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Brussels’ cultural life (or lives, rather, as the scene is linguistically split between French and Flemish) is booming, despite a lack of funding partly caused by the language divide. Obviously, some art forms cross all language boundaries. French-Belgian cinema came to prominence in 1994, with Jan Bucquoy’s hilarious La Vie Sexuelle des Belges, while the more serious Flemish film, Daens (1992), directed by Stijn Coninx, was nominated Best Foreign Film at the 1992 Oscars. In 2005, The Child, a film by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, took the coveted Palme d’Or at Cannes.

Contemporary dance came into its own in the 1980s, thanks to Flemish choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker (Rosas Company) and Wim Vandekeybus (Ultima Vez Company). Theater is celebrated annually during the Kunstenfestivaldesarts (tel: (070) 22 2199; website: www.kfda.be) in May. Opera is performed at the prestigious Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Place de la Monnaie (tel: (070) 233 939; website: www.lamonnaie.be), where the rousing performance of an Auber opera provoked the audience into starting the Belgian revolution in 1830. Notable touring companies to perform here include the RSC and Comédie Française.

The principal cross-cultural venue is the Victor Horta-designed Palais des Beaux Arts, Rue Ravenstein 23 (tel: (02) 507 8200; website: www.bozar.be), which hosts major temporary art exhibitions, French theatrical productions, classical and contemporary dance, classical music and the finals for the internationally renowned Queen Elizabeth music competition. The Cirque Royal, Rue de l’Enseignement 81 (tel: (02) 218 2015; website: www.cirque-royal.org), allows for varied performances in the round, including classical music, dance, musicals and opera.

The Halles de Schaerbeek, Rue Royale Sainte-Marie 22B (tel: (02) 218 2107; website: www.halles.be), hosts large-scale operatic, theatrical and dance performances and pop acts. Flemish-language theater and contemporary dance is well represented at the neo-baroque Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwberg or Royal Flemish Theater, Rue de Laeken 146 (tel: (02) 210 1112; website: www.kvs.be).

The ’What’s On’ sections of English-language Bulletin, the Wednesday pull-out section of Le Soir and the ’Agenda’ section of the Brussel Deze Week free newspaper (website: www.brusseldezeweek.be), available every Thursday, all provide cultural listings.

Information and tickets are available at the Brussels Tourist Office, Hôtel de Ville, Grand-Place (tel: (02) 513 8940) and the Fnac store at the City 2 shopping complex, Rue Neuve (tel: (02) 275 1111). The Fnac booking line (tel: 0900 00600) is for concert, theater and exhibition theater tickets. Ticket prices are usually priced around €13-70 for dance and theater performances, anything from €15-90 for opera and approximately €6-8 for cinema.

Music: The national opera house, at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Place du Monnaie (see above), continues to excel. With only 1,200 seats, it is best for visitors to book in advance. For Flemish opera, take a trip to Vlaamse Opera, Van Ertbornstraat 8, Antwerp (tel: (070) 220 202; website: www.vlaamseopera.be), or in Ghent at Schouwburg Straat 3 (tel: (09) 268 1011). The Palais des Beaux Arts (see above) is home to the National Orchestra (tel: (02) 507 8200; website: www.nob-onb.be) and Philharmonic Society, which organizes most of the major concerts in Brussels. The season, annually consisting of over 350 concerts, runs from September to June.

In addition to these major venues, there is the intimate Conservatoire Royal de Musique, Rue de la Régence 30 (tel: (02) 511 0427; website: www.conservatoire.be), which is tailor-made for chamber recitals. The auditorium at Musée d’Art Ancien, Rue de la Régence 3 (tel: (02) 508 3211; website: www.fine-arts-museum.be), hosts lunchtime concerts on Wednesday, from September to June.

Theater: There are over 30 theaters in Brussels. The leading French-language is Théâtre National, Boulevard Emile Jacqmain (tel: (02) 203 5303; website: www.theaternational.be). The main Flemish theater, Kaaitheater has two locations - Kaaitheater, Place Sainctelette 20 and Kaaitheater Studios, Rue Notre-Dame du Sommeil 81 (tel: (02) 201 5959; website: www.kaaitheater.be).

Innovative productions are performed in French at the Théâtre le Public, Rue Braemt 64-70 (tel: 0800 94444; website: www.theaterlepublic.be), while literary discussions and readings take place at the Théâtre-Poème, Rue d’Ecosse 30 (tel: (02) 538 6358; website: www.theaterpoeme.be). The American Theater Company (website: www.atc-brussels.com) is an English-language theater group based in Brussels, staging performances at The Studio Theater, Rue Waelhem 73, Schaerbeek.

One venue not to be missed is the Théâtre de Toone, Petite Rue de Bouchers 21 (tel: (02) 511 7137; website: www.toone.be), where classics such as Faust and King Lear are performed by marionettes manipulated by seven puppeteers. Performances are in French (peppered with local dialect), Flemish and occasionally English. It is housed in a 17th-century pub and offers a good range of local beers for refreshment.

Dance: De Keersmaecker’s Rosas Company is closely linked to the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Place de la Monnaie (tel: (070) 233 939; website: www.lamonnaie.be), while the works of radical choreographers (also contemporary music and avant-garde theater) are often staged at the Kaaitheater, Place Sainctelette 20 (tel: (02) 201 5959; website: www.kaaitheater.be), and Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg (Royal Flemish Theater), Rue de Laeken 146 (tel: (02) 210 1100; website: www.kvs.be).

Alternative music, dance and theater is performed at the trendy Beursschouwburg, Rue Auguste Orts 20-28 (tel: (02) 550 0350; website: www.beursschouwburg.be). Although contemporary dance is extremely strong in Brussels, there is no dedicated dance venue. An interest in classical dance is best pursued at the Royal Ballet of Flanders (tel: (03) 203 9585; website: www.koninklijkballetvanvlaanderen.be) in Antwerp.

Film: About 50% of films are shown in English (’VO’ - version originale), with French and Flemish subtitles. Programs change each Wednesday. Hollywood blockbusters are shown at the 12-screen, ultra-modern UGC De Brouckère, Place de Brouckère 38 (tel: 0900 10440). State-of-the-art Kinepolis, Boulevard du Centenaire 20, Bruparck (tel: 0900 00555), boasts 25 screens and an IMAX auditotium. The centrally located Actors Studio, Rue des Bouchers 16 (tel: (02) 512 1696) specializes in arthouse cinema.

Literary Notes: Brussels sheltered Karl Marx in exile and it was here that he wrote the Communist Manifesto in February 1848. Victor Hugo was temporarily protected at Place des Barricades 4, before being exiled once again for protesting against the government’s ban on refugees. Perhaps the best literary ambassador of Brussels is the boy reporter, Tintin, created by Hergé (Georges Remy, 1907-1983).

Brussels-born Jacques Brel, the celebrated singer-songwriter of Ne Me Quitte Pas/Don’t Leave Me (1959), has been adopted by the French as their own, as have detective writer Georges Simenon, Marguerite Yourcenar and other Belgian luminaries. But Belgium developed its own national literary identity during the symbolist movement and writers like Emile Verhaeren, Charles Van Lerberghe and Nobel Prize-winner Maurice Maeterlinck created a misty, dreamy ambience for art nouveau Brussels.

This taste for the fantastic and otherworldly, hidden in the hearts of staid Brussels burghers, was continued by Henri Michaux and the surreal visions of Magritte and Delvaux. This vision was shared by the comic artists too. Belgians have commandeered the Francophone comic book industry (Hergé is just the tip of the iceberg), proof that Belgians do whimsy and goofy charm far better than the French. For a British take on Brussels, readers should try the modern bestseller, Travels as a Brussels Scout (1997), by London-born author Nick Middleton.

Sport:

Football and cycling are the national passions. Brussels’ football clubs, RWDM (website: www.rwdm.be) and Union St-Gilloise, have their fans but RSC Anderlecht (website: www.rsca.be) is the ‘top’ team, based at Stade Constant Vanden Stock, Avenue Théo Verbeeck 2 (tel: (02) 522 1539). Anderlecht vies with Club Brugge for dominance of the domestic league, and sometimes makes it into the UEFA Champions League. Footballing passions were raised to fever pitch in the European Championships 2000, which was hosted jointly by Belgium and the Netherlands. The renamed and reconstructed stadium, Stade Roi Baudouin, Heysel (tel: (02) 479 3654) is the national venue, hosting the Belgian team’s home games and the cup final.

Belgium has an impressive record in cycling and Eddy Merckx did a fine PR job for the country by repeatedly winning the Tour de France in the 1960s and 1970s. His glory still lives on, celebrated annually in the Eddy Merckx Grand Prix, on the last Sunday of August – further information on (02) 349 1911.

The major athletics event is the annual Ivo van Damme Memorial IAHF Grand Prix (tel: (02) 878 2025; website: www.memorialvandamme.be) held in the Stade Roi Baudouin in late August/early September, attracting leading world athletes. Anyone take part in the Brussels Marathon, held annually in late August, starting at the Esplanade du Cinquantenaire and finishing at the Grand Place (tel: (011) 459 9978).

Fitness Centers: The vast Golden Club, Place du Châtelain 33 (tel: (02) 538 1906; website: www.goldenclub.be), offers weights machines and fitness classes and has the added kudos of being the place where Jean-Claude van Damme started off his action movie career. Opened for the first time in November 2004, The David Lloyd Center at Uccle offers a range of activities including, naturally, tennis (tel: (02) 534 9000; website: www.davidlloyd.be).

Golf: Brussels Golf Club (tel: (02) 672 2222; website: www.brusselsgolfclub.com) is located at Chaussée de la Hulpe to the south east of the city center, and offers day membership for an 18-hole round at €50 during the week and €60 at weekends. The 18-hole Royal Amicale Anderlecht Golf Club, Rue Scholle 1 (tel: (02) 521 1687), is located within Brussels itself. The club charges €33 for a day of golfing during the week and €50 at weekends, when prior reservation is recommended. Membership is not required. Brabantse Golf, Steenwagenstraat 11, Melsbroek (tel: (02) 751 8205; website: www.golf.be/brabantse), is situated close to the airport. Membership is required and green fees are €35 weekdays and €45 at the weekend. The Royal Golf Club of Belgium (tel: (02) 767 5801; website: www.ravenstein.be) is situated 17km (10 miles) to the east of the city at Tervuren. Visitor’s green fee is €90.

The Fédération Royale Belge de Golf (tel: (02) 672 2389) can provide information on Belgium’s golf courses. Several golfing packages are available in a program created by Martins Hotels (website: www.passbw.com).

Swimming: There are plenty of pools in Brussels’ sports centers. The one at the Center Sportif de Woluwe St-Pierre, Avenue Salomé 2 (tel: (02) 773 1820) is Olympic-sized. Océade, Bruparck (tel: (02) 478 4320; website: www.oceade.be), within splashing distance of Mini-Europe (see Further Distractions), is a modern ‘fun’ baths.

Tennis and Squash: The Center Sportif de Woluwe St-Pierre, Avenue Salomé 2 (tel: (02) 773 1820), has squash, badminton and tennis courts. Tennis is also available at the David Lloyd Center (see Fitness Centers).

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