The Royal Flemish Theatre ( nl, Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg, abbreviated ''KVS'', french: Théâtre royal flamand) is a theatre in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, Belgium. It is the anchor of the

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

theatre company in Brussels, which aims to promote professional theatre in the

Dutch language Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language The Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-Europea ...

in Belgium and abroad. A place is also made for dance, poetry, music and temporary exhibitions. The theatre is located in the Quays Quarter, where the inner port of the

City of Brussels The City of Brussels (french: Ville de Bruxelles or alternatively ''Bruxelles-Ville'' ; nl, Stad Brussel or ''Brussel-Stad'') is the largest municipality and historical City centre, centre of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, as well a ...

was located until the end of the 19th century. Its main facade is located on the /. It is served by the

metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...

stations Yser/IJzer (on lines 2 and 6), De Brouckère (on lines 1, 3, 4 and 5) and Sainte-Catherine/Sint-Katelijne (on lines 1 and 5).

History

Early history

From the middle of the 19th century, there was a desire to establish a permanent

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 An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

in the Quays 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 The Port of Brussels (french: Port de Bruxelles, nl, Haven van Brussel) is an inland port at a distance of 120 km from the sea. It is accessible for ships up to 4,500 tonnes and push towing convoys up to 9,000 tonnes. Via the Brussels–Scheld ...

, at the eastern end of the / and the /.

In 1883, the city's then-mayor,

Charles Buls Charles Buls or Karel Buls (13 October 1837 – 13 July 1914) was a Belgian politician and mayor of the City of Brussels. Early life Charles François Gommaire Buls was born in Brussels as the son of a goldsmith from the region of Mechelen. B ...

, commissioned the architect and decorator to design the new theatre. Baes created a new facade in the neo-Flemish Renaissance style on the /, whilst retaining the arsenal's old facade as the rear of the building. The final plans were approved in 1884, work began the same year and the inauguration took place on 13 October 1887. At the solemn opening by

King Leopold II * german: link=no, Leopold Ludwig Philipp Maria Viktor , house = Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , father = Leopold I of Belgium , mother = Louise of Orléans , birth_date = , birth_place = Brussels, Belgium , death_date = ...

, 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" ( nl, Koninklijk Vlaams Theater, link=no or KVS).

20th and 21st centuries

A violent fire ravaged the theatre on 25 May 1955, reducing much of its interior to ashes. Most of the damage was to the stage and the theatre hall. Luckily, the fire took place when the theatre was closed, so no one was injured or worse. The interior was quickly rebuilt according to plans by architects A.-J. Doncker and RF Michiels and the theatre reopened in 1958. The refurbishment did not, however, restore all the interior decorations, the architects of the newly built spaces, in particular the theatre hall, conforming to the prevailing views of the time regarding safety, efficiency and modern needs. The facade and the

foyer A lobby is a room in a building used for entry from the outside. Sometimes referred to as a foyer, reception area or an entrance hall, it is often a large room or complex of rooms (in a theatre, opera house, concert hall, showroom, cinema, etc. ...

were

protected Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although th ...

as a monument through a

royal decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...

issued on 9 September 1993. The building required major restorations and adaptations to the needs of a modern performance hall. Between 2001 and 2006, the old theatre hall was demolished and replaced by a new hall that can accommodate 500 people. On the other side of the Quai aux Pierres de Taille, a new building was built, comprising various rehearsal rooms, a small theatre hall, administrative and technical premises and a café-theatre. The two buildings are connected to each other by an underground passage under the street.

Building

The neo-Flemish Renaissance facade on the Rue de Laeken's side is adorned with three

bust Bust commonly refers to: * A woman's breasts * Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders * An arrest Bust may also refer to: Places *Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France *Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically Media * ''Bust'' (magazine ...

s of renowned 17th and 18th century Dutch

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

s. The bust of the central bay represents

Joost van den Vondel Joost van den Vondel (; 17 November 1587 – 5 February 1679) was a Dutch poet, writer and playwright. He is considered the most prominent Dutch poet and playwright of the 17th century. His plays are the ones from that period that are still most ...

, by the sculptor Jean-Baptiste de Keyser; that of the right bay

Pieter Langendijk Pieter Langendijk (Haarlem, 25 July 1683 – Haarlem, 9 or 18 July 1756) was a damask weaver, city artist, dramatist, and poet. Life Pieter was the son of Arend Kort, a mason born in Langedijk. His father died in 1689 so he temporarily came unde ...

, by Albert Hambresin; and that of the left bay

Willem Ogier Willem (or Guilliam) Ogier (1618–1689) was a Flemish schoolmaster, playwright and comedian. Life Guilliam Ogier was born in Antwerp in 1618 but brought up in Amsterdam. He returned to Antwerp after his father's death.G. Stuiveling"Ogier, Guilli ...

, also by Hambresin. Two

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

figures are depicted in the top corners of the stepped

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

s on either side of the main facade: one symbolising

Tragedy Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...

, by the sculptor ; and the other

Comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

, by Emile Namur. On the two lateral facades, the long continuous

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

balconies, whose width increases towards the ground floor, gives the building a rather unusual silhouette. These stepped balconies rest on

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

bracket A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. Typically deployed in symmetric pairs, an individual bracket may be identified as a 'left' or 'r ...

s partially embedded in the side walls, reinforced by a network of metal profiles and

masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosure ...

s. 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

File:Ancien arsenal de Bruxelles 01.JPG, Rear view File:Brussel Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg 1221.JPG, Interior

External links

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * {{cite book, ref={{harvid, Mardaga, 1993, title=Le Patrimoine monumental de la Belgique: Bruxelles, volume=1B: Pentagone E-M, location=Liège, language=fr, publisher=Pierre Mardaga, year=1993, url=https://monument.heritage.brussels/files/cities/1000/documents/02-vol-b-fr-def_k.pdf Theatres in Brussels City of Brussels Protected heritage sites in Brussels