The fleamarket's a Brussels institution

Excluded from the confines of the 13th century city wall, this feisty part of town has always been inhabited by the fringes of society.

The neighbourhood gets its name from the 17th-century Marian Colentes nuns, later shortened to Mari-Cole and finally to Marolles.

Much of the area was gutted when the Palais de Justice was built in the 19th century. Area residents got their own back when the hated architect of the project, Joseph Poelaert, died in a mental institution in 1879, some say as a result of a curse from a Marolles witch.

In the late 1960s Marolles residents protested plans for expanding the Palais, convincing authorities that resources were better spent on renovating dwellings and other historical buildings.

Today, the Marolles pays tribute to its rich past with streets named for the tanners (rue des Tanneurs), Ramoneuers (chimney-sweeps) and goldsmiths (Orfèvres). This is also one of the few places where you can still hear the bruxellois dialect.

Sadly, the home of the Marolles' most famous resident, 16th century painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder, at Rue Haute 132, is not open the public, though at least there's a small plaque in his honour. He's buried at the Roman-Gothic Notre Dame de la Chapelle, not of one of the city's most notable landmarks but one with an interesting history nevertheless.

Melting pot

A multi-cultural melting pot

"It's a neighborhood that is very bruxellois," boasts Vittorio Polizzi, a Sicilian who moved here about four years ago. "It falls somewhere in between the chic of the Sablon and a working-class neighbourhood."

Polizzi, who owns La Manufacture Royale P.P. at Rue Blaes 51 (www.mrpp.be), says the neighbourhood is safe, alive and well and experiencing a re-gentrification. The shop sells reproductions of art works and furniture made of dark, heavy wood from Asia that Polizzi insists comes only from environmentally sound forests.

Shopping paradise

So where else can you go shopping? 

The flea market on the Place du Jeu de Balle, whose origins go back to 1919, is open from 6am until 2pm daily. By 1pm many merchants already start packing up, so best to arrive early.

More serious antique hunters should head straight to rue Blaes and the parallel Rue Haute, one of the only areas in Belgium to shop on a Sunday.

D+ Design at Rue Blaes 83/87 (www.dplusdesign.be), run by Italian-born Alessandro Dati, specialises in vintage Italian design and decorative arts by names such as Ettore Sottsass and Gio Ponti, from the 1930s to the 1980s. Dati, who previously had a much smaller store nearby, said the most popular items are vintage light fixtures from the 1960s and 1970s.

Elsewhere on rue Blaes, Le Comptoir at No. 114 sells decorative doorbells, knockers and drawer handles; Patricia Shop at No. 158 specialises in second-hand bras including the 'large size' Prima Donna model as advertised in its window; and a shop that seems to go by the name of Modes at No. 164 sells vintage adults' and children's clothing, and hats and hat pins like Grandmama used to wear.

The area's newest shop, A l'Olivier, opened just this autumn at rue Blaes 129.

It's run by Joël Gimlewicz, who's only too happy to let customers sample about a dozen kinds of olive oils imported from mainland Italy, Sicily, Spain and Greece. The store is the first foreign venture for the family-owned l'Olivier, whose Nice-based owners Gimlewicz befriended years ago.

Why the Marolles? "It's a very accessible neighbourhood, the rent is very reasonable and why not diversity the neighbourhood?" says Gimlewicz, who says that his fellow retailers welcome the move.

Between the rue Blaes and rue Haute, the Utopia-Gallery at rue des Renards 16 (www.utopia-gallery.com) is for serious Tintin aficiniados only. Owner Alain Van Neyghen, one of Europe's biggest Tintin collectors, normally opens his shop by appointment only. He doesn't remember how he became a collector, only that Tintin is Belgian and so is he.

There's more. Espace 161 at No. 161 (www.espace 161.com), 1,300 square meters used by several merchants to hawk everything from mounted stag heads, cow statues and pianos.

New De Wolf at Rue Haute 91, also accessible via Rue Blaes 40, probably has Belgium's biggest collection of Christmas ornaments and decorations. There's a second store across the street by the same name with upscale kitchenware such as EUR 85 spice racks and EUR 345 blenders.

Food for thought

The Marolles also boasts plenty of places to eat and drink, whether you're in the mood for breakfast (try the tofu omelets at Het Warm Water on rue des Renards), an afternoon snack (cake and hot chocolate at Indigo on Rue Blaes) or an evening meal. Madame Olsen, which opened about a year ago at rue Haute 189, specialises in Moroccan, Tunisian and French cuisine; all the furniture and decoration in the place are for sale.

For a full-blown meal try l'Idiot du Village (rue Notre Seigneur 19), a cozy bistro with an interesting menu, and Au Stekerlaplatte (rue des Prêtres 4), is known from good, hearty Belgian cuisine at reasonable prices.

Nightlife

Popular nightspots are techno palace The Fuse (rue Blaes 208) and Bazaar (rue des Capucins 63) a monastery-cum-restaurant whose basement bar is a popular club on weekends.

October 2004

[Copyright Expatica 2004]

Subject: Belgium, Brussels, leisure, Marolles