In September 1914, the courtroom of the Palais de Justice was changed into a makeshift dormitory. During the war, a large number of Germans arrived to Brussels, for which accommodation had to be provided. The number of hotels that were seized was insufficient to receive the 30,000 German civilians and soldiers who stayed in the capital. Like the Palais de Justice, a number of public and private buildings were used for this purpose.
Although the Germans had been driven out of Brussels in the first days of August 1914, a German community re-established itself a few weeks later. Formed in the context of the occupation, this community was characterized by a large socio-economic diversity. It was composed of railway workers and soldiers in charge of the surveillance of ammunition depots, but also of artists employed by the censorship office and of high-rank officials.