Flanders wants to buy Dynasty Palace on Mont des Arts

Flemish tourism minister, Zuhal Demir (N-VA), is negotiating with the federal government to buy the Dynasty Palace on Mont des Arts. The region would like a permanent location to promote Flanders and Flemish heritage in the capital.

Flanders already has an agreement with the Régie des Bâtiments, which manages all federally owned buildings, to use the Dynasty Palace until February of next year. It has been staging immersive exhibitions dedicated to Flemish master painters in the building. It’s the Flemish government, in fact, that has subcontracted the Plein Publiek café to serve visitors to the building.

The region would continue to feature the Flemish masters in Dynasty Palace but also expand this to the promotion of tourism in general. “It would be a kind of billboard for Flanders and the Flemish museums and art cities,” said a spokesperson from Demir’s office.

The Dynasty Palace was built for the Expo 58 world’s fair that took place in Brussels more than 60 years ago. Expo 58 ceremonies were held there, but the building has been only sporadically used since.

Photo ©Nicolas Maeterlinck/BELGA