Situated
in the Royal Quarter, the Palais Royal is not the
first palace to occupy this space. This is where the
Couldenberg Palace was during the reign of the Dukes
of Brabant. That building was destroyed in a fire
in 1731. The current palace is an amalgam of several
different buildings brought together over time. Originally,
the palace was two buildings, but this proved cumbersome
for the family, especially in bad weather. William
the first of the Netherlands
had the adjoining structure erected from 1827 to 1829.
It was further enlarged in 1904 at the behest of King
Leopold II. This expansion was designed by Maquet
in the Louis XIV style. The sculpture on the pediment
is by Thomas Vinçotte. While this is the official
home of the Belgian royal family, they do not actually
live here anymore. It is only used for state functions,
but there is a ceremonial changing of the guard every
day. In this photo, you can see the Belgian flag flying,
which signifies that a member of the royal family
is present.
