Le Botanique
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Brussels-Capital Region Belgium | |
Coordinates | 50°51′17″N 4°21′55″E / 50.85472°N 4.36528°E |
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Type | Performing arts centre |
Opened | 1984 |
Le Botanique is a cultural complex and
History
The first botanical garden in Brussels belonged to the École Centrale of the department of the Dyle that was created during the French rule of Belgium at the end of the 18th century. Due to their costs, those French schools were soon dropped and some municipalities, including the City of Brussels, took over the garden that was about to be abandoned. In 1815, Belgium became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Around the same period, the maintenance costs of the garden were regarded as too high by the city administration. In 1826, a group of local bourgeois decided to create a new kind of botanical garden in Brussels. At the time the bourgeoisie was the new leading-class, and since companies were a popular financing method, the garden was created as a company. The creators thought it would be their contribution to the city's reputation. Although it was rooted on a private enterprise, it was also intended to be a national institution dedicated to science and botanical studies.[1]
Both the City of Brussels and the Home Office supported the Botanical Garden financially. But, the
Cultural centre
Since 1984, Le Botanique has been the cultural centre for the French Community of Belgium.[1] Until 2017, it managed the concert agenda for the nearby Cirque Royal, an entertainment venue able to hold seated audiences of 2,000, and more standing.
Nowadays, Le Botanique features a busy schedule of concerts, most taking place in either the 650-capacity orangery, the tall, circular rotunda with space for 300, or the vaulted Witloof Bar with 200 standing places. Other rooms in the building are typically used for art exhibitions or film screenings.[2]
The annual Les Nuits Botanique ("The Botanical Nights") festival, held during the spring, sees a large number of musicians performing. In addition to the regular rooms, a marquee is frequently erected in the garden.
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Inside the rotunda
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Museum
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Les Nuits Botanique
See also
- List of concert halls
- History of Brussels
- Culture of Belgium
- Belgium in the long nineteenth century
References
- ^ a b "History". botanique.be. Archived from the original on 26 May 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
- ^ "Our Venues". botanique.be. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
External links
- Media related to Botanique (building) at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website