A new panoramic lift connecting the Mont des Arts to the rooftop of the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR) was inaugurated on 11 March promising visitors an "immersive experience".
Accessible from the Mont des Arts, the lift now provides direct access to the rooftop of Royal Library of Belgium (KBR), where a restaurant and a terrace overlooking the capital are located. The new access point is intended to facilitate circulation within the building and strengthen the integration of the national library into the cultural and tourist flows of the neighbourhood.
The lift ride is also designed as an auditory experience. During the ascent, visitors are accompanied by voices, music and urban sounds reflecting the cultural diversity of Brussels. This immersive experience continues on the rooftop, where an interactive installation invites visitors to discover different sonic facets of the capital.
The project was made possible through a protocol signed in 2021 between Beliris, the Brussels-Capital Region, the Régie des Bâtiments and KBR. A grant of €1.06 million was awarded to KBR to finance the studies and construction works. The project also benefited from the support of the City of Brussels and the Brussels-Capital Region.
Vanessa Matz (Les Engagés), Federal Minister for the Modernisation of the Public Administration and in charge of Scientific Policy, said: “This project shows how a heritage institution can revitalise itself and fully anchor itself in its time. This is how our institutions must operate today: open, accessible to everyone, attentive to their audiences and capable of building new partnerships.
"I would like to commend the collaboration between the different institutions and levels of government that made this achievement possible.”
