53. Residence Palace

Résidence Palace, the first luxury apartment complex in Brussels, was designed by the Swiss architect Michel Polak in the Art Deco style in the 1920s. It set out to be a city within the city and comprised restaurants, a theatre, a magnificent swimming pool (which should be accessible during the visits), a sports hall, a hairdresser, a bank and a post office, as well as all kinds of stores and personal services, in order to meet the needs of the members of the high bourgeoisie and aristocracy who lived there. Lacking the hoped-for success, the building was later bought by the Belgian state and transformed into administrative offices; today, it houses an international press centre.