La Tour Japonaise & Le Pavillon Chinois

La Tour Japonaise & Le Pavillon Chinois Review

On the edge of the royal estate at Laeken, you'll find a pair of buildings seemingly conjured up from Asia: the Japanese Tower and the Chinese Pavilion. King Leopold II was so impressed by a Japanese structure constructed for the 1900 Paris Exhibition that he bought the plans for the 125-foot Japanese Tower and had a replica built on the edge of his royal estate at Laeken. The wood doors and sculpted panels are the work of Japanese craftsmen, and the building houses temporary Japanese art exhibits. The king also ordered the construction of a Chinese pavilion next to the tower; the kiosk and most exterior woodwork were made in Shanghai. The pavilion was originally intended as a deluxe restaurant, but it now displays a collection of 17th- and 18th-century Chinese porcelain and furniture. The admission fee includes both sights. To reach the estate, you can take tram 52 or 23 (stop Araucaria), or the metro to the Heysel stop.