3-074-970 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The Royal Palace of Laeken, Brussels, destroyed by fire: entrance to the Palace, 1890. 'The Palace was beautifully situated on an eminence in a large park not far from Brussels. The building consisted of two wings joined by a colonnade above which rose a large cupola...In front of the building a fine expanse of lawn...the natural beauty of the grounds is enhanced by the presence of an orangery, a theatre, pavilions, and other ornamental structures. The Austrian Archduke Charles Albert was the designer of the Palace, which was erected in 1782...After the annexation by France, Napoleon I. occasionally resided at the Palace. Since the accession of the present reigning family, great additions and improvements have been made in the building; many valuable pictures and a great number of art treasures have been added to the collections; and the library was of considerable importance. The present King's father, Leopold I., is buried in a chapel in the grounds, where also are the remains of Madame Malibran...On New Year's Day...a fire, accidentally caused, broke out in the Royal Palace...which was entirely destroyed... We are indebted to a correspondent, Mr. F. Watkins, for the Sketches we have engraved'. From "Illustrated London News", 1890.