It sounds like a magical address. The Palais de la Folle Chanson, or Palace of the Mad Song, stands on a busy intersection in the Brussels commune of Ixelles.
The apartment building is named after a statue by the notorious Belgian sculptor Jef Lambeau. He made several versions of the work, one of which stands in Square Ambiorix, depicting a nymph entwined with a faun.
The apartment building was built in 1928 by Antoine Courtens, who began his career in Victor Horta’s studio. Here he designed a striking art deco building with a marble entrance hall and a curious angular campanile at the top.
It dates from a brief period in the 1920s when rich Belgians liked to live in grand apartment buildings, like those in Paris or even Manhattan. But the Wall Street Crash put an end to their grand illusions.
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.
