The construction of the Palais d’Egmont dates back to 1533, when Françoise de Luxembourg, mother of the famous Count Lamoral of Egmont, ordered the first of the buildings to be erected. The palace has subsequently been extended and reconstructed on several occasions, which has made it the magnificent one hundred metre-wide building that it is today.

You will notice that its facade features a series of arches that are supported on a set of Doric columns on the ground floor and ionic columns on the first floor. 

Interestingly, throughout its history, this palace has accommodated figures the stature of Louis XV and Voltaire, although what you will find here now is the headquarters of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Furthermore, the building will also go down in history as the place where, in 1972, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark signed the treaties by which they were acknowledged as new members of the European Economic Community. 

Regrettably, however, the interior of the palace is closed to the public, who have to settle for a visit to the gardens, which are entered from Rue du Grand Cerf. It is true that these gardens are not particularly spectacular because the Hotel Hilton, just to the side, blocks out a lot of light. Nonetheless, despite their slightly neglected and gloomy appearance, you will find something here to interest you if you are one of those people who want to remain a child forever: take a close look and you will see a beautiful statue of Peter Pan.