Fan of Art Deco? Visit this beautiful villa and enjoy its various exhibitions. Learn something new and be stunned by this former home to a Belgian baron.
Imagine exploring a beautiful art exhibition, enjoying an awesome live concert or even taking a yoga class in a private Art Deco-style villa -- with a pool. Sounds like a dream, right?
Well, stop dreaming and check out this hidden gem! A short tram ride away from Brussels is Villa Empain, which once was home to a Belgian baron. These days it’s home for the Boghossian Foundation, which finances social, educational and artistic projects not only in Belgium, but also in Lebanon and Armenia.
A little background: the luxurious Villa Empain was commissioned in the 1930s by Baron Louis Empain, a Belgian financier. Its 2,500 square meters include a well-kept garden, a huge swimming pool with a pergola and a caretaker’s lodge. In 1937, Baron Empain donated the property to the Belgian State with the intention of having it host a museum on decorative and contemporary art.
Cut to WWII: the villa passed in the hands of the German army first, then the USSR, and only in the 60s was Baron Empain finally able to recover his property. He sold it in 1973 and, until the 90s, the Belgian TV channel RTL rented it.
Getting There
Tu to Su, 11:00 to 18:00
All seasons
10€ (adults), 4€ (under 26), free for kids under 12, free every first Wednesday of the month, groups of at least 8 people: 8€ per person
Open; national COVID measures apply.