The late nineteenth- century Maison du Roi is a fairly faithful reconstruction of the palatial Gothic structure commissioned by Charles V in 1515. He wanted to emphasise imperial power by erecting his own building directly opposite the magnificent Hôtel de Ville.
Despite its name, no sovereign ever lived here permanently, though this is where the Habsburgs sometimes stayed when they visited the city.
The building now holds the Musée de la Ville de Bruxelles.
