Aperçu

It was at the instigation of Maison Violet Frères, based in Thuir, not far from Perpignan, that Parisian architect Anatole Laquerrière drew up plans for an eclectic-style industrial complex whose rustic appearance recalls that of the parent company’s buildings in the Pyrénées-Orientales region. Thus were created the Byrrh establishments, which would manufacture and market a singular beverage created in 1866 and formalised in 1873. It owes its origins to the Pallade brothers and Simon Violet, itinerant drapers, who had the idea of concocting a medicine from wine and many other ingredients such as coffee, cocoa, elderflower, chamomile and cinchona. The beverage, which was first distributed in pharmacies, soon became a popular aperitif. Today, the complex comprises two main buildings linked by a courtyard topped by a triangular glass roof. The smallest housed the administration, while the largest, a warehouse under a metal cremona frame, accommodated the vats from France and the bottling process. The facades that have been preserved feature particularly accomplished polychromatic effects and textural contrasts, including a set of wine-related sgraffiti bearing the inscriptions "Byrrh" and "Violet". Bought by the City of Brussels PCSW in 2007, to turn it into a hub of urban economic activity, the complex, which was restored between 2017 and 2019, is now home to a market and businesses working in the sustainable food sector, linked to short circuits and the circular economy. All managed by Brussels Business Hubs. (CL 22/05/1997) In collaboration with Once in Brussels.

Practical information

Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00

rue Dieudonné Lefèvre 4, 1020 Brussels-Laeken

Advance booking required.

Accessible

Address
rue Dieudonné Lefèvre 4, 1020 Brussels-Laeken