Odysseus Abroad: Brussels Belgium

Coudenberg - Magritte - City - Victor Horta - Cinquantenaire Museums

Cinquantenaire (1880s); 50th anniversary foundation Belgium

Netherlands don't celebrate May Day, but have traditionally started the modest spring thaw with Queen's day on the day prior, April 31st (see earlier blog on that subject). Quickly thereafter come a series of public holidays; May 4th - Remembrance of the Dead since WWII, May 5th - Liberation Day from German occupation, May 9th - Ascension Day (set 40 days after Easter) on a Thursday with bridging day following, May 20th - Pentecost (set 7 weeks after Easter). Not to sit brooding about the war and religion we decided to take some trips and brood about war and religion in other cities of Europe instead. On the quiet of Ascension day morning, we walked a kilometer to the bus station for the No 300 to Schiphol Airport where we caught the Thalys train to Brussels Belgium for three nights. Met by the attendant of carriage No. 11, with Annette's parents, Don & Pam, we were six travelling in luxurious first class for the one and half hour trip south. The Thalys is not cheap, and probably priced to compete with airlines, but the train gains the advantage of not having the hassle of an airport and delivering one to the city center or close by; we took the underground just three stops to Louise and the short walk to our apartment on the third floor of a classical turn of nineteenth century building. The fine three bedroom apartment with high ceilings overlooked Chaussee de Charleroi and the busy Stephanie Circle nearby, on which there was a Paul Bakery and other high end delicatessens.

Friday morning we woke not fully rested from the late night noise of the eight Swedish college kids who had rented the roof apartment above us; it was probably not originally a living quarters and the conversion overlooked the need for soundproof flooring, so we heard to trampling and base sounds of the stereo easily. We took the train to Central Station, lured by Starbucks Coffee, but also found the station itself quite interesting; catering for over 100,000 passengers a day, the ticket office and schedule board were of a grand scale catering for forty train departures in the following hour as we wandered the hall in awe. A war memorial and a mural depicting Belgian adventures dominate the main hall overlooking the bustle of activities under the watchful eye of security guards. We wandered from the station being drawn by one think of interest after another. A comic shop nearby reminded me of the active adult cartoon-adventure culture of France, which is also evident in Belgium. Belgium has a French region and a Flemish, or Dutch, region, but the region around Brussels maintains dual language and cultural identity. Street signs are in both languages, however, French seems to dominate daily life in the city. Statues of King Albert and Queen Elizabeth of Bavaria stand nearby at Albert Place on the lower terrace of the Monts Des Arts, which we ascended slowly for a fine view from the upper fountain called The Whirling Ear.

The "Old England" building along Rue Ravenstein is of particular interest due to it's cast iron, steel and glass architecture from 1899, when it was built as a department store and a daring style for the time. A few doors down the street stands a fine medieval revival building, probably built in the nineteenth century also. A stature of Godfied de Bouillon, the first crusader, stood in centered in Place Royale. The square is is surrounded by Margritte Museum, the old palace and the Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenber, which looks more like a courthouse, but outside and inside. There was a special exhibit of the visionary designer Yves Saint Laurent, which Annette could not pass up, so I left the family there for an hour while I wandered along Rue de la Regence.

Inlaid mural at Central Station

War memorial in Central Station Brussels

Schedule Board catering for forty trains an hour

Cladding of the restored Central Station

Hardback Cartoon-Adventure "comics"

King Albert

"Elizabeth" of Bavaria looking across the square to Albert on horseback

Facade of fountains at Monts Des Arts

Monts des Arts

Albert Place

View over Monts des Arts

The Whirling Ear

Medieval Revival Architecture

"Old England" building Art Nouveau from 1899

Gardens at Place du Petit Sablon

A gigantic stone clad complex of in classical style emerged toward the end of Rue de la Regence; The Palace of Justice. Under a shield of scaffolding for restoration, the building was still impressive since it's two decades of construction starting in the 1860's. As I walked under the grand entrance arches I got the sense that the colossus of a building was designed to impress a sense of the power of justice on the people. The building ominously stands a medieval hanging ground, or gallows hill (Galgenberg hill) and it's construction did not go un-noticed by the relocated residence to whom the development was not welcome. I explored the many balconies and remote parts of the front entrance and then found myself wandering inside, unsure whether visitors were welcome. The wheels of justice rolled on that Friday with the various lawyers and their clients conferring at desks in the grand central hall. They seemed miniature due to the sheer size of the imposing interior, the sounds of their voices being quickly lost to silenced in the volume of the hall. I wandered the empty courtrooms imagining the gruelling machinery of the justice system ploughing through the backlog of criminal cases and the worry and pain the imposing cold stone walls witnessed over the years. People seemed to whisper from the corridors and in discussions at the desks of the main halls, as if the walls had ears. The black gown and wide white cravat of a a judge waves in the air as he strode purposely across the hall for a court appointment.

Outside in the large open plaza sat a number of tram cars at the Polaert metro stop which was named after the architect of the Palace of Justice. Behind a monument to World War I&II on the plaza is a terrace overlooking the city from South Station up to the shiny structure of the Atomium well to the north by Parc d'Osseghem; built for the 1958 Expo of nine spheres connected in an orderly structure over 100M high, it is an iconic symbol of the city, however, publishing photos of the structure are restricted by copyright of the design. After various protests, the organization allows publishing of private non-commercial photos, but it brings up the question of the right to take any photo in public and publish it without restrictions. It was too far away to take a proper picture and I would not have time to visit on the short visit. On the return along Rue de la Regence I visited the pristine Gothic church, Eglise Notre Dame du Sablon; a chapel originally developed in the 14th century on the cult of a miracle of the virgin Mary and was built up over the centuries since then. Across the street the park along Place du Petit Sablon was blooming with flowers. The park is surrounded with 48 statues representing the traditional trades which thrived in the town of the nineteenth century. On the upper part of the park stood a monument to two men, Count Egmont and Hornes, who were decapitated in 1568 by order of the Duke of Alba in the run-up to the eighty year war between Spain and The Netherlands. Further behind the park stands the Egmont palace and courtyard which I visited before returning to Place Royale to meet the family.

Columns of imposing entryway to Palace of Justice

Entry way as designed by Architect Polaert

Courtroom of the Palace of Justice

Ceiling of main hall of Palace of Justice

Lawyers and clients confer in the main hall

Stained Glass of Church of Notre Dame du Sablon

Museum of Fine Arts

Church of Saint Jaques-sur-Coudenberg

Royal Palace of Belgium

View down Rue de la Regence to Palace of Justice

Godfried de Bouillon, the first crusader

The Royal Palace is only open July - September, so we were unable to visit, but we were glad of the opportunity to visit The Coudenberg, the former palace of Brussels. We entered through the BELvue Museum, which is located in a building at the end of the Royal Palace; being a holiday we toured an exhibit on Belgium history there along with a sea of noisy school children. War has been such a mainstay in Belgium history; I recall from my Latin studies of Roman history the writings of Caesar:

All Gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit, the Aquitani another, those who in their own language are called Celts, in ours Gauls, the third......Of all these, the Belgae are the bravest, because they are furthest from the civilisation and refinement of (our) Province, and merchants least frequently resort to them, and import those things which tend to effeminate the mind; and they are the nearest to the Germani, who dwell beyond the Rhine, with whom they are continually waging war.

After the fall of the Roman Empire the Germans rose to power in the region under the Merovingian Dynasty, who converted to Christianity apparently with the help of Irish monks. The Carolingian Dynasty followed, one of whom, Charles Martel, fought back the Moorish invasion from Spain in the 8th century; his grandson, Charlemagne consolidated power throughout Europe of the day under the Holy Roman Empire sanctioned by the Vatican. Later the merchants came to power and the city-states developed power under the Hansiatic League in the 13th century. By the 15th century the area was under the control of King Phillip of Burgundy; through marriage they were joined to the Hapsburg Empire and the Spain. The Dutch revolt pushed the Spanish out of the low lands countries, but the Spanish regained the territory of Belgium with sieges of Antwerp and other cities.

In recent history Belgian's have been more the victim of being small and in a rough neighborhood, caught between the German remnants of Holy Roman Empire and French - British counter parties. The British and Prussians staged here in preparation to contain Napoleon across the border; Napoleon's preemptive attack on them near the village of Waterloo was his last stand, as the allied triumphed. In a reverse of Waterloo, the Germans invaded neutral Belgium during World War I in hopes of catching the French off guard and capture Paris. Although highly outnumbered, the Belgian army kept up a good fight, which allowed the French a month to mount resistance. Neutral Belgium was again invaded by the Germans during World War II and remained under occupation throughout the war.

On display in the rooms of the BELvue were various artifacts of recent history and the war years as well as an outline of the monarchy formed the year after the formation of the nation itself; A constitutional monarchy was smartly chosen by the new congress in order to curb the power, but they also chose a son of the French King Louis Philippe to gain connected power valuable to a small state. The King balked and another candidate was chosen, Erasme Louis Surlet de Chokier, whose descendant, Albert II is monarch today.

The most interesting part came when we descended below ground to the archaeological site of the old palace whose foundations date back to Roman times. On view were walls and brickwork from the 12th century and various additions throughout the following centuries including the grand arches of the basement of the chapel. We walked up an ancient underground street, Rue Isabelle; it was above ground originally, but built over during the years. It was uncovered along with the basement of the Aula Magna, the grand ball room adjacent, and then housed for display under enormous concrete beams which hold up the street and Place Royale above.

"The Rape of Belgium", as invasion of WW1 was referred to at the Armistice of 1918

Radio wave settings from the analogue years of electronics

Cesspool for a latrine of the main Coudenberg palace from 12th century

Old cellars under the palace from 12th century

Potmarked limestone columns support the upper palace

An arch in the basement from the 16th century

Basement under the Aila Magna, the grand palace Banquet hall (now Place Royale)

Concrete slabs protect the hollows of the ancient palace below Place Royale

Eclectic masonry spanning ten centuries is exposed in the Coudenbery basement

Pottery found in the ruins of the old palace

We descended via the elevated Place Royale via the Monts des Artes to the lower old city and visited the famous Manneken Pis, or Little Man Pissing statue, which was dressed up for Gay Pride which was ongoing in the city that week. The origins of the stature are unclear. A stone statue stood there in the 16th century, but was apparently stolen and replaced by a bronze statue in 1619 by Hieronimus Duquesnoy. That statue was stolen and replaced many times, the latest being from 1965. It is routinely dressed up for celebrations.

Through the narrow heights of the old city buildings we got a glimpse of the grand buildings of Grand Place. Known as Great Market (Grote Markt) in Dutch, the true grandeur of the square washed over us like a wave as we turned the corner from Guldenhoofdstraat allowing the entire vista of ornate buildings open up. I vaguely recalled the square from our visit there in the 1980's and knew it would impress, but our whole family stood silent as we scanned around the square from City Hall, around by the Guild Houses to the Maison du Roi (Kings House) opposite. The square was bustling with people, but we barely noticed as we viewed the details of the facades which stood out even under the dark overcast skies which threatened to rain. Originally a market on a swamp by the river, the place developed since the 10th century with more formal market buildings and eventually into the town center with the construction of the Town Hall in the first half of the 15th century. The town hall was impressively ornate at the time, which reflected the growing wealth of the traders and craftsmen of the time. The aristocracy of the time felt threatened by the rising municipal power and wealth of merchants, so a century later the Duke of Brabant built another grand building opposite the City Hall called the King's House, or Bread House in Dutch, as it replaced a break market. The wealthy merchants and guilds built up the rest of the find town houses around the square. The square had been a center piece piece of culture and activity throughout the centuries, but was also destroyed in the late 17th century by a French invasion, to be rebuilt by the guilds. The guilds were important groups of merchants or craftsmen whose union allowed the education and apprenticeships to improve the knowledge of the particular guild community, but also helped to set standards of products and ensure welfare of the workers.

We walked to the Gras Markt nearby and had late lunch at Le Rubens overlooking the fountain with a statue of an oversized Charles Buls sitting on a bench alongside other visitors and tourists. Charles Buls was a gold craftsman who became Mayor in late 19th century. We walked towards the train station across Plaza de Espaniole, under a statue of Don Quixote and his squire Sancho Panza. I took a detour with my tired family past the watchful eye of a statue of Cardinal Mercer for a visit to Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula. Started in the 11th century, it was built up over the years using the advances of engineering to the imposing building of today which sat dark under the intermittent rain and clouds of the afternoon. There was not enough light to give the grand stained glass their due, but they were still impressive in scale and height. I dropped the family at the train station and walked home through the Park van Brussels to view the fountain before the Parliament building.

Famous Manneken Pis; Dressed for Gay Pride week

Guild Halls on Grand Place; Le Renard, Le Cornet & La Louve


Guild Halls on Grand Place; La Rose, Le Mont Thabo, L’Arbre d’Or, Le Cygne & L’Etoile.

Grand Place - Grote Markt

Maison du Roi (King's House) built by Duke of Brabant

Maison du Ville (City Hall) started construction in 1401


Guild House of 1698; L'Arbre d'Or & Le Cygne

HIV AIDs awareness sign flanks building on Gay Pride week in Brussels

Monument to progressive Mayor, Charles Buls

Charles Buls and his dog in Gras Markt

Cardinal Mercier, who protested German atrocities and occupation during first days of World War 1

Not electric light, or small devotionals, but the full candle at the Cathedral

Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula

Organ of Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula

An open confessional; it brought to mind our fully enclosed ones in Ireland to contain the sins!

Park van Brussels and view of Parliament

Reference to Mayor Charles Buls late 19th century; Brasserie entrance to Royal Museum

Friday night we relaxed on the balcony over the Chausee de Charleroi smoking cigars. I was ready for a great night's sleep, but the herd of elephants upstairs, all eight of them, were partying in full swing through at least 3:30am. I had already visited them earlier in the evening, as they were pounding on the floor, so next visit was Annette on Saturday informing them that they better be good Saturday night of the police would be called. Apparently they had complaints from others also; actually they were did just as we did when we were their age, but we didn't have thin floors below at the time. The family wanted to rest and relax around the luxurious apartment Saturday morning, so I was up and out the door to central station; then I walked through the European Parliament on towards the Cinquantenaire.

European Parliament

Triumphal Arch

The European Parliament and extensive associated complex of buildings were closed and desolate in the cool wet morning, with few people wandering around; a structure built on the fear of the destruction of the twentieth century, but not developed strong enough to be a real force of governance - that strength usually takes a civil war, not a war of nations which don't trust each other and have different ways. Still the alliance is better than the alternate and learnings and the merging evolving nature of Europe may well survive with strength in the future.

I wandered through Park Leopold and down to the Park du Cinquantenaire where the Triumphal Arch rose from the green gardens between the rows of tall trees. Underneath, to my surprise was the down ramp to a sunken highway below the park. A monument to the side commemorated the suffering of the people of the Belgian Congo, which itself was more a project of the King, than of the Belgian people, until they took it over reluctantly in the early 1900's. In the corner of the park a grand white building caught my eye; the round main structure was flanked by walls clad in a repetitive geometric shape more typical of the middle east, but the single turret, or minaret, made clear it was a house or worship of the Islamic faith and the first I had seen in the city immersed in Catholic history. The building was originally a pavilion on the corner of the park, but fell into dilapidation. King Faisal of Saudi Arabia restored the building as a Mosque in the 1970's and it served as the Grand Mosque of Brussels today.

The view of the Arch was perfect, even under the heavy cloud, except for a tour bus parked below. I entered the Auto Museum at the back of the complex and quickly toured an impressive range of cars over all the decades since it replaced the steam engine. The broad range of manufacturers in both Europe and the US slowly narrowed, as the industry merged and matured. Grand old carriages gave way to the influence of the wars and of trains and airplanes; in fact some of the defunct airplane manufacturers themselves became auto-manufacturers. Motorcycles emerged from two wheeled cars to a more sleek road handling machine. Car engines gt larger and larger, until the shortages after WWII and the people's cars emerged; Citroen Deux Cheveaux, Fiat 500, Volswagen Beetle. Not in America; the post war years lead to a rapid expansion of industry and wealth, with cars to match; large gas guzzling mammoths diverged considerably from the smaller European versions.

The Cinquantenaire is a grand complex built between 1880 and 1888; completed in time for the Grand International Show of Science and Industry of that year. It sits in a park formed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the formation of the state of Belgium.

Renault Type AX 1909 2 cyl 1000cc 8hp (French)

Minerva Type X (1911); 4 cyl 4084cc 26 hp (Germany)

Graham 621 (1929) (USA)

Cadillac 341 (1928) 8cyl 5.6ltr

Cadillac Model K 1907 (USA)

Minerva 1929 6cyl 3.3ltr 20 hp (Germany)

Dynamic drive

Citroen 11UB (1936) Gas driven due to lack of gasoline

Cars of the People; Volkswagen Beetle, Citroen Deux Cheveaux, Fiat 500

Messerschmitt KR 200 Sport

Lincoln Continental

Ford Model T

Chevy Hearse

Citroen DS

Packard Single 8 443 (1928) 6.3 Ltr

Ford Escort rally car

AMC Pacer

Citroen DS

Studabaker Hawk (1961) USA

Jaguar 1960s

Lincoln Continental with backward opening "suicide" doors

Chevrolet Eldroado (1957)

Rolls Royce Ghost (1911)

I called the family who were emerging from the house and agreed to meet them at the outdoor flea market, but I had a short time to spend at the Museum of Art History, which is also housed at the Cinquantenaire. The Belgians have a strong tradition in the beautiful crafts of fabrics, glass and metalwork which were on display at the museum.

The museum has a exceptional collection of pre-columbian art and crafts from Americas, including the oldest known Inuit kayak. It is still unclear to me how such an amazing collection was gathered in Belgium, although I am awaiting a reply from the curator; I have not seen such a collection in the Americas. The finds span four millennia prior to the time of Columbus and reflect the rich and artistic cultures without the contaminated from Europe. It is a "must see" for anyone, but especially those from The Americas.

I took the train down to Hallepoort, which is a 14th century city gate in excellent condition and which houses a part of the collection of the Museum of Art History. I did not have a chance to visit though, as I was on my way to Marolles Flea Market. On my way I passed people departing with their purchases and soon Blaesstraat opened up to the long rectangular Place du Jeu de Balle which was full with traders and stalls. It was the usually mixture of junk one expects in an old city of Europe, but also some real gems from the war years. I inquired of a few old telephones and radio equipment, but they were outside my appetite for such goods. Having just missed the family, who had walked back to Louise and I walked along the quaint Vossenstraat and around the Palace of Justice to caught up with them at an Italian restaurant there.

In the afternoon we walked down Charleroise Straat past Janson to the house of Victor Horta, the famous Brussels architect. Born in 1861, he applied his musical and artistic talents to architecture and came of age in the last decade and half of the 19th century with the influences of impressionism and industrialization; he built steel and glass into organic forms which decorated the Art Nouveaux architecture he pioneered. The exuberant artistic structures were fitting with a booming 1890's but he later toned it down as Europe itself became less exuberant approaching the first world war. There are many buildings in Brussels by Victor Horta, four of which are UNESCO sites, his own house being one. His influence extends well beyond Belgium and can be seen in many cities of Europe. He was awarded a Baronship by King Leopold in 1931. There was a long line to enter the house, so I visited the neighborhood to view the impressive architecture in general from the late 19th century and the Church of Saint Trinity nearby. In the house we all spent the longest time viewing the most impressive living room of the house. Artistic steel railings and organic light fixtures were core aspects of the architecture. Tones of color were important also and often depicted in a floral design.

As we walked back under the dimming rain threatening sky of late afternoon we were eying the impressive architecture along the main and side streets and came to one impressive classically designed building of the 19th century; it was a pleasant surprise to then recognize the building as that of our apartment, our floor being the upper of two grand floors mid building. We relaxed for our last evening in Brussels and had a great night's sleep, as the herd of elephants staying above us were quiet that night.

Facade of the Cinquantenaire, 1880's

Art in military protection

Religious Art which dominated for centuries

Glassware collections were very impressive

Grand arches of the 1880's building

Locks and safes

Celestial calculators were all the rage in 18th century

Model of the solar system with the sun in the right place

Pre-Colombian art of Americas

Mummy

Portrait vase, Mochica, 100 -600 AD

Figures in pottery of the Americas

Maison du Justice

Brussels is home to many Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

Porte du Hal, Halleport of 1381 stands in excellent condition

Marolles Flea Market, Place du Jeu de Balle

Steel and glass were important aspects of Victor Horta's Art Nouveau Architecture

The balcony on Victor Horta's house

With camera in hand, I was up early in the morning for a run around the cold bordering on wet city along the route of the ancient outer city walls past the Hallepoort. Across the railroad tracks along Zuidlaan the atmosphere became a little more seedy. A large produce market was underway near the railway station; across the street was a public loud speaker, where one could test ones lungs and capture the attention of the crowd; urban art called Pasionaria by Emilio Lopez Menchero. Architecture continued to grab my attention along the way; the prestigious Institute of Arts and Engineering (Institut des Arts et Metiers) stood on the west of the old city wall, which was now marked by a canal. A house on the west side, as if yearning for the seagoing days of tall ships, was painted head to toe with an Atlantic scene. Further along was Der Klein Schloss (The Little Castle), built on the site of Ansillon Castle in 1848 to house the army. I circled back through the city and through the botanical gardens, which were lush and radiant even under the dull morning rains. On the eastern side of the city ring road, I diverted through the European Union complex and the iconic Berlaymont building; in the quiet of Sunday morning the only people present were tourists there to take pictures under the sign and the building. Circling around by the park grounds of Cinquantenaire I returned to the ring road to complete the loop back to the apartment at Louise.

Pasionaria by Emilio Lopez Menchero on Avenue de Stalingrad

Institut de Artes et Metiers

Wistful for the high seas

Der Klein Schloss (The Little Castle)

Botanical Gardens

Botanical Pavilion

Not that there should be any mistake, it's Number 3

Bridge over Belliardstraat reflecting industrial age art (connects EU buildings)

L'Homme D'Atlantide (Man from Altantis)

While the family arose slowly and readied to leave the apartment I took a brief visit back to Place Royale and visited the Royal Museum of Fine Arts. I did not have much time, so I focused on The Magritte Museum and an exhibit on Kandinsky. The entryway to the museum via the Bistro side was a fascinating view of Art Nouveau architecture in itself. Rene Magritte was a prolific surrealist painter and the three floors covered over six decades of art generation, capturing well the changing artist and influences of the times. I am less enamored by Kandinsky's paintings, but the thought process and story of the evolution of his work is interesting. No pictures allowed unfortunately. As I returned to collect the family I realized how complex many of the signs of the city of Brussels need to be to cover French and Dutch, but also often English due to it's international position; an emergency sign on the train has everything in triplicate.

The provinces of Belgium represented at the clock; Montes des Artes

Montes de Artes

View of The Magritte Museum

Art Nouveaux at The Magritte entryway

Plaque capturing the capitalization of Gresham Life Insurance Company, 1850's

Museum of Fine Arts

Tower of Babylon

City of Brussels

Art Nouveaux

Our train would depart at 17:30, so we set off late morning to visit the War Museum at the Cinquantenaire. The early rooms reflected the emergence of military order from that of the sword wielding knight to the cavalry man of the 18th century. Swords still dominated, but rifles started to enter the toolkit of an organized army. Gone was the heave full plate metal suit and the uniforms reflected more the pomp and circumstance of the times. Knights were fewer and from wealthy families; new armies were large and needed to be kitted out by finance of the monarch or state, so there were limits to the expense. The technology improved and more rifles and pistols made their way into the standard military gear. Designs of uniform and hats look pompous compared with today's function standards, but they were probably a functional derivation of the standards of the time; implementing standards were a key function of the uniform also, as they induced pride in those serving. If one wanted to be in the big league; the Holy Roman Empire, The Hapsburg, The French or Spanish, a proper military uniform was needed and many monarchs went well into debt financing a professionally kitted out army. One can imagine the dynamics of a battle of the time from the evidence in these early war years rooms; armies pitched into battle and when it was evident which way the score was going, it was best to pull out and negotiate an outcome over a brandy. The tools of war were more restrained, which meant there was no point in wearing down the army to the last person for a result. The Congolese pitches in too, as could be seen by the display of their divisions; machetes and hatchets were added to the tool kit.

The scene changed quickly as the museum rooms moved towards the 20th century; a sickening eerie sense comes over one on entering the World War I section; the visitors were silenced by the machinery and brutality of war which opens up before them. The machine gun put an end to 19th century infantry tactics, the metal barrel burning hot as it delivered 500 rounds a minute. The metal protection of the ancient knights, which was abandoned by the 19th century, came back with a vengeance in the form armoured tanks which could blast through direct fire. Adding to the misery were toxic gases from the industrial age. All culminated the infantry being trapped in their cold wet trenches for extended periods, or being certainly eliminated under industrial firepower. Metal, grease and diesel became the unnatural soul mates of the dehumanized soldier and war became a battle of industrial production; how much material could you collect, transform into killing machines and move to the front. Air power had not yet advanced enough to add to their pains. The scene was made more vivid by the sculpted renderings of skin and bone soldiers by an artist, Patrice Alexandre. There were an estimated 16 million deaths during World War 1 and the world came out a changed place. Belgium lost 60,000. France lost 3% of it's population, a significant dent on the population of men in family rearing age. A shocked continent emerged in a different psyche; gone was the pomp and circumstance of a past era, functionality emerged as nations struggled through the interwar years; a struggle which would induce the rise of the National Socialists in the 1930's, buoyed on by the rejection is everything; capitalism, communism, and anything else was wrong and would be replaced by blind faith in authoritarianism. There was an enormous building off the WWI section which housed the aviation collection. Engine power to weight ration dominated the development of flight; the emergence of the compact air cooled radial engine was the winner in the early days. Radials were simple smooth, reliable and efficient in use of heavy metal, however, there was limits to the power which could be produced. Water cooled in-line and V engines emerged further as they could get to higher total power output., but the later jet propulsion won the power to wight ratio battle; fuel combustion engines are sized on volume of air they can move and a fast spinning compressor-turbine arrangement can move more air than a reciprocating piston engine. Unfortunately the WWII section was closed, but we were running out of time anyway, so we took the metro to the Midi train station for our trip back to Amsterdam that evening.