Situated along the canal, its particular, imposing, very military style does not go unnoticed. This is not surprising, given that what is known as "Le Petit-Château" (The Little Castle) was, for a long time, a barracks which housed soldiers on the edge of Brussels' city centre. The neo-Tudor style building was built from 1848 to 1852, according to the plans of engineer captain M.-B. Meyers. After housing riflemen, then the fusiliers of the 9th Line, the Petit-Château became a prison for anti-social offenders. It also remains engraved in the memory of many Belgian militiamen, as it later became the Belgian Army's Recruitment and Selection Centre. In 1986, it was transformed into a reception centre for political refugees. It's the oldest and most important reception centre of its kind in the country and can accommodate over 800 people.
Petit Château
Location: Bld du Neuvième de Ligne, 27, 1000 Brussels
