Programme
Guided tour
111 Headquarters of the Régie des Télégraphes et Téléphones (RTT): Brussels from above
[High up]
The building of the Régie des Télégraphes et Téléphones offers a striking view over Brussels. Its architect, Michel Polak, added another major project to a body of work that already included the Résidence Palace and the Villa Empain. A graduate of the Zurich Polytechnic, Swiss by nationality though born in Mexico, Polak played an active role in reshaping Brussels in the 1920s. Commissioned by the Belgian government in 1935 and set on top of a rise, the building towers several storeys above the traditional fabric opposite it and looks out over the centre and north of Brussels. Polak left nothing to chance. Careful maintenance has preserved not only the interior spaces but also many decorative details: the finely arranged corridors, the elegant sliding frames, the unusual observation turrets once used to study interference, the finish of metal elements, stair rails and ornamental ironwork, and the well-balanced combination of materials. The modernist RTT building offers 24,000 m² of office space.
In collaboration with the municipality of Schaerbeek and the Commission communautaire française (COCOF).
Practical information
Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 18:15
rue des Palais 44, 1030 Schaerbeek
Advance booking required.
Not wheelchair accessible
Assistance dogs allowed - Toilets available