The Hotel Belle Epoque, situated in one of the oldest and most magnificent streets of Berne, is the perfect backdrop for the modern, individualist traveler. Every room is furnished with original paintings and furniture from the beginning of the 20th century the Belle Epoque. As an answer to the formal rigidity of Historicism a new movement started in the late 19th Century, the Art Nouveau. The so-called Belle Epoque around the turn of the century makes generous use of ornaments, especially of organic forms provided by nature. This can be well seen in paintings and drawings from that time, but also in furniture design and architecture. The most impressive manifestations of the latter can be found in Belgium and Austria. Great artists of the Belle Epoque are among others the Belgian architect Henry van de Velde, the French artist Emile Galle, known for his splendid works in glass, or Hector Guimard, the designer of the famous entrances to the underground in Paris. Painters of international importance are Gustav Klimt, Alfons Maria Mucha or Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.