You might think Horta Metro Station would be close to the Horta Museum. Or another Horta building. But forget it. The Brussels transport authority has its own rules. The closest transport stop for the Horta Museum is Janson on tramline 92.
Typical Brussels, you might be thinking. But Saint Gilles commune has done something clever. It has constructed a pavilion at the Horta metro exit decorated with large photographs of two Art Nouveau masterpieces within a 15-minute walk. The Horta Museum in one direction. The Maison Hannon in the other direction.
The information pavilion is decorated with two maps marking out walking routes through the streets of Saint Gilles. One route runs straight to the Maison Hannon. The other follows a meandering trail to the Horta Museum. The maps pinpoint architectural highlights along the way.
The Horta Route takes you past a gorgeous Art Nouveau mansion on Place Morichar, an architect’s house on Rue Wilmotte and an artists’ commune in Rue d’Irlande. You arrive at the museum having discovered the richness of Saint-Gilles architecture.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
