Brussels/South

Forest (pronounced with a silent "st") is the French name of one of the municipalities surrounding Brussels (the Flemish name is Vorst), known for its historically important abbey, a collection of art deco buildings and a major concert hall. Green and tranquil as the name might suggest, Forest is nevertheless also home to a large portion of Brussels' industrial facilities, including a car factory and the depot used by Eurostar trains.

• 🌍 Abbaye de Forest, Place Saint-Denis—Sint-Denijsplein. The benedictine abbey was built as a priory to women in the 12th century and expanded many times in the following century as it gained importance. The downfall came in the 18th century, when a fire ravaged the convent and later the aftermath of the French Revolution led to its suppression. The remaining building complex has been restored in the 1960s and serves now a community centre. (updated May 2017)
• Town Hall of Forest. A major art deco monument. (updated May 2017)
• 🌍 Church of Saint Augustine, Place de l'Altitude Cent—Hoogte Honderdplein. A white art deco church in the middle of a roundabout. (updated May 2017)
• 🌍 Audi factory, Boulevard de la Deuxième Armée Britannique—Tweedelegerlaan. The former Volkswagen Vorst factory is, as of 2015, the sole production site for the Audi A1. It offers 2-hour guided factory tours in Dutch, English, French and German at different times of the day. Reservations are required in advance via an online applications and availability is limited. (updated May 2017)

• 🌍 Van Buuren Museum, Leo Erreralaan 41, ☏ +32 2 343 48 51, info@museumvanbuuren.be. W-M 14:00-17:30. The museum is housed in the villa purchased in 1928 by Dutch banker and patron David van Buuren, with an outdoor architecture typical of the Amsterdam School, and the indoor dectorations are characteristic art deco of the time. Van Buuren collected many rare items of furniture, carpets, stained-glass windows, sculptures, paintings (including many Flemish and Italian masters, and other pieces of art, which are still on display. The villa was turned into a museum in 1975 as requested by Alice van Buuren in her testament. The surrounding gardens, designed by landscape architet Jules Buyssens, are in perfect harmony with the art deco house. The 3 central parts are the picturesque garden, the labyrinth, and the garden of the heart. The picturesque garden in particular stands out, designed in the 1920s following the geometrical ideas of the art deco style. It is open to the public year round. adults €10, sensiors €8, students €5, children under 12 free. (updated May 2018)
• 🌍 Meunier Museum, Abdijstraat 59, ☏ +32 2 648 44 49, info@fine-arts-museum.be. Tu-F 10:00-12:00; 12:45-17:00. A small museum dedicated to the work and life of Constantin Meunier, a Belgian painter and sculptor. He made important contributions to the development of modern art by elevating the image of the industrial worker, docker and miner to an icon of modernity. His work reflects the industrial, social and political developments of his day. The museum is housed in the last residence in which Meuneir lived and worked, a beautiful studio. Sheltering an extensive collection of over 700 works, the house was acquired by the Belgian government in 1936, and after a renovation of 3 years opened in 1939 to the public as museum. Over 150 of his works are displayed there, the remainder in the Museum of the Turn of the Century. Free. (updated May 2018)
• 🌍 Horta Museum, Rue Américaine 25, Saint-Gilles/Amerikastraat 25, Sint-Gillis (tram 81, tram 92 (place Janson), bus 54), ☏ +32 2 543-0490, fax: +32 2 538-7631. Tu-Su 14:00-17:30. The home of noted Belgian Art Nouveau architect and designer Victor Horta. Seeing where he lived and worked is a great way to get an introduction to the art nouveau style in Brussels. It is one of four Horta works to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It can be very busy on rainy Sundays and the queue is outside, so don't forget your umbrella. Adults €10, students/seniors €3.50, guided tours available by appointment. 

• 🌍 Hotel Tassel, Jansonstraat 6 (Defacqz  54  93  94 ). Despite the misleading name, not an actual hotel, but a regular residential house designed by famous Art Nouveau architect Victor Horta for Belgian scientist and professor Emile Tassel. It is considered as the first true Art Nouveau building, and therefore a cornerstone for that architectural style, for which it was awarded the UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2000. It is most notable for its highly innovative building plan and groundbreaking use of materials and decorations. The house consists of 3 different parts: two conventional parts constructed in brick and natural stone (one the side of the street and on the side of the garden) which were linked with a glass covered steel structure. It connects both parts, and contains staircases and landings that connect the different rooms and floors of the building. The glass roof allows natural light to enter into the center of the building, a feature that would become a characteristic for the Art Nouveau style, and developed further in the Innovation shopping center design. Horta succeeded in the integration of lavish decoration without masking the architectural structure as a whole. Hotel Tassel influenced French Art Nouveau architect Hector Guimard, who later developed his own interpretation of Horta's example. The building is used as a private office, but visits are possible on request. (updated Jul 2018)