24. Lowenstein Mansion [Council of State]

Architecturally, the Leopold district reached its peak in the second half of the 19th century; however, just after World War I, Alfred Lowenstein, a Belgian entrepreneur and investor – and at the time one of the richest people in the world – added this gem of a building.  He had the Parisian architect A. Sigwalt design a luxurious mansion that looks like it was plucked straight out of the City of Light. The richly sculpted façade announces an equally lavish interior with salons and private rooms in a historicist style that today serve as the setting for the Council of State’s sessions.  On the first floor, the visit passes through the light green dining room with wall paintings of fruit baskets and flower vases, and the fully paneled main meeting room with Versailles parquet.  On the upper floors, the highlights are the meeting room with its decorative tapestry in Oriental style, the antechamber with painted chinoiseries, and the library with its wooden fireplace and coffered ceiling in neo-Renaissance style. The visit also touches on the workings of the Council of State.