If you happen to be visiting the center of Europe, add a trip to the Ancienne Belgique on your agenda, especially if you are a culture buff. You can pair this visit with a sightseeing of the Brussels’ Opera House and conclude this kind of a culture trip in a day. Just make your Brussels taxi reservation ahead of time and you’re good to go.

History

Located on a historic site in the heart of Brussels, this place in the 15th century was the house of the retailers the Meerslieden. At the time, the house served as a reinforced bank vault, nursing home for the sick, meeting place and banqueting hall.

Three centuries later the complex became an actual center with a social-cultural role. The only tangible memory of this era is a commemorative plaque with the inscription "Meersliedenambacht 1781".

The Belle Epoque brought new glory - 1906 till 1913 the "Vieux Düsseldorf" was all the rage with a German style interior, seating for 1,500, two orchestras and music hall and revue artists. In 1913 alterations started and so the "Bruxelles-Kermesse" came into being, the same brasserie formula, but with acrobats, conjurers and film projections. Later on the hall was transformed into a popular dance hall.

Building success

In 1931 the whole estate came into the hands of Georges Mathonet, a 22 year old native of Liège, a real businessman. In no time, he owned similar establishments in Ghent, Antwerp and Brussels. The Brussels one would outlive them all, becoming one of the leading music halls of the moment. Very soon a time had come for a larger hall with double the capacity, seating up to 13,00 people.

The Second World War was no discouragement for Mathonet. The liberation led to a real boom in the world of entertainment, making this venue the center of it all, where magicians, acrobats, impersonators and comedians went on to arm up the audience. Charles Trenet, Gilbert Bécaud, Aznavour, Georges Brassens, Edith Piaf, Adamo, Annie Cordy and Bobbejaan Schoepen all performed here. There was a relaxed family atmosphere, where the audience ate, drank and chatted away as they enjoyed performances and music in the red velvet-clad hall.

In 1954, Bruno Coquatrix took over the running of the most famous music hall of Europe: the Olympia in Paris. He and Georges Mathonet became partners and ten magisterial years followed. The management cashed in on the French pop music of the 1960s, with artists such as Johnny Hallyday and Claude Francois and a different and younger audience.

Following the fire at the Innovation (1967), Mathonet was under the obligation to safeguard his premises according to the new regulations. This was a costly investment which was never actually completed. An attempt to turn the Ancienne Belgique into a Parisian Lido failed and a request for subsidies was left unanswered. In 1971 Mathonet was declared bankrupt and packed it all in.  
 

Change of course

The premises went in ruin for a while, until jazz and blues enthusiast Paul Ambach came on the scene. He saw it as the ideal venue for organizing concerts, so up until 1979 major artists ranging from Leonard Cohen, Herbie Hancock and Frank Zappa to Golden Earring, Lou Reed, Kraftwerk, The Clash and The Stranglers all graced the stage.

In 1977 the Ministry of Finance purchased the building, offering it to both the French and the Dutch-speaking cultural communities. Two State Secretaries for Brussels affairs had to fight it out amongst themselves - Vic Anciaux (VU) and François Persoons (FDF). The mission of the new Ancienne Belgique was to provide as many Flemish music fans as possible with a friendly meeting place in the center of the capital. It was to be a creative place too, an entertainment center for all.

The original name was kept, but the abbreviation AB was soon widely used. Manager Ivo Goris and his very young volunteers and temporary staff, turned it into an open house, where all initiatives were welcome, with training activities during the day and artistic activities and partying at night.
 

Renovation and looks

After repeated complaints about the noise, the city administration withdrew the operating license in 1980. In 1982 serious renovation works began, in phases, beginning with the Main Hall. The reopening of 23rd of December 1983 was an unforgettable moment in the history of the AB. But it soon became clear that the noise issue had still not been resolved. All night parties made way for a strictly observed closing time and new, less noisy genres were given a chance. Dutch-language music and traditional music from Africa, India and South America were included in the agenda, as was the cream of the dance and theatre world. Yet, police interventions, fines and threats from the biggest law firms were a constant reminder of the danger of closure.

In 1986 Minister Patrick Dewael decided to carry out a thorough noise investigation. The report was catastrophic yet hopeful and led to a new building plan. During the major construction works, the AB and the Kaaitheater, were temporarily housed in the Luna Theatre on Place Sainctelette. The AB returned to the center of Brussels once the works were completed. The greatly expanded premises were unveiled to the public at the reopening of the brand-new AB in 1996, while the technology that was used in the building put it on the world map. The new entrance can be found on Boulevard Anspach and overlooks a large market place. The Club is located in a separate sound-proofed area on the first floor. The Main Hall with its two floors, galleries and red décor is the only part of the building that hasn’t been renovated. The AB even has its very own recording studio from where the music from the concert hall can be broadcast throughout the world via radio, TV or the internet.
 

Today

Since the reopening in 1996 the AB can also count on adequate support, firstly thanks to the Music decree, later via the Arts decree. As number one pop and rock temple, since 2008 it can proudly count itself amongst the select group of ‘institutions of the Flemish Community’.

In all these years the venue’s profile has barely changed, bringing music of today, by people of today. The venue amazes with its concerts in the Main Hall and the Club, and with AB TV, AB Sessions, house chamber concerts, listening sessions and readings in Huis 23, and the outdoor summer Feërieën and Boterhammen in het Park concerts. The AB, and more specifically the Club, is still a real hotbed for young artists. And the future looks bright too!

You don’t need any more reasons to experience this place. Head to the AB after seeing the top landmarks in Brussels and let your mind grow culturally before grabbing your Brussels airport taxi service.