Norwegian Chalet

The five-point star on the Norwegian chalet refers to the star on the flag of the Congo Free State, the private colony of Leopold II which he ran from this office, often in an appalling way, until 1908. He used money from the colony to fund city renovation projects such as the triumphal arch in the Jubelpark (Parc du Cinquantenaire).

Leopold’s mismanagement of the colony remains regular cause for his statue at the end of the street to be covered in paint by protestors.

The headquarters of the philanthropic King Baudouin Foundation is found opposite the chalet. Following a donation worth millions from a generous cyclist in 2018, the foundation set up Bikes for Brussels. This fund supports projects aimed at improving the region’s cycling infrastructure. The awful cobblestones on the region’s cycle route in this street already demonstrate the need … In contrast, the brand new cycle path which you then zoom across shows the potential!

UiTinBrussel