Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta

In Brussels, the architect Victor Horta pioneered Art Nouveau at the end of the 19th century, dissolving walls into flowing iron, glass and light. Four of his townhouses are inscribed: the Hôtel Tassel, the Hôtel Solvay, the Hôtel van Eetvelde and his own light-flooded house and studio in Saint-Gilles, now the Horta Museum. The museum is the one you can visit regularly, and you need to book online in advance; the other three are usually seen from the street, with interiors open only on occasional guided tours. They are graceful, revolutionary spaces that changed architecture across Europe.