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Op
The ‘flying’ statue outside the stadhuis depicts Op-Sinjoorke, a lewdly cackling folkloric anti-mascot whose reputation for wife-beating was traditionally punished by tossing a mannequin of him in the air during annual parades. The theft of the original 1647 mannequin was once the
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Maison St
The haunting façade of this narrow building is an extravagance of knotted and twisted ironwork. It was built in 1903 for painter Léonard St-Cyr by Gustave Strauven (1878–1919), who worked as an apprentice to Horta and also built art-nouveau houses in Schaerbeek. The building was hi
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Musée National dHistoire Militaire
Luxembourgs most comprehensive war museum, Diekirch’s Musée National d’Histoire Militaire, set in a former brewery in the town centre, is packed full of WWII equipment, vehicles and memorabilia. Numerous well-executed mannequin scenes illustrate the suffering and hardships of the b
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General Patton Museum
In an unlikely residential street, the little General Patton Museum displays some interesting fallen chunks of WWII aircraft and plays a half-hour black-and-white video about Pattons exploits. Otherwise, its selection of wartime photos, ammunition and helmets is considerably less i
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Earth Explorer
Themed by the elements, this heavily interactive series of experiences is made to inspire primary-school age youngsters with awe for the forces that shape the earth. The most dramatic attractions are a walk-through earthquake and a volcano ride. When quiet, some sections close on h
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Help U Zelve
Help U Zelve is arguably the citys most beautiful and harmonious art-nouveau façade. Built in 1901 by architects Van Asperen and Van Averbeke as the Socialist Party headquarters, it features mosaics of rural workers (who also just happen to be naked) along with organic, swirling wr
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Casino
The ‘world’s first’ casino, originally built in 1770, is one of a trio of grand neoclassical buildings at the centre of town, along with the original 1862 bathhouse (not currently in use) and the 1908 Exhibition Halls. To gamble or simply to admire the casino’s muralled ceilings yo
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Schepenhuis
The Schepenhuis is a small castle fantasy that became the council-parliament for the Burgundian Netherlands from 1473. It is currently used as a gallery to display a major exhibition of works by celebrated Mechelen-born Fauvist painter-sculptor Rik Wouters. IJzerenleen, stretching
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Pont des Trous
This curious fortified bridge defended the city and was also used for toll collections. Blown up in WWII, it was rebuilt with the central arch larger to allow modern barges through. It is likely to be further modified at some point to let still larger river traffic pass, but it rem
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Design Museum
A vast toilet-roll ‘sculpture’ humorously marks the back side of this museum, whose collection specialises in furnishings from baroque through art nouveau and 1970s psychedelic to 1990s furniture-as-art. It’s hosted in an architecturally schizophrenic building that catapults you fr
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Palais Royal
These days Belgium’s royal family lives at Laeken , but this sturdy 19th-century palace remains its ‘official’ residence. One unique room has had its ceiling iridescently clad with the wing cases of 1.4 million Thai jewel beetles by conceptual artist Jan Fabre. Youll also see conte
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Musée BELvue
Take a chronological audio tour through the airy stuccoed interior of this former royal residence to explore Belgium’s history from independence to today, brought to life by exhibits and film footage. Among the artefacts is the jacket worn by Albert I when he died in a climbing acc
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Former Palace of The Prince
The Palais des Princes Evêques (former palace of prince-bishops) boasts a mishmash of styles: the facade is Italian Renaissance in parts and 18th-century French; the interior is Gothic. Seeing it for the first time, author Victor Hugo said, Nowhere have I seen a construction so rem
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Maison des Géants
If you miss the giants festival, you can learn more at the Maison des Géants, in a grand old mansion opposite the castle-style tower of Église St-Julien. While the giants’ story is professionally told (in English by request), you’re effectively locked into an hour-long series of mu
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Groot Begijnhof
The cobblestoned Groot Begijnhof, a Unesco World Heritage site, is secured behind large walls near the Dijle River to the south of the city centre. It was founded by the Beguines in 1232, though most of the houses date from the 17th century when around 300 Beguines still lived here
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Stadsmuseum
A house that hosted Napoleon in 1798 and Belgian royals (1834–1850) has been refitted as the city museum, put together with considerable imagination, but disjointed as an overall experience. The video montages, models of lost buildings and the words of Queen Marie-Louise (who died
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Ambiorix Statue
The Grote Markt is surveyed by a muscular, moustachioed statue of Ambiorix, a local tribal chieftain who led a brief 54-BC revolt against Julius Caesar’s Roman rule. Loosely represented by Beefix in the classic Asterix comics, Ambiorix had been largely forgotten by historians until
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Hoostraten Belfry
Forming a focus of the northbound N14 Malle–Breda road, Hoogstratens fabulous belfry is an enormous 105m-tall red-brick edifice picked out with dots of white-stone detail. Originally dated 1556, it was dynamited by retreating WWII German troops in 1944. Photos in the attached St-Ka
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Arms Museum
In this neo-classical mansion built in 1775, the Musée dArmes (opened in 1885) houses a complete collection of armaments. With over 11,000 objects, its the second largest of its kind in Europe. As well as getting the lowdown on Liège manufacturing history, were treated to such high
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Galeries St
When opened in 1847 by King Léopold I, the glorious Galeries St-Hubert formed Europe’s very first shopping arcade. Many enticing shops lie behind its neoclassical glassed-in arches flanked by marble pilasters. Several eclectic cafés spill tables onto the gallery terrace, safe from
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