What Freddy did next?
Property developer Frederic Nicolay is one of the key shapers of Brussels nightlife. After revamping Place St. Gery in the city centre from 1996 onwards with bars such as Zebra and le Roi des Belges, more recently he has tuned his attention to Place Flagey in Ixelles, opening the hugely successful Cafe Belga beneath the renovated former RTBF radio studio dubbed Flagey that is now a concert venue, cultural centre and recording studio.
So, where's next? Well, if I were Mr. Nicolay, I would take a short drive up the hill from Place Flagey toward the European Parliament. Place du Luxembourg, the square outside the Parliament building, is always rammed on a Friday evening when the sun is out. But between Flagey and Luxembourg there is another, somewhat forgotten square, with great potential as a nightlife destination: Place Raymond Blyckaerts.
Slightly set back from Rue Trone, the rather rundown square is well connected to the Brussels bus network, close to the Elsenhof cultural centre, large enough to hold plenty of people and has two cool quirks: a great monument to the 19th century Belgian Romantic painter, Antoine Wiertz, and a now empty 1970s Danish Tavern, Andersen.
The kitsch-cool exterior of the tavern is still intact. With a little renovation and a similar mix of hip music and events as Cafe Central in St. Gery, Andersen could soon be a destination for those travelling between/escaping from the nearby haunts of Place Flagey and Place du Luxembourg.
Once Andersen is established as an anchor, other hip bars, restaurants, etc will spring up in its wake, turning this currently sleepy square into a buzzing hive of activity. That's the theory at least. To misquote Nick Drake, time, time will tell us.
So, where's next? Well, if I were Mr. Nicolay, I would take a short drive up the hill from Place Flagey toward the European Parliament. Place du Luxembourg, the square outside the Parliament building, is always rammed on a Friday evening when the sun is out. But between Flagey and Luxembourg there is another, somewhat forgotten square, with great potential as a nightlife destination: Place Raymond Blyckaerts.
Slightly set back from Rue Trone, the rather rundown square is well connected to the Brussels bus network, close to the Elsenhof cultural centre, large enough to hold plenty of people and has two cool quirks: a great monument to the 19th century Belgian Romantic painter, Antoine Wiertz, and a now empty 1970s Danish Tavern, Andersen.
The kitsch-cool exterior of the tavern is still intact. With a little renovation and a similar mix of hip music and events as Cafe Central in St. Gery, Andersen could soon be a destination for those travelling between/escaping from the nearby haunts of Place Flagey and Place du Luxembourg.
Once Andersen is established as an anchor, other hip bars, restaurants, etc will spring up in its wake, turning this currently sleepy square into a buzzing hive of activity. That's the theory at least. To misquote Nick Drake, time, time will tell us.
Labels: nightlife, town planning
posted by Justin Toland at 2:04 pm
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