Stoclet House

Palais Stoclet and Gustav Klimt

The Stoclet Palace (French: Palais Stoclet, Dutch: Stocletpaleis) is a private mansion built by architect Josef Hoffmann between 1905 and 1911 in Brussels, Belgium, for banker and art lover Adolphe Stoclet. Considered Hoffman's masterpiece, the Stoclet's house is one of the most refined and luxurious private houses of the twentieth century.
The mansion is still occupied by the Stoclet family and is not open to visitors. It was designated as a world heritage site by UNESCO in June 2009.
In 1904, Adolphe Stoclet and his wife Suzanne commissioned Austrian architect and designer Joseph Hoffman and the Wiener Werkstätte (English: Viennese Workshop), formed in 1903, to design, build and fully furnish a house and garden. House and garden were conceived as one architectural whole.
Stoclet Palace was constructed on Avenue de Tervueren, in the municipality of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Brussels. The building is of asymmetrical plan, and the architectural features radically simplified in a way that looks forward to Modernism. The exterior walls, initially white, are patterned by the rhythm of neat windows while the corners and upper edges are defined by bronze mouldings. The tower over the main staircase rises to a bronze lantern ornamented with figures by sculptor Franz Metzner. The window which lights the stairwell rises the height of the building, a feature that was to influence other architectural works.
The interior of the building is decorated with marble paneling and artworks, including mosaic friezes by Gustav Klimt and murals by Ludwig Heinrich Jungnickel. This integration of architects, artists, and artisans makes Stoclet Palace an example of Gesamtkunstwerk, one of the defining characteristics of Jugendstil. The sketches of Klimt's work for the dining room can be found in the permanent collection of Museum für angewandte Kunst (MAK) in Vienna. (Wikipedia)
Culture History

Brussels | Wikipedia audio article

This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Brussels

Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.

Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain

Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.

You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:


You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:




The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates



SUMMARY
=======
Brussels (French: Bruxelles [bʁysɛl] (listen); Dutch: Brussel [ˈbrʏsəl] (listen)), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (French: Région de Bruxelles-Capitale, Dutch: Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest), is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the capital of Belgium. The Brussels-Capital Region is located in the central portion of the country and is a part of both the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community, but is separate from the Flemish Region (in which it forms an enclave) and the Walloon Region. Brussels is the most densely populated and the richest region in Belgium in terms of GDP per capita. It covers 161 km2 (62 sq mi), a relatively small area compared to the two other regions, and has a population of 1.2 million. The metropolitan area of Brussels counts over 2.1 million people, which makes it the largest in Belgium. It is also part of a large conurbation extending towards the Flemish cities of Ghent, Antwerp and Leuven, home to over 5 million people.Brussels grew from a small rural settlement on the river Senne to become an important city-region in Europe. Since the end of the Second World War, it has been a major centre for international politics and the home of numerous international organisations, politicians, diplomats and civil servants. Brussels is the de facto capital of the European Union, as it hosts a number of principal EU institutions (the two other capitals are Luxembourg and Strasbourg) and its name is sometimes used metonymically to describe the EU and its institutions. The secretariat of the Benelux and headquarters of NATO are also located in Brussels. As the economic capital of Belgium and one of the top financial centres of Western Europe with Euronext Brussels, it is classified as an Alpha global city. Brussels is a hub for rail, road and air traffic, sometimes earning the moniker Crossroads of Europe. The Brussels Metro is the only rapid transit system in Belgium. In addition, both airport, which is based in the Flemish region and railway stations are the largest and busiest in the country.Historically Dutch-speaking, Brussels saw a language shift to French from the late 19th century. French is now spoken by about 75% of the population. Brussels is bilingual in Dutch and French, as Dutch is spoken by a large part of the population as the first or second language, and is the majority language of Belgium. Brussels is also increasingly becoming multilingual. English is spoken as a second language by nearly a third of the population and a large number of migrants and expatriates speak other languages.Brussels is known for its cuisine and gastronomy, as well as its historical and architectural landmarks; some of them are registered as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Main attractions include its historic Grand Place, Manneken Pis, Atomium, and cultural institutions such as La Monnaie and the Museums of Art and History. It is also a capital of the comic strip.

Brussels | Wikipedia audio article

This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Brussels


00:02:53 1 Toponymy
00:03:02 1.1 Etymology
00:03:42 1.2 Pronunciation
00:04:39 2 History
00:04:51 2.1 Early history
00:05:55 2.2 Middle Ages
00:07:18 2.3 Early modern
00:10:17 2.4 Late modern
00:12:27 2.5 20th century
00:13:56 2.6 Contemporary
00:15:02 3 Geography
00:15:11 3.1 Location and topography
00:16:23 3.2 Climate
00:17:07 4 Brussels as a capital
00:18:39 5 Municipalities
00:21:24 6 Brussels-Capital Region
00:21:33 6.1 Political status
00:22:44 6.2 Institutions
00:23:57 6.3 Agglomeration of Brussels
00:25:00 7 French and Flemish communities
00:26:20 7.1 Common Community Commission
00:27:53 8 International institutions
00:28:58 8.1 European Union
00:30:56 8.2 Eurocontrol
00:31:28 8.3 North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
00:32:30 9 Demographics
00:32:39 9.1 Population
00:33:36 9.2 Nationalities
00:35:09 9.3 Languages
00:40:26 9.4 Religions
00:42:51 10 Culture
00:43:00 10.1 Architecture
00:48:40 10.2 Arts
00:51:47 10.3 Folklore
00:53:29 10.4 Cultural events and festivals
00:55:07 10.5 Cuisine
00:57:08 10.6 Shopping
00:58:44 11 Sports
00:59:57 11.1 Cycling
01:00:32 11.2 Association football
01:01:52 12 Economy
01:04:25 13 Media
01:05:28 14 Education
01:05:37 14.1 Tertiary education
01:07:13 14.2 Primary and secondary education
01:08:05 14.3 Libraries
01:08:29 15 Science and technology
01:09:02 15.1 Healthcare
01:09:39 16 Transport
01:09:48 16.1 Air
01:10:34 16.2 Water
01:12:02 16.3 Train
01:13:37 16.4 City public transport
01:14:03 16.4.1 Metro
01:14:57 16.4.2 Trams and buses
01:15:57 16.4.3 Ticketing
01:16:38 16.4.4 Other public transport
01:17:24 16.5 Road network
01:19:49 17 Security and emergency services
01:20:00 17.1 Police
01:21:05 17.2 Fire department
01:21:57 18 Parks and green spaces
01:22:58 19 Notable people
01:23:07 20 International relations
01:23:17 20.1 Twin towns and sister cities
01:23:30 21 Rankings
01:23:47 22 See also



Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.

Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain

Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.

You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:


You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:




The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates



SUMMARY
=======
Brussels (French: Bruxelles [bʁysɛl] (listen); Dutch: Brussel [ˈbrʏsəl] (listen)), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (French: Région de Bruxelles-Capitale, Dutch: Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest), is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the capital of Belgium. The Brussels-Capital Region is located in the central portion of the country and is a part of both the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community, but is separate from the Flemish Region (in which it forms an enclave) and the Walloon Region. Brussels is the most densely populated and the richest region in Belgium in terms of GDP per capita. It covers 161 km2 (62 sq mi), a relatively small area compared to the two other regions, and has a population of 1.2 million. The metropolitan area of Brussels counts over 2.1 million people, which makes it the largest in Belgium. It is also part of a large conurbation extending towards Ghent, Antwerp, Leuven and Walloon Brabant, home to over 5 million people.Brussels grew from a small rural settlement on the river Senne to become an important city-region in Europe. Since the end of the Second World War, it has been a major centre for international politics and the home of numerous international organisations, politicians, diplomats and civil servants. Brussels is the de facto capital of the European Union, as it hosts a number of principal EU institutions (the two other capitals are Luxembourg and Strasbourg) and its name is sometimes used metonymically to describe the EU and its institutions. The secretariat of the Benelux and headquarters of NATO are also located in Brussels. As the economic capital of Belgium and one of the top financial centres of Western Europe with Euronext Brussels, it is classified as an Alpha global city. Brussels is a hub for rail, road and air traffic, sometimes earning the moniker Crossroads of Europe. The Brussels Metro is the only rapid transit system in Belgium. In addition, both its airport and railway stations are the largest ...