The Hôtel Solvay in Brussels, considered one of Art Nouveau architect Victor Horta’s greatest masterpieces, has been opened to the public. While previously the mansion was open only during certain festivals or for guided group tours, it is now open to individual visitors.
Horta built the townhouse at the end of the 19th century for the rich industrialist Armand Solvay and his wife. Working with a near unlimited budget and in close contact with the couple, Horta incorporated all of his innovations in architecture – a utilitarian use of light, free-flowing spaces and the incorporation of steel, a relatively new material at the time, for both structure and aesthetics.
He combined all of this with the richly organic embellishments for which Art Nouveau is famous. The Solvay House really has it all – domes of stained-glass, stacked bay windows, glazed oak doors, wrought-iron parapets. https://hotelsolvay.be