04. Old England - Musical Instruments Museum

In the upper reaches of the Mont-des-Arts, the Old England building is one of the most remarkable examples of Brussels Art Nouveau. The fabric store of the same name commissioned the building from the architect Paul Saintenoy in 1898. Its seven-story structure, made entirely of metal and glass, a technical feat and the first of its kind in the country, made its mark both on the people who saw it and the capital city as such. The building remained in use as a store until 1974, before being bought by the state in 1979 as a home for the Musical Instruments Museum. Following restoration works that started in the early 1990s, the museum opened its doors in 2000.