Remains from Parking 58 give insight into Brussels life centuries ago

The Halles Saint-Géry is the venue for Down in the River, an exhibition of remains discovered during archaeological excavations at the site of the former Parking 58.

When the Parking 58 building was demolished recently to make way for the new City Administrative Centre, a very deep hole was created for the new foundations - and archeologists were able to do extensive excavations.

For the most part, the objects unearthed date back to the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. They make it possible to reconstitute the way of life of the inhabitants of Brussels at that time.

"We can reproduce the dining habits of some Brussels residents,” said Marc Méganck, historian at Urban.Brussels. “There are shellfish remains, there are fish and animal remains of various species, there are plants - and we can even put the food in the dishes because we also found the dishes and utensils that were not only used for cooking but also to serve and eat from."

The exhibition also presents leather shoes and sandals, found in an excellent state of preservation. Most of the fragments lay in the water of the Senne, which preserved them from degradation. Afterwards, once the various elements have been collected, the task is to assemble them to reconstitute the objects.

"It's like a real puzzle", said Ann Degraeve, head of the archaeological heritage department at Urban.Brussels. "We put the elements together, we check if we have a proper fit, then we glue them, then restore them to be able to recreate the complete shape if we are lucky. And so, for instance, archaeologists can study the time and place of the creation of the ceramics.”

The Down in the River exhibition can be seen at Halles Saint-Géry until 31 December.