Brussels - Palais Des Académies, Belgium
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Academy Palace - Wikipedia
The Palace of William II[edit]. The Academy Palace (1876–present)[edit]. External links[edit].
The Academy Palace, also known as Palais des Academies in French, is a neoclassical palace located in Brussels, Belgium. It was built originally for Prince William II, Orange between 1823-1828. It houses five Belgian Academies, including the Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium. It is often called the Academy House in English. [5][6]
The palace is situated on the Rue Ducale/Hertogstraat in the Royal Quarter (eastern part of Brussels' city centre), next to the Place des Palais/Paleizenplein, the Royal Palace of Brussels and Brussels Park. This area is served both by Brussels Central Station and the metro stations Parc/Park (on line 1 and 5) as well as Trone/Troon and Line 6 (on lines 2 & 6).
In recognition of Prince William II's heroic actions on the Waterloo battlefield, the nation provided funds to build the rather austere Neoclassical Palace and Stables. It was jointly built by Charles Vander Straeten and Tilman Francois Suys at a cost totaling 1.2 million florins. [7]
The palace was occupied by William of Orange's princely family and Anna Pavlovna, his princess and sister of the tsars Nicholas I and Alexander I for a mere two years until the Belgian Revolution of Sept 1830 forced them out to flee to the Netherlands.
The palace was sequestered by the new Belgian State from 1830 to 1839 and an inventory was prepared. The palace was opened to the public for tours. Its interiors were regarded as the most luxurious in Belgium. The structure was ceded to the Belgian state by an agreement dated 5 November 1842. Its contents, which were adjudged to be William's personal effects, were then shipped to the Palace of Soestdijk, the Netherlands.