Royal Flemish Theatre

Early history From the middle of the 19th century, there was a desire to establish a permanent Flemish theatre company in Brussels. In 1852, the —Brussels' foremost Dutch-language company—was founded. This led the city authorities to reassign the former Brussels Arsenal in the Quays or Sainte-Catherine/Sint-Katelijne Quarter to that destination, a project negotiated since 1860. This building, originally a warehouse designed by the architect and erected between 1779 and 1781, stood at the end of an old dock, dug in 1639 as part of the Port of Brussels, at the eastern end of the / and the /. in the late 19th century In 1883, the city's then-mayor, Charles Buls, commissioned the architect and decorator to design the new theatre. Baes created a new façade in neo-Flemish Renaissance style on the /, whilst retaining the arsenal's old façade as the rear of the building. At the solemn opening by King Leopold II, the Belgian monarch spoke Dutch publicly for the first time. A significant gesture, by which the king acknowledged and honoured the decades-long battle fought to launch a Dutch-language theatre in Brussels. This recognition was made official in 1894, during another visit by the king, when the Flemish Theatre received the honorary title of "Royal" ( or KVS). ==Building==

The neo-Flemish Renaissance façade on the Rue de Laeken's side is adorned with three busts of renowned 17th and 18th century Dutch playwrights. The bust of the central bay represents Joost van den Vondel, by the sculptor Jean-Baptiste de Keyser; that of the right bay Pieter Langendijk, by Albert Hambresin; and that of the left bay Willem Ogier, also by Hambresin. Two allegorical figures are depicted in the top corners of the stepped gables on either side of the main façade: one symbolising Tragedy, by the sculptor ; and the other Comedy, by Emile Namur. On the two lateral façades, the long continuous cast iron balconies, whose width increases towards the ground floor, gives the building a rather unusual silhouette. These stepped balconies rest on steel brackets partially embedded in the side walls, reinforced by a network of metal profiles and masonry vaults. They intended to allow the simultaneous evacuation of many people, especially in the event of fire. File:Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg in Brussel.jpg|Frontal view File:Brussel Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg 120.jpg|Bust of Pieter Langendijk File:Ancien arsenal de Bruxelles 01.JPG|Rear view File:Brussel Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg 1221.JPG|Interior ==See also==