Flagship of contemporary culture

Noteworthy for: Place Flagey – known as Flagey by locals – is a revitalised square near Ixelles Ponds that served as an open-air car park until recently.

The focal point of Place Flagey is the Art Deco Flagey building, built in 1938 as Belgium’s TV and radio flagship. This steamship-like building was once home to the National Radio Orchestra and known as Maison de la Radio. Today it offers a mixed but mostly contemporary programme of music concerts – everything from classical to jazz and world, with world-class acoustics – an art-house cinema and exhibition space.

The building also houses a great restaurant, brasserie and bar but for something more informal, out on the square the Frites Flagey caravan dishes up what may be the city’s best frites.