerable longevity in the country, surviving through periods of French and Dutch occupation, and the birth of Independent Belgium, surviving well into the 20th century.
Origins of neoclassical architecture
Neoclassicism in architecture was the result of renewed interest in the architectural forms of Greco-Roman antiquity discovered in the excavation of sites such as Pompeii and Herculaneum in the 18th century.
Its spread in Europe was driven by:
the writings of Johann Joachim Winckelmann, who can be regarded as the founder of art history and archaeology as modern disciplines;
the practice of Grand Tour, a trip made by young men of the upper classes of European society, which had the effect of bringing together northern European high society together with ancient art;
visits to Italy by many young artists and architects.
The neoclassical style is known as the Louis XVI style in France; however, the parallel development of the style in the Austrian Netherlands is sometimes called "Theresian style" (French: Style thérésien) in reference to the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.
It is possible to divide the architects and their major works according to the diverse phases of neoclassicism in Belgium and the distinct periods of political occupation.
Church of the Holy Sacrament in Liège (1766), Waux-hall of Spa (1769–71), Hasselbrouck Castle in Gingelom (Jeuk) (1770), Verviers Town Hall (1775–80), Beaumont Château (1775–76)
1774 Claude Fisco
Place des Martyrs (1774), Nouveau Marché au Grain in Brussels (1787, with Nivoy)
1775 Jean-François Wincqz
Church of Cambron Abbey (1775–80), Church of Grand-Leez in Gembloux (1776), Church of St. Peter of Uccle (1782), Church of Neufchâteau-lez-Visé (1789)
Facade of the Church of St. James on Coudenberg (1776–87), former Hôtel Bellevue, now the BELvue Museum (1776), Place Royale (1776–81), Hôtel de Ligne (1777), Palace of the Nation (now the Belgian Federal Parliament) (1778–83), Hotel Errera (1779–82), all in Brussels
Little theatre of the Château de Seneffe (1779), Royal Palace of Laeken (1782–84), Hunting Lodge Castle d'Ursel (pavilion called "Notelaer") in Hingene (1791–94)
Royal Park Theatre in Brussels (1782), Château de Seneffe (1782), supervision of construction of the Royal Palace of Laeken (on plans by Charles de Wailly), former refuge of the Abbey of St. Gertrude of Leuven (1782–84), former Hôtel Walckiers, at 12, rue de la Loi/Wetstraat, in Brussels (1782–84, current Hôtel des Finance), Hôtel Bender, Belgiojoso and Walckiers (1783–86, parts of the Royal Palace of Brussels), choir, nave and transept of the Church of St. James on Coudenberg (1785–86)
1786 Ghislain-Joseph Henry
Château de Duras Sint-Truiden (1786–89)
Anonymous
Porch of St. Margaret's Church of Tournai (1779–82)
Since the period of French occupation was characterised by the long-running French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, few outstanding neoclassical works were constructed.
Ghislain Joseph Henry (already active under the Austrian period)
Ghislain-Joseph Henry (already active under the Austrian period)
Connection of the Hôtel Bender and Belgiojoso (constructed by Montoyer in 1785) to create the palace of William I in Brussels (1820)
1815 Charles Vander Straeten
Academy Palace and Royal Stables of Brussels (planned in 1815, built 1823–25), work on the Palace of the Nation (1816–18), Ball room of the Vauxhall of Brussels (after 1820)
Aula Academica in Ghent (1816–25), Liberal club of Geraardsbergen (1817), Neoclassical tower of Ninove Abbey (1826–44), south wing of Aalst Town Hall (1828–30)
(See below for his works after 1830)
1818 Louis Damesme (French architect)
Royal Theatre of La Monnaie in Brussels (1818–19) (not the current building, which was built by Joseph Poelaert), Street surrounding the theatre (designed 1817–19)
1824 Nicolas Roget (French architect)
Barricades' Square in Brussels (1824), extension of the Palace of Charles of Lorraine (1825), former Royal Observatory of Brussels (1826–32, with Auguste Payen)
Completion of the Academy Palace (1825–28), designs of the Botanical Gardens of Brussels (1826, construction started by Pierre-François Gineste, then resumed in 1842 by Suys)
Plans of the Leopold Quarter (1837), extension of the Botanical Gardens of Brussels (1842–54), modification of the Church of St. James on Coudenberg (side-aisles 1843–45, new front to the facade and bell tower 1849–51), Saint Joseph's Church in Brussels (1849), modification of the Palace of the Nation (Senate Chamber, 1847–49)
Bruno Renard
St. Peter's Square in Tournai (c. 1850)
Pierre Bruno Bourla
Museum and entry hall of the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp (1841)
Former Royal Observatory of Brussels (1826–32, led by Nicolas Roget), Pavilions of the Anderlecht Gate (1832), Pavilions of the Ninove Gate (1832–34), Pavilions of the Namur Gate (1836), Great Lock of Brussels (1840), several railway stations, of which the oldest is the former Brussels-South railway station (1864–69, destroyed)
1841 Louis Minard
Church of Saint Martin in Melle (1841), Orangery of the horticultural school of Melle, Church of St. Adrien of Adegem (1843–44), Minard Theatre in Ghent (1847)
1847 J.P.J. Peeters and G. Hansotte
Church of St. John and Nicholas in Schaerbeek (1847–50)
King Leopold II (1865–1909) was a prodigious builder, who launched various constructions of large buildings to demonstrate the prestige of the monarchy. However, during his reign, the Eclectic style, which appeared with Poelaert under Leopold I, became predominant, mixing various forms from neo-Romanesque, neo-Gothic, neo-Renaissance and neo-Baroque, as well as the neoclassical schools.
Neoclassicism under Leopold II was no exception. Some buildings from this period, such as the Brussels Stock Exchange and the Palace of Justice were openly eclectic; others cited below, can be broadly considered as neoclassical, without exempting them, however, from the banner of characteristic decorative eclecticism.
Note that many of the buildings commissioned by Leopold II incorporated his monogram, consisting of two symmetrical "L" letters.
Design of the Quartier des Squares (1875), work on La Monnaie theatre (1876), Cinquantenaire Palace: colonnades (1880), north and north-eastern halls (1880, now the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces), south-eastern hall, known as the Palace of the People (1888, now Autoworld), extension of the Senate Chamber (1903), all in Brussels
In the 20th century, neoclassicism nearly disappeared from the Belgian architectural landscape, swept away by new waves of architectural styles including Art Nouveau (which was very popular in Brussels, see Art Nouveau in Brussels), Art Deco, Modernism and Functionalism.
In Brussels, the survival of the style is owed to the planning laws governing the construction of buildings in the vicinity of Brussels' Park, as well as the desire to preserve the stylistic unity of the neighbourhood.
At the end of the 20th century, neoclassicism reappeared in a revitalised form incorporated in the Postmodern style. This postmodern neoclassicism is most commonly used in the construction of offices and municipal buildings.
1996 "Roosevelt Business Park", at 104, Avenue Roosevelt, in Genval)
References
^The reconstruction of the College Saint-Jean-en-isle of Liège, after 1754, was the work of the Italian architect Gaetano Matteo Pisoni, although Renoz is responsible for the implementation, the production is not neoclassical Pisoni but rather the result of a mixture of baroque and classicism is can not be traced back to the start of production by Renoz in 1754.
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