'Maison du peuple 65' by Baudouin Deville, Bérengère Marquebreucq — Photography Courtesy of ANSPACH
With the help of a red-haired detective, a Belgian comic book whose latest instalment comes out on Friday is seeking to bring to light lesser-known aspects of the European country's recent past.
Launched in 2018, the series by historian Patrick Weber and cartoonist Baudouin Deville sets fictional mysteries against the backdrop of key events and dates to paint a picture of Belgium's modern history.
The latest chapter Maison du peuple 65 revolves around the ill-advised 1965 demolition of a Brussels building designed by feted Art Nouveau architect Victor Horta.
"The idea is to revisit the common memory, to resurrect parts of Brussels that may have disappeared from the landscape but are still present in people's minds," said Weber.
The comic book's hero, journalist Kathleen is called to investigate the murder of a man opposing the building's demolition.
Home to the headquarters of the Belgian Labour Party, the Maison du peuple was built by Horta between 1896 and 1898 in his trademark style based around the aesthetics of curves.
The majestic structure in the central Sablon district was brought down to make room for a 26-storey concrete skyscraper as Brussels morphed into the European Union's capital at the height of a post-war economic boom.
"Nobody prevented an incredible piece of architecture from being demolished," said Nicolas Anspach, who heads the strip's publisher, Anspach.
Horta's other four major town houses in Brussels are now listed by UNESCO as world heritage and are among the city's main tourist attractions.
Authorities at the time "were not aware of the value" of the building, Deville said. The 1960s' indiscriminate urban development is now known as "Brusselisation".
Maison du peuple 65 is the sixth instalment in the series, which started with Sourire 58, a spy story paying homage to the Universal Expo of 1958, which brought to Brussels its landmark Atomium monument.
All books feature Kathleen, who like famed Belgian comic character Tintin, never ages. – AFP Relaxnews
