Brussels WW2 Walking Tour: Life in Occupied Brussels

The official palace of the King of the Belgians. At this stop, we will explore how the population first reacted to the German invasion in May 1940, and examine the complex role played by the monarchy and the Belgian government before and during the occupation.

Now a high school, this building once housed a printing shop that became world-famous for a bold act of resistance against Nazi propaganda during the occupation.

At Belgium’s most important synagogue, we will reflect on the experience of Brussels’ Jewish community during the occupation: daily restrictions, persecution, arrests, deportations, and the systematic violence of the Nazi “Final Solution.”

Here, we will visit the monument honouring Belgian infantrymen of both World Wars, before turning to two major sites of occupation history: the Palais de Justice, occupied by the Nazis and set on fire during their retreat, and Avenue Louise, where the Gestapo headquarters became the target of a daring act of resistance by a Belgian pilot.

In the heart of the Marolles district, where black markets once flourished under occupation, this lively square conceals an almost forgotten wartime secret beneath its cobblestones.

Along this old street, a visible reminder remains of the Jewish people deported during the wartime roundups. At the end of the street, a nearly century-old women’s organization that courageously helped hide Jewish children from deportation continues its work to this day.

In April 1945, Hitler killed himself in his Berlin bunker. But in Brussels, the news gave rise to rumours, disbelief, and one of the city’s most unusual acts of public satire.

World-famous cartoonist Hergé continued publishing Tintin during the occupation in Le Soir, a newspaper controlled by the German authorities. After the liberation, he was accused of collaboration, raising difficult questions about art, compromise, and survival under occupation.

In September 1944, as local authorities regained control of the city, twice-occupied Brussels could finally celebrate its liberation.