Parc Léopold

Unlike the quarter of the same name, the park has a somewhat frivolous and romantic air. There’s no grid pattern here, but winding paths, dramatic variations of altitude and surprising views and contrasts. Court architect Alphonse Balat and Louis Fuchs created Brussels’ first landscaped park here in around 1850, with a zoo and botanical garden for the wealthy inhabitants of the Leopold Quarter. The zoo had no scientific pretensions: polar bears and brown bears huddled together, while chamois, gazelles and deer roamed around in a ‘Swiss’ landscape complete with chalet. Many of the exotic animals did not survive the harsh winters, and the giraffe suffered from rheumatism because of the damp valley ground... This shambles was closed in 1880, and with the financial support of industrialist Ernest Solvay (1838-1922) transformed into a science park of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB).

The Institute of Sociology (Solvay Library) in front of you was one of the five scientific institutions of the ULB that found a place here after the zoo had gone bankrupt. Natural light and space were very important for the scientists, and Art Nouveau managed to incorporate these two qualities in its architecture both aesthetically and practically. The Solvay Library was no exception. Constant Bosmans and Henri Vandevelde were its designers. After ULB’s decision in 1967 to move the Institute of Sociology to its Solbosch campus, the university publishing house continued to use the building until 1981. It was then left vacant, and became dilapidated and damaged by vandalism. The complex was protected in the late 1980s and expertly restored in the 1990s. A user agreement between the Brussels Regional Development Agency (now Citydev) and the management company Edificio led to this Art Nouveau gem being given protection and made accessible to the public. The central library space with its elegant woodwork, subtle light and spacious feel is an excellent venue for official events, business and political conferences, concerts and lectures.

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