Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert,
Brussels, Belgium
Directed by Marc-Henri Wajnberg

26 MIN
BETA DIGITAL (4/3)

Original version available
with English or French commentary
 
documentary – lifestyle – surroundings – art – culture
– society – history – nature – work – everyday life

SYNOPSIS

1830, Belgium, barely independent, was seeking an image for itself. In Brussels, major beautification projects were undertaken to bring the city up to the same level as other European capitals. In 1838, speculators underwrote a building project for the construction of an enormous gallery in the unhealthy heart of the city, a stone’s throw from the Grand’Place. Proof of the rise of a new social class of sharp operators, a bourgeoisie both open-minded and traditional, combining a conservative spirit with a taste for progress, the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert project has withstood the test of time. Today, this prestigious site mixes public spaces (shops, cafés and cultural centres) and private space (46 apartments) and is made up of three covered galleries: the King’s gallery, the Queen’s Gallery and the Prince’s Passage, which link the busy downtown streets through three porticos. A real city within the city, since their recent restoration, the galleries contribute to the revitalisation of the city centre. They are one of the most desirable areas for Brussels residents and tourists alike.

CREDITS

Director : Marc-Henri Wajnberg
Script : Marc-Henri Wajnberg & Rogier van Eck
Mister Kaleidoscope was written and acted by Marc-Henri Wajnberg
Image : Michel Baudour, Richard Wandel, Louis-Philippe Capelle, Jéremy Rozen
Editing : Paul-Jean Vranken, Hélène de Mongeot
Sound : Damien Defays, Uriel Morgenstern

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION

Wajnbrosse Productions
Video cassette available on request: Contact - us

PRODUCTION

ARTE France
Panic Productions
Wajnbrosse Productions

With the support of:
Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) ,
Ministère de la Communauté Française de Belgique et des Télédistributeurs Wallons
Programme MEDIA de l'Union Européenne
PROCIREP

REFERENCES:

"Galeries SAINT-HUBERT", under the direction of Guy Conde Reis, coll. histoire et restauration, éd. Service des Monuments et des Sites de la région de Bruxelles -Capitale, Bruxelles, 1998.
"Galeries Saint-Hubert", in Le Passage. Un type architectural du XIXe siècle., J.F Geist, Pierre Mardaga éd., Liège,1989, pp. 178-191.
"Les Galeries Saint-Hubert", in Une famille d'artistes, Les Cluysenaar., F. Cluysenaar, M. Weissenbruch, Bruxelles 1928, pp. 29-50
"Les Galeries Saint-Hubert. Reine des Passages", in 1847-1947, F. Servais, Commémoration du Centenaire, juin 1947.

LINKS

http://www.ilotsacre.be
http://www.ilotsacre.be/images/virtualvisit/Galerie%20du%20Roi.htm