Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Belgian Buildings Agency restored the royal palace front in phases from March 2023, fixing 700 windows, 420 balustrades, 16 statues, and 4,500 m² of garden walls—cost: €6 million.
As VRT News reported, the Brussels royal palace renovation was planned in stages so it could stay open. They mentioned that the goal was to keep the public able to visit and allow important events to happen. In March 2023, the Belgian Buildings Agency started fixing the front of the palace.
The project was split into 2 parts. First, they fixed the left side and the middle part, including the main entrance. They put up scaffolding to clean, fix, and restore the old stone, repair the joints, and replace broken parts, all while keeping the building’s original look.
How is the Belgian buildings agency restoring the palace while keeping it open?
After finishing the left and middle parts, the scaffolding was moved to the right side of the palace. This way, the whole front of the palace was never covered or blocked, so people could still visit and use the building safely.
The right side then went through the same careful process of cleaning, fixing, and restoring. Officials mentioned that this phased approach helped keep disruptions to a minimum and allowed for a smooth workflow.
About a year after the front of the palace started being fixed in March 2023, it was fully restored. While the front got a lot of attention, work on the back of the palace went on without stopping. The back and sides were cleaned and restored, with detailed repairs to the stonework and removal of years of damage from weather and pollution.
Alongside the facade work, many parts of the palace got a makeover. A massive 700 windows were fixed, which likely meant new glass, repainted frames, and better insulation. Also, 420 balustrades were restored to keep them safe.
The project also included fixing 16 statues, which needed cleaning and repair. In the gardens, 4,500 square meters of walls were renovated. The curved gallery, service courtyard, and Brabant courtyard were all completely redone. All this work was a big heritage project, costing about 6 million euros.
