Underground Tour @ Coudenberg

From the 12th to the 18th century, the successive monarchs and their representatives transformed a small, fortified castle into a sumptuous residential palace, one of the most beautiful in Europe and one of Charles V?s main residences. This prestigious building was severely damaged by fire in 1731. Some forty years later, the ruins of the palace are pulled down and the ground flattened out for the construction of the new royal district. The remains of this palace make up the Coudenberg archaeological site. During your visit, you will discover the old structures and rooms of the main buildings of the former palace of Brussels, which are now the foundations for today?s royal district. You will be walking underneath Rue Royale and Place Royale, in the footsteps of the thousands of people from both Brussels and further afield who came here before you, either as visiting guests or at the service of the princes and governor-generals of the Low Countries. The Coudenberg Palace was bordered with imposing private mansions owned by the nobility and court advisers; The Coudenberg Museum is installed in one of these: the Hoogstraeten house. The most interesting discoveries made during the various archaeological excavations that have punctuated Coudenberg?s history for the last 25 years are displayed over 700 m2 of exhibition areas.