Mont des Arts (Kunstberg)

Place of annual pilgrimage to the European week of cities and regions in early October.Also a very beautiful part of the city during the rest of the year. 😂

The Mont des Arts is a slope in the historic center of Brussels city. The Kunstberg is actually located on the Koudenberg, between Koningsplein and the lower city including the Grote Markt. The Kunstberg was called Hofberg between the 15th and 18th centuries.
This site was originally home to the very old St. Rochus district, which was also called the Jewish district until the fifteenth century. Between the 15th and 18th centuries the slope was known as the 'Hofberg'. At this time there were several palaces on the mountain, such as the Palace of Nassau (1440s 14th century - around 1750), the Palace of Charles of Lorraine (1757 - now), the Granvelle Palace (1555-1931) and higher up the Palace on the Coudenberg (mid 14th century - 1731).
After the Royal Palace of Brussels had been built in the first half of the 19th century, King Leopold II had the idea at the end of the 19th century to transform the Hofberg district, between the Royal Palace and the lower city, into the cultural heart of the young nation through the creation of a Mont des Arts or Kunstenberg. Various architects and urban planners designed various plans for the transformation of the site into an arts district. For example, Henri Maquet designed a colossal building to house all kinds of cultural institutions. This building would dominate the entire neighborhood due to its scale and impressive base. After Leopold II bought the entire district through intermediaries, almost the entire medieval district on the slope was demolished. However, the Palace of Charles of Lorraine and the Granvelle Palace were preserved.