Horta Museum

The Horta Museum occupies the former home and studio of the architect Victor Horta at Rue Américaine 25 in Saint-Gilles, Brussels, Belgium. Built between 1898 and 1901 as two linked buildings, it is a landmark of Art Nouveau and part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing of Horta's major town houses. The facade is modest, with a curved bay window and ironwork details, but the interior is the draw. A stair hall rises through the house under a glazed roof that floods the space with light, with sweeping banisters, whiplash curves in the ironwork, mosaic floors and mirrors that multiply the view. Rooms include the dining room with its decorative tiles and stained glass, the studio where Horta worked and the bedrooms with their original fittings and furniture designed by the architect. Visitors can see how every element, from door handles to light fittings, was designed as a unified whole. The museum is small, so visits last about an hour and entry is timed to limit numbers. Admission is approximately 12 euros, with reduced rates for youth, and opening hours are mainly in the afternoons from Tuesday to Sunday, with seasonal changes and Monday closure. Weekday afternoons are least busy, while weekends fill timed slots quickly. A cloakroom is required for bags, and the staff ask visitors to follow the route in the house. Tram 92 or trams 3 and 4 serve the area, and the walk from Janson or Albert stops takes about five minutes. The nearby Rue Américaine and Parvis de Saint-Gilles have cafes, and other Art Nouveau houses are within walking distance.