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Ommegang
Dinner
Once again, the ACB offers members and
guests a unique opportunity to view the Ommegang procession on the
Grand’Place while dining in one of the most elegant restaurants in Brussels. La Maison du Cygne is housed in a former
17th century guild house that overlooks the Grand’Place. From the balcony and
windows of a large private dining room, we will have an unparalleled view of
the Ommegang as the pageant unfolds on one of the most beautiful squares in
the world.
The Ommegang takes place
on Tuesday, June 30. Ommegang (literally “walk-around”) is a faithful
recreation of a splendid pageant that was first performed in 1549 for Emperor
Charles V, his son Philip II, and the knights of the Order of the Golden
Fleece. Staged at night on the
illuminated Grand’Place, the two-hour extravaganza includes flag-throwers,
folk dancers, archers, acrobats, jesters, jugglers, fire-eaters,
falcon-trainers, folkloric giants, stilt-walkers, and the famous Gilles of
Binche. Descendents of the nobility of the time play the roles and wear the
coats of arms and sumptuous costumes of their ancestors. This is a spectacular
affair, and one of the biggest festivals in the country. Our dinner evening
at La Maison du Cygne offers, literally and figuratively, a window on this
amazing event. Bring your camera. Please note that this is a
Members Priority
event (ACB, AWCB and Irish Club of Belgium). Non-members may only sign up as
of Thursday, June 18. Watch
official trailer on YouTube Event Details: |
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Dates
to Remember
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Final Friday Cocktails Friday,
May 29
Renaissance
Brussels Hotel The American Club of Brussels
is happy to welcome our friends from ACAB
(American Clubs and Associations in Belgium). And anyone else that would like
to join us... Cash bar open to
all. |
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A Guided Visit of the Comic Strip Route in Brussels
Join us on Sunday, May 31, for
a unique guided visit to the comic strip murals in the center of Brussels. We
will explore the city and its famous comic strip frescoes. This tour will
take you along several walls and statues of our famous comic book heroes such
as Tintin, the Smurfs, Lucky Luke, Astérix and Obélix and many others. The
project began in 1991 thanks to the initiative of the local authorities in
collaboration with the Belgian Comic Strip Museum to acknowledge Brussels as
the capital of comic strips. We will meet on the Grand’
Place at 3 p.m. and the tour will last approximately two hours. Please note that this visit is
limited to 20 people. Event Details: |
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Welcome to Summer at the
Cercle de Lorraine
Join
us on Friday, June 19, for the American Club’s Summer Drink at the Cercle de
Lorraine - Brussels’ most prestigious business club set in the historical
“Hotel de Mérode” on Place Poelaert, opposite the Palais de Justice. We’ll
be hosted by the Cercle’s president Baudouin Velge and the general manager
Olivier Boels. They’ll be more than happy to take us around the premises for
a private visit. Cash
bar. The Cercle will offer the zakouskis. This
is a members-priority
event. Non-members may sign up as of Friday, June 12. Event Details: |
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A Guided Visit to the Cauchie House Join us on Saturday, June 20, for a guided
visit of the Cauchie House in Etterbeek. The Cauchie House was built in 1905 by Art
Nouveau architect, painter and designer Paul Cauchie, in Etterbeek, Brussels,
next to the Cinquantenaire. Its façade is remarkable for its allegorical
sgraffiti: a giant advertising billboard for an artist couple. Cauchie met his future wife at the Royal
Academy of Fine Arts. Carolina 'Lina' Voet achieved a very good level in
painting, enabling her to teach drawing and painting privately. They married
in 1905 and decided to build a house on the 6 meters (20 ft)-wide plot of
land Cauchie bought next to the Cinquantenaire Park. He designed the front of
the house with the intention of advertising and selling their work: sgraffiti
for him and art teaching for her. As the house was easily seen from the neighboring
roads, it drew the attention of passers-by and demonstrated their know-how. At the very center of the façade, Cauchie
drew the words "Par
Nous – Pour Nous." The house was designed from the very
beginning as a joint work intended for private use. Cauchie did the drawings
for the house but worked together with his wife to design and decorate their
home-workshop. Cauchie and his wife filled the house with their multiple
works of art (paintings, wall coverings, furniture...). The Cauchie house is
a good example of the application of the principle of "total art"
in architecture. Our guide will once again be the excellent
Lieve De Jonghe. Please note that this visit is limited to
15 people. Event Details: |
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American
Club Brunch Bookalokal has arranged a brunch for ACB
members for Sunday, June 21, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Join fellow members
for a delicious start to your Sunday. The full menu –which includes 10 starters,
a main dish and dessert– can be found on the Bookalokal website, see below.
There will be a maximum of 16 guests and the host will be Guiliana in
Ixelles. The private address will be given to those who book. The cost is
US$33. The code for booking is ACB. The link for
the details and information is: |
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Ambassador’s Dinner AmCham Belgium and the American Club of
Brussels are pleased to invite you to their prestigious Joint Gala Dinner. We
are delighted to have, once again, as our guest of honor, the US Ambassador
to Belgium, Denise Campbell Bauer. This is an excellent opportunity to hear
Ambassador Campbell Bauer speak on the most relevant topics for the
Belgian-American business community. Denise Campbell Bauer has been serving
as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium since September 2013. Spouses and partners are
welcome to attend. Event Details: |
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A Guided Visit to the Autrique House Join us on Saturday, June 27 for a guided
visit of the Autrique House in Schaerbeek. The Maison Autrique was the first town
house built by Victor Horta. This dwelling was already innovative for its
application of a novel 'Art Nouveau' decorative scheme that didn't include
references to other historical styles. However the floor plan and spatial
composition of the Maison Autrique remained rather traditional. On the deep
and narrow building plot the rooms were organized according to a traditional
scheme used in most Belgian town houses at that time. It consisted of a suite
of rooms on the left side of the building plot flanked by a rather narrow
entrance hall with stairs and a corridor that led to a small garden at the
back. From the three room suite only the first and the last had windows so
that the middle room (mostly used as a dining room) was rather gloomy. Built by Horta in 1893 for his friend
Eugène Autrique, the Maison Autrique constitutes the missing link between
traditional private architecture and the emerging Art Nouveau style. All
typical Art Nouveau characteristics are already present in this early work of
Horta: fine iron pillars and columns of the façade, sgraffito, stained-glass,
mosaics, and the importance of natural light and decorative elements of
floral inspiration. These characteristics were to be developed and magnified
by Victor Horta and his disciples. In 2005, the Autrique house received the
Medal of Europa Nostra for "the
scrupulous restoration of an early masterpiece of Victor Horta, and for the
creation of a scenography which pays tribute to the private architecture of
Brussels and opens a door to an imaginary world." Our guide will once again be the excellent
Lieve De Jonghe. Please note that this visit is limited to
15 people. Event Details: |
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Brussels
American Community
Members of the American Club of Brussels
and their family members and friends are invited to attend the Brussels
American Community Independence Day Celebration on Saturday, July 4th
from 3:00 p.m. to midnight. Admission is free; the only cost is for your food
and drink. This fabulous event will be held at the Brussels American School,
Kennedylaan 12, 1933 Sterrebeek. It is being organized by the U.S. Army
Garrison Benelux with the support of several American clubs and associations
in Belgium. The day’s events begin at 3:00 p.m. with an
exhibit of World War II vehicles and classic cars. There will be lots of
family-oriented activities and concession stands for purchase of food and
beverages. Musical entertainment for young and old alike will be offered in
the evening by the SHAPE band and a DJ. The finale will be a fabulous and
dazzling fireworks display at 11:00 p.m. Not to be missed! If you would like to attend, please provide
the Club office with the following information for each person attending:
Please note that each person will
need to show the same piece of identification in order to obtain access on
the day of the event. In addition, you must be registered through the ACB and
on our access list in order to be admitted. Please register with the Club office (info@americanclubbrussels.org) by noon on Monday,
June 22. Lastly, we will be asking for volunteers
(two hours for each volunteer) to work at the bar, so if you are interested
in helping out during the day/evening, please let us know and give us your
preferred time slot, i.e, 3-5, 5-7, 7-9 or 9-11. |
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The American Club of Brussels is supported
by:
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