Hôtel d’Ursel

Description

The Hôtel d’Ursel, a jewel in the crown of Brussels’ and Belgium’s historical heritage, has now disappeared. This book retraces the history of Belgium and Brussels through the history of the d’Ursel family and its residence, the Hôtel d’Ursel, over five centuries. The editorial project was launched on the occasion of a retrospective exhibition on the Hôtel d’Ursel in the castle of Hingene (province of Antwerp), which was the summer residence of this same family.

Summer in Hingene, winter in Brussels: the d’Ursel family changed residence to the rhythm of the seasons. Established in Brussels in 1590 in a mansion located at the Marché au Bois, this family of merchants and bankers became one of the country’s leading noble families over the centuries. The development of their mansion, whose 18th century interiors were designed by the architect Laurent-Benoît Dewez, was a majestic incarnation of this success. The Belgian revolution, political changes and urban development in the 20th century finally took its toll on the Hôtel d’Ursel in 1960. It was demolished to make way for the Westbury Tower, one of the first skyscrapers in Brussels.

This book is a double biography: that of an aristocratic family and that of its residence, which houses a pendant of five centuries of small and great history.