The Brussels commune of Saint-Gilles is dominated by an impressive building that looks like a French château. But it is just the town hall where residents go to register a birth or pay a fine. The town hall was designed by Albert Dumont in the 19th century to display the wealth of new municipality.
The spectacular staircase is decorated with rare marbles, polished wood and gilded lamps. You pass the statue of La Porteuse d’Eau on the staircase and, further up, a bronze self-portrait of the controversial sculptor Jef Lambeau, who sits on a chair with his head resting on his hand.
The ceiling is decorated with a fresco by the artist Omer Diericky showing Freedom Arriving in the World and Bringing Joy to Humanity. Meanwhile, the side walls are decorated with large frescos by the painter Albert Ciamberlani, who lived in Saint-Gilles in an Art Nouveau mansion.
All this splendour in a building where you come reluctantly to deal with local bureaucracy.
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.
