Designed and built by architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaer between 1846 and 1847, Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert is one of the first shopping arcades built in Europe! The Galeries are divided into three areas (Galerie de la Reine, Galerie du Roi and the Galerie des Princes) filled with luxury shops, auditoriums, elegant cafés, restaurants and cultural spaces. Inside, there’s the commemorative plaque of the first showing of the Lumière brothers’ motion picture camera and the Taverne du Passage, called the Café des Arts until 1892 and the meeting place artist of the time. You can also visit the Museum of Letters and Manuscripts that holds a collection showcasing the correspondence of Einstein, Van Gogh and Brussels’ own Jacques Brel.
