Brussels (Brussels Morning) – After four decades, Brussels’ Minerva statue atop the Palais de Justice was unveiled during ongoing renovations. State Secretary Michel prioritized removing scaffolding, aiming to fully restore the façade by 2025.
After four decades of being wrapped by scaffolding, the Minerva statue on top of the Palais de Justice in Brussels was the first portion of the building to be revealed during its ongoing renovations, in the company of State Secretary Mathieu Michel (MR).
The Buildings Agency began the restoration of the facade of the Palais de Justice on Place Poelaert in August 2023. It is the foremost phase of the restoration of all facades.
“I have made it a priority to remove the scaffolding from the Brussels Palais de Justice. It is unacceptable to have scaffolding on the largest courthouse in the world for 40 years,” Michel stated. “It is like denying the efficiency of the State.”
How Long Will Palais de Justice Renovations Take?
The rehabilitation of the façade on Place Poelaert will be achieved by the end of 2025. For the entire building, the Buildings Agency is seeking to be ready by Belgium’s 200th anniversary in 2030. “We will return one of its democratic symbols to Belgium fully restored. Belgians should once again be proud of the Palais de Justice and it should be the showpiece for Belgium in the world.”
How Is the Minerva Statue Restoration Progressing?
Now, the upper central piece of the facade was fully restored and the structure covering it was removed, displaying the repaired three-metre-tall bust of Minerva – the goddess of wisdom and guardian of human civilisation, to who the Palais is dedicated – once again.
What Challenges Are Faced in Restoring the Palais de Justice?
The repair of the façade (22,750 m², equivalent to almost five football pitches in size) of Belgium’s largest historical structure is a complex and very labour-intensive project: the stones and decorative pieces are cleaned one by one, and carefully restored or replaced where necessary. Only a very small part of the stone is replaced. Around 70 to 80 people are working on the site every day.
How Are Original Materials Used in the Restoration?
To maintain the original appearance of the building, stones from the actual quarries (mainly from the Comblanchien quarries in the French Burgundy region) were employed for the restoration. The stone blocks are chosen according to quality in the quarries and additional processed mainly in stone-cutting factories in Belgium into the appropriate shapes.
The work in the stone-cutting plant is somewhat manual, but where possible, digital drawings and robots are also utilised to mill the stones – allowing the restoration procedure to be faster and more accurate.
What Renovation Phases Are Planned for Palais de Justice?
To evade future water infiltrations, most of the grouting is also restored and horizontal stone surfaces are being utilised as well. The outer joinery of the face is being restored and repainted. Test repairs have already been carried out for this purpose.
How Will Renovations Improve Palais de Justice’s Efficiency?
Some of the windows will also be provided with new glazing and depending on the rooms, this will be security or anti-burglary glass (high-security rooms) or insulating reflector (for the heated rooms) – which will also push the courthouse more energy efficient. At the end of the first step, the cour d’honneur (forecourt) will also be redesigned and equipped with fencing based on the historical model.
In the next phase (2026-2027), the facades of the plinth under the crown will be restored, which is why the structure around the plinth is now being adjusted to current standards and a preliminary study is being carried out. After the rehabilitation of the facades of the plinth under the dome, the facades of the Palais de Justice on the flank of Rue de Wynants and Rue aux Laines will be restored. In the last phase, those on the side of the Rue des Minimes, as well as the facades of the adjoining courtyards, will be restored.
