Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries
A historic glazed shopping arcade complex in central Brussels, combining retail, hospitality, cultural venues and public space.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
The Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries are a landmark ensemble of covered pedestrian arcades in the historic centre of Brussels, Belgium. The complex consists of the King's Gallery, the Queen's Gallery and the smaller Princes' Gallery. Designed by the architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar and opened in 1847, it ranks among Europe's earliest purpose-built covered shopping galleries and became an influential model for later arcades across the continent. The galleries were conceived as an urban improvement project. Cluysenaar proposed replacing a poorly lit network of narrow medieval lanes with a monumental, weather-protected commercial passage that would attract residents, visitors and prestigious businesses. The project received municipal and royal support, while a specially created private company assembled property interests and financed construction with public guarantees. Work began in May 1846 and the approximately 213-metre complex was inaugurated on 20 June 1847 by King Leopold I and his two sons. Architecturally, the galleries combine an Italianate Renaissance vocabulary with advanced nineteenth-century construction. Their façades use regular bays, pilasters, coloured surfaces and three superimposed classical orders, while the interior is covered by a high arched glass roof supported by delicate cast-iron framing. The two principal passages are more than 100 metres long and about 8.3 metres wide. A deliberate bend and central peristyle prevent the long perspective from becoming monotonous. Sculptural decoration by Joseph Jaquet reinforces the civic and commercial symbolism of the complex. From its opening, the galleries functioned as more than a retail destination. Their motto, Omnibus omnia, or “Everything for everybody,” expressed an ambition to create a broadly accessible public street with an atmosphere of metropolitan luxury. Shops, cafés, restaurants, offices and apartments share the complex with theatres and a cinema. The galleries also became an important cultural meeting place. Writers and artists frequented the Taverne du Passage, and the premises of a newspaper hosted one of the Lumière cinematographers' first public film screenings in Brussels in 1896. The retail mix has changed over time but continues to include luxury and specialist businesses such as chocolatiers, jewellers, booksellers, antique dealers, clothing retailers and leather-goods stores. Neuhaus is associated with the Queen's Gallery as the historic birthplace of the praline, while Delvaux is another notable luxury presence. The King's Gallery contains the Royal Theatre of the Galleries; the Queen's Gallery includes the Théâtre du Vaudeville, the Cinéma des Galeries and the Taverne du Passage. The complex has maintained commercial and cultural vitality despite changes in Brussels' retail geography. It is used for everyday movement, tourism, photography, exhibitions, film productions, private functions, workshops and seasonal celebrations. Restoration for the galleries' 150th anniversary in 1997 reinstated aspects of the original colour scheme, and contemporary lighting has introduced LED-based scenic effects without fundamentally altering the historic structure. The galleries were officially designated a historic monument in 1986 and were placed on Belgium's UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2008. They remain an active public passage and a prominent heritage shopping destination near the Grand-Place and Brussels-Central station.
History
The site takes its name from the former Saint-Hubert Street, a very narrow medieval lane whose name became established in the seventeenth century after a tavern dedicated to Saint Hubert. In the nineteenth century, the architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar proposed transforming the surrounding maze of poorly lit passages into a monumental covered street. His plan was approved by Brussels municipal authorities in February 1845, and a royal decree issued in April authorized construction. Financing and land assembly were organized through the Société anonyme des Galeries Saint-Hubert et de leurs embranchements. The arrangement combined private investment with public backing, including a guaranteed minimum return, while property rights were consolidated through a lengthy acquisition process. Construction began on 6 May 1846 and was completed in thirteen months. The 213-metre passage opened on 20 June 1847 in a ceremony attended by King Leopold I and his two sons. The three sections were named the King's, Queen's and Princes' Galleries in December 1846; the present “Royal” designation became official in the twentieth century. The complex represented a new type of European public architecture. It offered a climate-protected street, abundant daylight and a concentration of fashionable commerce, while its monumental scale and glass-and-iron roof projected Brussels as a modern capital. Cluysenaar drew on precedents including the Galerie d'Orléans in Paris and the Passage Lemonnier in Liège, but created a larger, three-level composition with a distinctive classical and Italianate treatment. The galleries subsequently influenced other major European arcades, including Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Commercial success was accompanied by an unusually rich cultural life. The Taverne du Passage became a gathering place for writers and artists. The Royal Theatre of the Galleries opened in the King's Gallery in June 1847, while the Théâtre du Vaudeville was established in the Queen's Gallery in 1884. A cinema was added in 1939, and a public presentation of Lumière moving pictures took place in the galleries in 1896. The complex later attracted surrealist and CoBrA-associated artists as well as generations of visitors. Unlike many nineteenth-century passages, the Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries did not undergo a prolonged period of decline. Retailers, restaurants, performance venues and professional occupants continued to use the arcades, while upper floors accommodated offices and residences. The façades have remained substantially intact, although individual shopfronts have adapted to changing tenants. A major restoration in 1997 recovered the original colour character through stratigraphic investigation. The complex received historic-monument status in 1986 and was submitted to UNESCO's Tentative List in 2008. Today it remains a working pedestrian route and a mixed-use heritage destination, hosting shops, cafés, cultural events, workshops, exhibitions, private functions and seasonal decorations.
- 2008
UNESCO Tentative List submission
[1]The site is submitted for consideration on Belgium's cultural World Heritage Tentative List.
- 1997
150th-anniversary restoration
[1]Restoration work renews the complex and recovers its original polychromatic appearance.
- 1986
Historic-monument designation
[1]The galleries are formally protected as a historic monument on 19 November.
- 1896
Early Lumière film presentation
[1]A public screening of moving pictures by the Lumière cinematographers takes place in the galleries.
- 1847
Grand opening
[1]The galleries open on 20 June in the presence of King Leopold I and his sons.
- 1846
Construction begins
[1]Work on the galleries starts on 6 May after property consolidation and financing arrangements.
- 1845
Municipal approval and royal authorization
[1]The project receives approval from Brussels' municipal council, followed by a royal decree authorizing construction.
- 1836
Cluysenaar develops the arcade concept
[1]Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar formulates a plan to replace narrow central Brussels lanes with a large covered commercial passage.
Products and positioning
A prestigious historic urban destination that combines protected nineteenth-century architecture with specialist retail, hospitality and cultural programming.
Historic arcade · 1847
King's Gallery
The northern principal passage, extending between the Rue des Bouchers and the streets leading toward Rue d'Arenberg and Rue de l'Ecuyer. It contains the Royal Theatre of the Galleries and combines historic architecture with shops, cultural uses and upper-floor offices or residences.
Historic arcade · 1847
Queen's Gallery
The longer southern principal passage leads toward the Rue du Marché aux Herbes and the Grand-Place. It is associated with prominent chocolate, leather-goods and specialist retailers and contains the Théâtre du Vaudeville, the Cinéma des Galeries and the Taverne du Passage.
Historic arcade · 1847
Princes' Gallery
The smaller, more restrained side passage connects the principal galleries with the Rue des Dominicains. It completes the three-part arcade ensemble and accommodates commercial and visitor activity within the protected architectural setting.
Theatre · 1847
Royal Theatre of the Galleries
A theatre designed by Cluysenaar and opened in the King's Gallery in 1847. It became a Brussels venue for operettas and revues and was substantially rebuilt internally in 1950–51.
Cinema · 1939
Cinéma des Galeries
A cinema venue established in the Queen's Gallery in 1939, continuing the site's long association with moving images and cultural presentation.
Brand decisions
2008
World Heritage candidacy submissionStrategyBackground
The galleries' architectural and historical importance prompted consideration for international heritage recognition.
Action taken
The site was submitted to Belgium's UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in the cultural category.
Aftermath
The galleries gained an additional formal heritage-recognition pathway while continuing to operate as a public commercial complex.
1997
150th-anniversary restorationOtherBackground
The protected galleries required conservation work while remaining an operating commercial and public passage.
Action taken
A major restoration programme renewed the complex and used stratigraphic research to recover its original polychromatic finishes.
Aftermath
The restoration reinforced the galleries' heritage identity while retaining their retail and cultural functions.
Recent events
- 2019
Tour de France passes through the galleries[1]
Other
The 106th Tour de France used the galleries as part of its opening-stage route through Brussels.
- 2008
Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries added to UNESCO Tentative List[1]
Regulation
The galleries were submitted for possible World Heritage inscription and entered Belgium's cultural Tentative List.
- 1997
Restoration marks the galleries' 150th anniversary[1]
Other
An extensive restoration programme renewed the galleries and reinstated elements of their original polychromatic decoration.
- 1986
Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries designated a historic monument[1]
Regulation
The Brussels complex received formal historic-monument protection on 19 November 1986.
- 1847
Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries inaugurated in Brussels[1]
Other
The newly built covered arcade complex was formally opened by King Leopold I and his two sons on 20 June 1847.
Sources2 sources
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