Behind a rather unassuming façade on a lively square in Brussels lies a world that once formed the beating heart of the neighbourhood’s nightlife. Built in the early twentieth century as a festive theatre and event hall, the building was designed as a place where people could escape everyday life. Inside, nothing was modest: marble staircases, richly decorated ceilings, and a sequence of halls that shifted in atmosphere, from elegant and classical to exotic and almost oriental.

Over the decades, the building changed names and purposes several times. It served as a dance palace, a theatre, and later even a cinema. Generations gathered here for performances, balls, and film screenings. Music, voices, and cigarette smoke once filled the halls, while light spilled through tall windows onto the square outside.

After the Second World War, its central role slowly faded. By the 1980s, the curtain fell for good and silence took over. What remained was an interior that felt almost untouched, as if time had suddenly stopped. Paint began to peel, dust settled on seats and floors, yet the sense of grandeur never disappeared.

Today, the building is protected as a historic monument. It is usually closed, but on rare occasions its doors open for guided visits. In those moments, it reveals itself once again as what it has always been: a hidden architectural treasure, telling the story of Brussels’ social and cultural life more vividly than many of the city’s grand, well-known landmarks.