Good afternoon from sunny Avenue Louise. Katie Westwood here, easing you into the long weekend.
Big, visionary, construction projects are always controversial. From concerns about ballooning costs and environmental damage, to plain old NIMBYism, there are always reasons not to build.
The Kanal-Pompidou Museum in Brussels, which is set to open in November, is the archetypical blue-sky project. Naturally, right from the start, it has attracted criticism.
The partnership with the Centre Pompidou in Paris has led to accusations of “French colonial attitudes” by the Flemish community, and the enormous size and cost of the project has drawn criticism at a time when the Brussels Region’s finances are under severe strain. The museum has been dismissed as a “nation state-sized project done by a regional government”.
Yet the arguments in favour of Kanal are compelling. It will generate tourism, aiding the local economy, and it will build on the city’s exceptional artistic heritage while offering a much-needed boost to a neglected and rundown part of town.
Such ambition must be encouraged if Brussels wants to be taken seriously as the self-proclaimed capital of Europe.
Kanal’s outgoing director, Yves Goldstein, is clearly a man with great ambition. He even told our News Editor, Ugo Realfonzo, that he hopes visitors will see the museum as the “eighth wonder of the world”.
Goldstein’s decision step down after 10 years working on the project hasn’t exactly helped assuage concerns. On the back of Goldstein’s announcement, Ugo sat down with him to find out why he quit and what his hopes are for the future of the project. Read the full story here.
Elsewhere, reporter Léa Huppe writes about an encouraging-sounding scheme to clean up parts of the city centre. Brussels authorities have started a 10-day blitz to clean up street furniture such as bins, benches and fountains, using steam cleaning tools and power hoses.
It sounds like a deeply satisfying job, and I am envious of the hooded heroes who get to banish the grime. More of this in the city, please!
Finally, if you’re looking for things to do this weekend, look no further than our hotly-anticipated guide to what’s on in Brussels.
As a person with the skin of a redhead (but no lovely ginger locks to match), I will be dodging the sun’s powerful rays this weekend, but I hope you normies out there enjoy the sunshine.
If you have any comments, tips or suggestions to improve our coverage, please feel free to drop me an email at k.westwood@brusselstimes.com.
Bye for now!
Katie
Belgium in Brief is a free daily roundup of the top stories to get you through your coffee break conversations. To receive it straight to your inbox every day, sign up below:
1. ‘Brussels is afraid to be ambitious’: Kanal museum’s quitting director has no regrets
"It’s not easy to fulfil such a project of this scale in Brussels. It will be the biggest museum to open in Brussels in more than a century." Read more.
2. ‘We want the city centre to be spotless’: Steam-cleaning operation launched to clean Brussels street furniture
Benches, traffic signs, smart bins, public toilets, lighting poles, fountains, bicycle racks and kiosks are all being cleaned with superheated water and steam. Read more.
3. Belgium: the country with no 90-day fiancés
For international couples, residency often demands a wedding certificate. Belgium offers an alternative without saying "I do": the statutory cohabitation visa. Read more.
4. Anger in Anderlecht after social housing chairman accused of cronyism
A report has accused Anderlecht's public social housing body of interfering in housing allocations, leading to calls for his resignation. Read more.
5. What to do in Brussels this weekend: 22 – 24 May
From Shakespeare and Cervantes to outdoor jazz across the city centre, here's what's on in Brussels this weekend. Read more.
6. Power outage shuts down Brussels’ Palace of Justice
Several dozen people were waiting outside the palace around 09:30, in front of closed doors. Read more.
7. Theme of this year’s Brussels Flower Carpet revealed
The iconic display will return to the Grand Place in August. Read more.
