Art Deco in the old harbor

During the interwar period, the northern part of Brussels' city center became the setting for a radical urban redesign. The old harbor basins had already been filled in, making way for new streets and building sites. This gave the city the opportunity to reinvent itself at the intersection of commerce, housing, and infrastructure. This walk partly follows the course of the former harbor and shows how the interwar period literally inscribed itself in newly created urban space.

The 1920s and 1930s were characterized by a belief in progress, economic reorientation, and architectural ambition. Buildings from this period often combine commercial functions on the ground floor with residential units above, translating their practical program into a refined, expressive design. Art Deco and related styles give this neighborhood a distinct character and clearly show how architecture was used to radiate modernity, confidence, and representation, even outside the traditional middle-class neighborhoods.

As you walk, a layered urban landscape unfolds, in which the interwar period blends with older and newer structures. The former port area becomes as legible as a laboratory of urban renewal, where economic logic, aesthetic choices, and social changes converge. This walk invites you not only to recognize the interwar period in facades and details, but above all to understand it as a decisive moment in the development of the city.