Anderlecht is one of those Brussels districts that is known, if it is known to people from outside Belgium at all, for its football club, RSC Anderlecht, or for the rampant crime and general insecurity in the area around the Gare du Midi. The station is where the boundary between Anderlecht and the city centre begins, but it stretches all the way to the Flemish border in the green fields west of Brussels.
It would be hard to describe it as one of the more sought after neighbourhoods, and you could probably spend your entire life in Brussels without ever feeling a need to visit. Yet Anderlecht has some real surprises up its sleeve that make for a worthwhile trip. We got our first taste of what Anderlecht had to offer on the Green Ring walk, which passes through the almost rural west of the district.
The area around Gare du Midi (plagued by a crack cocaine epidemic and spiralling crime in recent years), could not be further from the leafy western outskirts. Even here, the wonderful Cantillon brewery is well worth visiting for its history and superb beers (the Rosé de Gambrinus is a particular favourite). To find the hidden gems of Anderlecht though, you have to venture somewhere between the two.
To get there we walked down the canal, which is showing small signs of gentrification but mostly still feels like the post-apocalyptic backdrop for the next installment of the Mad Max franchise. There are parts of it where people have mistaken it for a landfill site. Eventually you come to the Brussels Beer Project (a brewery only open on a Saturday), and from here the real Anderlecht begins.
A short walk from the canal brings you to Place de la Résistance and the Parc Central. This is a pleasant spot but on the other side of the park is the one unmissable sight of Anderlecht, the Erasmus House. It is true to say that the renowned philosopher, theologian and Renaissance superstar, Erasmus of Rotterdam, spent only five months at this house in 1521, but they have done an excellent job bringing his life and times alive.
Erasmus was one of the most influential figures of the Renaissance, and his works had a profound impact on the intellectual life of Europe both during his life and long afterwards. Now a museum, the house has a collection of thousands of written works by Erasmus, as well as paintings and prints by 15th to 17th century masters, including Albrecht Dürer, Hugo Van der Goes, Cornelis Metsys and Pieter Huys.
The house dates from the 15th century and is a magnificent place. There are also helpful and informative staff who will tell you about the items on display. We walked through the house in a state of disbelief at how wonderful it all was, but things were about to get better. We deposited an ID card at reception and in return received a key to the garden behind the house.
If at all possible, the garden was even more splendid than the house. A garden with medicinal plants is backed by a tree shaded grounds with ponds – in one was a quote from Erasmus, Festina Lente (More haste, Less speed). In a nearby square overshadowed by the 14th century Church of Saint Peter and Saint Guidon, we grabbed a local beer at the cafe La Fourmilière. Refreshed, we visited the Anderlecht beguinage, Belgium’s smallest.
Recently renovated, this former lay religious sanctuary for women was founded in 1252. It’s small – it takes about ten minutes to look around – but delightful. Afterwards we walked around the area and ended up in an Asturian restaurant. The Spanish region is famed for its cider so we ordered a bottle. It came with a battery operated cider pourer that may just be the most thrilling human invention of all time. Just another Anderlecht surprise.
Notes from Camelid Country 