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Guides for the Business Traveler
Brussels
4 hours in Brussels
Jeff Heilman takes a business time-out to sample some of Brussels’ more esoteric collections.
 | Museum Horta Victor Horta was a man ahead of his time. Born in Ghent, Belgium in 1861, Horta not only pioneered Belgium Art Nouveau architecture, but modern architecture itself. Before dying in 1947, he left his stamp all over Brussels, including the Brussels-Central train station and the Palais des Beaux-Arts, and elsewhere in Europe. While many of his buildings were destroyed when Art Nouveau fell out of favor, four of his private houses, all UNESCO World Heritage sites, survive today. Among them is Horta’s former home, secured by his former assistant as a permanent museum. Constructed around a central hall and “whiplashed” by curvilinear iron, the interior is a golden, light-drenched experience of stained glass, pale wood and subway tile. This is where Horta lived and worked; his presence is palpable.
Open every day 2 p.m.–5:30 p.m., except select holidays; morning tours available. Standard admission, €7. 25, rue Américaine, 1060 Bruxelles (Saint-Gilles); tel. 32-02-543-0490; www.hortamuseum.be
|  | The Belgian Center for Comic-Strip Art One of Horta’s masterworks was Les Magasins Waucquez in 1903, close to the Grand-Place. Today, this elegant former Art Nouveau department store houses the acclaimed Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinee, or CéBéBéDé for short. A mecca for comic-strip aficionados, the museum showcases Belgium’s passion for the “Ninth Art” of cartoons, symbolized by beloved home characters Tintin and the Smurfs. Set on three levels and including the requisite brewery, the museum also pays homage to the work of hundreds of international cartoon artists, while depicting how comic-strip art goes from concept to finished product. The experience continues outside with a stroll along the Comic Strip Route in central Brussels—a growing street art exhibit of comic strip-decorated buildings started by the museum in 1991.
Open 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Adults, € 6.20. Rue des Sables, 20, 1000 Brussels; tel. 32-02-219-1980; www.trabel.com/brussel/brussels-museums-comicstrip.htm |  | Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History Belgium was caught in the turmoil of both World Wars and other conflicts besides. Fittingly, Brussels is home to this fine military museum. Exhibiting 10 centuries of military history from medieval times to modern jets, the museum’s impressive collection includes uniforms, equipment, and, of course, weaponry. Centrally located in Jubilee Park on the former 19th-century site of the Civil Guard training grounds, the museum has continuously expanded over the years. Military history buffs will appreciate the imposing Aviation Hall and the outdoor phalanx of tanks and other armored vehicles; an especially harrowing display is the Trench of Death, documenting the horrors of the Belgian front in the First World War.
Tuesday–Sunday, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. and 1 p.m.–4:45 p.m. Free admission. Jubelpark 3, 1000 Brussels; tel. 32-02-737-7833; www.klm-mra.be |  | Autoworld Gearheads, rejoice. As the name suggests, Autoworld is the place to go to embrace the history of the automotive industry. Located in the former parade grounds of Palais du Cinquantenaire—King Leopold II’s outdoor tribute to the Belgian industry and know-how—the event-capable museum houses five outstanding collections encompassing more than 300 vehicles of all origins. From a horse-drawn carriage used by Napoleon III to futuristic concept cars, the facility tells an exhilarating tale of how man brought dreams of motorized motion to life. Especially engaging is the “1902 Motor Show” exhibit, the forerunner of the annual “Brussels’ Car and Motorcycle Show,” due for its 87th edition in 2009.
April 1–September 30, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; October 1–March 31, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Adults, €6. Parc du Cinquantenaire 11, 1000 Brussels; tel. 32-02-736-4165; www.autoworld.be |
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