This is our history
PALACE OF THE ACADEMIES
Our History
The Palace of the Academies was built in 1823 by order of King William I of Orange. It was meant to be the home of his son, Crown Prince William Frederick. The palace is a neoclassical building located on Hertogsstraat/Rue Ducale in Brussels, right across from the Parc de Bruxelles. After Belgium became independent in 1830, the building was no longer used as a royal residence. In the 19th century, it got a new purpose. Since 1876, it has been the home of the Royal Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts.
1828-1830
Willem II of Orange
Anna Pavlovna.
Between 1828 and 1830, Crown Prince Willem, the future King Willem II of the Netherlands, resided in the newly completed Palace of Orange on Rue Ducale/Hertogsstraat in Brussels. This city palace was built especially for him at the initiative of his father, King Willem I, who wished to give his son a prominent role in the Southern Netherlands, then still part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Willem lived there with his wife, the Russian Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna, and their family. The palace served not only as a royal residence but also as a military headquarters and a meeting place for diplomats. It symbolised the royal presence in Brussels and was intended to strengthen the bond between north and south.
1853
Leopold II
In 1853, the Belgian government made both the palace and the adjoining stables available to Crown Prince Leopold II. However, the prince never took up residence in the palace. As a result, the building remained largely unoccupied for a prolonged period and was only occasionally employed for administrative purposes, without being assigned a definitive or enduring function.
Shortly afterwards, at the initiative of Maria Hendrika, the wife of Leopold II, a fully equipped riding hall was built in the inner courtyard of the stables. The design was created by architect Gustave De Man. From 1865 onwards, the hall and the surrounding stables were officially known as the “Royal Stables.”
1876
Royal Academy of Science,
Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium
In 1876, the Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium officially took up residence in the Palace of the Academies in Brussels, following a royal decree dated April 30, 1876.
The Academy held its first official solemn session at the Palace of the Academies in October 1877.
To this day, the Palace of the Academies remains a symbol of Belgium’s academic and cultural heritage, home to five active academies.
Located in the Royal Quarter of Brussels, the palace was officially designated as a protected monument on October 10, 2001, by the Brussels-Capital Region. This recognition helps preserve the building as a central place of academic and cultural life in Belgium.
1830
Belgian Revolution
After the Belgian Revolution of 1830, the palace was placed under the administration of the Belgian government. In the years that followed, it was temporarily occupied by engineering troops of the Belgian army.
It was not until 1842 that an agreement was reached: Prince William of Orange formally transferred ownership of the building to the Belgian State. The interior furnishing, consisting of art, furniture, and other luxurious items, were returned to the Netherlands. Many of these pieces can still be seen today in Noordeinde Palace in The Hague.
Between 1848 and 1852, the palace served a military purpose. It functioned as a barracks for infantry and artillery units and became the home base of the First Regiment of "Jagers-Carabiniers".
1823 - 1828
Willem I of Orange
Between 1823 and 1828, the Palace of the Academies was constructed by order of King William I of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Originally known as the Palace of the Prince of Orange, the building was designed by the belgian architect Charles Vander Straeten. It was intended for Crown Prince William II of Orange, as a tribute to his heroic conduct during the Battle of Waterloo. After Vander Straeten was relieved of his duties, the completion of the project was taken over by architect Tilman-François Suys.
1772
Maria Theresa of Austria
The origin of the the Royal Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts goes back to 1772, when the "Académie impériale et royale des sciences et belles-lettres de Bruxelles" was founded in Brussels under the rule of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, who at the time governed the Austrian Netherlands.