Joseph Poelaert

Joseph Poelaert ( born March 21, 1817 in Brussels, † November 3, 1879 ) was a Belgian architect

Life

Poelaert studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels and was among other students of the important neoclassical Belgian architect Tieleman Franciscus Suys there. Poelaert's most famous buildings are the monumental Brussels Palace of Justice, which towered over time of its construction the entire city, the Congress Column, which had to be higher than the column in the Place Vendôme in Paris, to Laeken Church of Our Lady, the reconstruction of the Brussels opera house La Monnaie / De Munt after a fire, as well as numerous government buildings.

Poelaert a pleasure made ​​it, with symbols of the Greek and Roman mythology to decorate his buildings, according to which like to keep the viewer out and try to interpret them.

Poelaert, died suddenly and unexpectedly, four years before the completion of his main work, the Palace of Justice. From his work we have can not find any plans and documents after death. However, over 800 drawings have been found during renovation work recently in the basement of the palace. The drawings are to be passed by the building director of the National Archives and published digitized.

The most significant work

• Palace of Justice
• Brussels opera house La Monnaie / De Munt
• Congress pillar
• Church of Our Lady of Laeken
• St. Catherine's Church

After Joseph Poelaert is the largest square in Brussels named (place Poelaert / Poelaertplein ).