Art Nouveau in Brussels

A decorative element from the façade of the Hôtel Van Eetvelde, an emblematic Brussels townhouse designed by Belgian Art Nouveau architect Victor Horta and recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The flowing, asymmetric lines reflect the nature-inspired character of the Art Nouveau movement. The element fills the lower half of the coin. Above: the occasion 'ART NOUVEAU'; worked into the design to the left: the country code 'BE' and the year '2023'. The mint marks of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt and new Belgian mint master Giovanni Van de Velde appear along the left edge. To the far right, the initials 'IB' of designer Iris Bruijns.

Brussels is regarded as one of the capitals of Art Nouveau — and not by chance. In the late 19th century, the Belgian capital developed into a center of the international reform movement in architecture and the applied arts. The architect Victor Horta was its defining figure: with the Hôtel Tassel (1893), the Hôtel Solvay, the Hôtel van Eetvelde, and his own townhouse, he created a series of buildings that decisively shaped European Art Nouveau. The characteristic sweeping lines, open staircases, thoughtful use of light, and the integration of wrought iron, glass, and wood into an organic whole all became known under the term "Style Horta." In 2000, four of his Brussels townhouses were jointly recognized as UNESCO World Heritage, evidence of their significance in architectural history far beyond Belgium.

The Hôtel van Eetvelde, built in 1895 for the Belgian colonial minister Edmond van Eetvelde, is among Horta's technically and artistically boldest works: its façade and interior combine natural forms with precise craftsmanship in a way still regarded as groundbreaking today. In Belgium, Art Nouveau is understood as national cultural heritage — the cities of Brussels, Liège, and Ghent invest specifically in preserving and promoting this architectural era. With the issue of a 2-euro commemorative coin on the theme of Art Nouveau in Brussels in 2023, Belgium once again brought this heritage into public focus.