12. Grand Eldorado Cinema

Opened in the autumn of 1933, the Eldorado cinema is a superb example of the luxurious cinemas that emerged in the 1930s, known as ‘exclusive’ cinemas. Built to rival the Métropole on Rue Neuve, its single 2,700-seat auditorium was divided into sections in the 1970s. Now operated by the UCG group, it remains the capital’s largest cinema and a rare gem of Brussels Art Deco, featuring sumptuous gilded stucco bas-reliefs depicting scenes drawn from African imagery. These invite the viewer to escape, but also bear witness to the colonial propaganda of yesteryear.