Difference between revisions of "Brussels" - New World Encyclopedia

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'''Brussels''' ({{lang-fr|Bruxelles}}, {{pronounced|bʁysɛl}}, and sometimes {{IPA|[bʁyksɛl]}} by non-Belgian speakers of French<!--read talk page before making changes to pronunciation—>; {{lang-nl|Brussel}}, {{pronounced|ˈbrɵsəɫ}}; {{lang-de|Brüssel}}, {{pronounced|brʏsəl}}) is the [[capital]] of [[Belgium]], of [[Flanders]] (consisting of both the [[Flemish Community]] and the [[Flemish Region]]) and of the [[French Community of Belgium]], and it is the headquarters of most of the [[European Union]]'s institutions.
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'''Brussels''' ({{lang-fr|Bruxelles}}, {{pronounced|bʁysɛl}}; {{lang-nl|Brussel}}, {{pronounced|ˈbrɵsəɫ}})<!-- DO NOT CHANGE THE ORDER HERE WITHOUT A CONSENSUS ON THE TALK PAGE --> is the largest city in [[Belgium]], and the administrative heart of the [[European Union]] (EU). The [[City of Brussels]] in the [[Brussels-Capital Region]] is the country's [[capital]].<ref>[http://www.brussels.org/ Welcome to Brussels<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Brussels has grown from a 10th century fortress town founded by [[Charlemagne]]'s grandson into a metropolis of over one million inhabitants<ref name="History">[http://www.brussels.org/history/ Brussels.org - History of Brussels]</ref><ref>[http://www.kent.ac.uk/brussels/brussels.html Brussels: The "Capital of Europe"]</ref>.
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Brussels is the capital city, in the centre of Belgium, and also the largest municipality of the [[Brussels-Capital Region]]. This municipality inside Brussels is correctly named [[The City of Brussels]] (French: ''Bruxelles-Ville'' or ''Ville de Bruxelles'', Dutch: ''Stad Brussel''), which is one of 19 [[municipality|municipalities]] that make up the Brussels-Capital Region (''see also'': [[Municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region]]), with a total population of 1,024,492 inhabitants ([[1 January]] [[2006]]). The municipality has a population of about 140,000. The Metropolitan area has about 2,090,000 inhabitants.
 
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<ref>
 
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  Earth Info, ''earth-info.nga.mil'' webpage:
 
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  [http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/cntry_files.html].
 
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</ref>
 
  
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Brussels is also the political seat of [[NATO]], the [[Western European Union]] (WEU) and [[EUROCONTROL]], the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation
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Brussels is also capital of the [[Brussels-Capital Region]], of [[Flanders]] and of the [[French Community of Belgium]]. It is not, however, the capital of the [[Walloon Region]] ([[Wallonia]]), whose capital is [[Namur (city)|Namur]].
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(see: ''[[Brussels#Political centre|Political centre]]'', below).
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Although the [[City of Brussels]] historically was the city's core, the population has long since outgrown the [[Municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region|municipality]]. Today, the settlement of Brussels is effectively most often synonymous with the more recently established [[Brussels-Capital Region]]; one of Belgium's three [[Communities and regions of Belgium#Regions|regions]].
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Brussels is often considered the ''[[de facto]]'' capital of the European Union, and hosts key EU institutions such as the [[European Commission|Commission]], [[European Parliament|Parliament]] and the [[Council of the European Union|Council]]. Brussels is a [[metonymy]] for the European Union's government. Hence, many other pan-European organisations are also headquartered in the city. [[NATO]] is also based in Brussels.
  
 
==Etymology==
 
==Etymology==
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The name Brussels comes from the old Dutch ''Bruocsella'', ''Brucsella'' or ''Broekzele'', which means "marsh (''bruoc'', ''bruc'' or ''broek'') home (''sella'' or ''zele'')" or "home consisting of one room, in the marsh". "Broekzele" was spelt "Bruxelles" in French. In [[Belgian French]] [[pronunciation]] as well as in Dutch, the "k" eventually disappeared and "z" became "s", as reflected in the current Dutch spelling (French: {{IPA|/bʀy.ˈsel/}}; Dutch: {{IPA|/ˈbry.s(ɘ)l/}} or {{IPA|/ˈbrɘ.s(ɘ)l/}}). The names of all other municipalities in the Brussels-Capital Region are also of Dutch origin, except for [[Evere]], which is of [[Celtic languages|Celtic]] origin.
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The name Brussels comes from the old Dutch ''Bruocsella'', which means marsh (''bruoc'') and home (''sella'') or "home in the marsh".
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
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[[Image:SteGudule.jpg|thumb|[[St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral|Saint Michael and Gudula's Cathedral]]]]
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===Middle Ages===
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[[Image:Luc_Viatour_Hotel_de_ville_Bruxelles_1.JPG|thumb|right|[[Brussels City Hall]]]]
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The origin of the settlement that was to become Brussels lies in [[Saint Gaugericus]]' construction of a chapel on [[Saint Gaugericus Island|an island]] in the river [[Senne]] around 580.<ref>[http://www.city-data.com/world-cities/Brussels-History.html Brussels History<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref>
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[[Image:1941 église de la Chapelle par Léon van Dievoet 14 avril 1941.JPG|thumb|left|The Church of the Chapel at Brussels, drawing by Léon van Dievoet.]]
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Mention was already made of Brussels around 695: Bishop Saint-Gery of [[Cambrai]] settled a chapel on a small island. [[Saint Vindicianus]], also a [[bishop of Cambrai]], is said to have died in the neighbourhood of Brussels.  
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The official founding of Brussels is usually situated around 979, because Duke [[Charles, Duke of Lower Lotharingia|Charles]] transferred the relics of Saint Gudula from [[Moorsel]] to the Saint Gaugericus chapel in Brussels, located on what would be called [[Saint Gaugericus Island]]. The [[Holy Roman Emperor]] [[Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto II]] gave the duchy of [[Lower Lotharingia]] to [[Charles, Duke of Lower Lotharingia|Charles]], the banished son of King [[Louis IV of France]] in 977, who would construct the first permanent fortification in the city, doing so on that same island.
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The founding of Brussels is usually situated around 979, because Duke [[Charles, Duke of Lower Lotharingia|Charles]] transferred the relics of Saint Gudula from [[Moorsel]] to the Saint Gery chapel in Brussels. The [[Holy Roman Emperor]] [[Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto II]] gave the duchy of [[Lower Lotharingia]] to [[Charles, Duke of Lower Lotharingia|Charles]], the banished son of King [[Louis IV of France]] in 977.  
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[[Image:Brussel 1555 Deventer.jpg|thumb|left|150px|1555 map of the city]]
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The county of Brussels was attributed to [[Lambert I of Leuven]], [[Counts of Leuven|count of Leuven]] around 1000. In 1047, his son [[Lambert II of Leuven]] founded the Saint Gudula chapter.  
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The county of Brussels was attributed to [[Lambert I of Leuven]], [[Counts of Leuven|count of Leuven]] around 1000. In 1047, his son [[Lambert II, Count of Leuven]] founded the Saint Gudula chapter.
  
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In the 12th century the small town became an important stop on the trade route from [[Bruges]] (''Brugge'') and [[Ghent]] to [[Cologne]]. The village benefited from this favourable position and, as it grew to a population of around 30,000, the surrounding marshes were drained to allow for further expansion. The Counts of Leuven became [[Duke of Brabant|Dukes of Brabant]] at about this time (1183/1184).  
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Because of its location on the shores of the [[Senne]] on an important trade route between [[Bruges]] and [[Ghent]], and [[Cologne]], Brussels grew quite quickly; it became a commercial centre that rapidly extended towards the upper town ([[St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral]], [[Coudenberg]], Zavel area...), where there was a smaller risk of floods. As it grew to a population of around 30,000, the surrounding marshes were drained to allow for further expansion. The Counts of Leuven became [[Duke of Brabant|Dukes of Brabant]] at about this time (1183/1184). In the 11th century, the city got its first walls.<ref>{{nl}}[http://www.bop.vgc.be/didmat/ogenblikken/achtergrond/ontstaan.html Zo ontstond Brussel] Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie - Commission of the Flemish Community in Brussels</ref>
  
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From 1357 to 1379, a new city wall was constructed as the former one was already proving to be too small: the inner ring or 'pentagon' now follows its course.
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After the construction of the [[first walls of Brussels]] in the early 13th century, Brussels grew significantly. In order to let the city expand, [[second walls of Brussels|a second set of walls]] was erected between 1356 and 1383. Today, traces of it can still be seen, mostly because the "[[small ring]]", a series of roadways in downtown Brussels bounding the historic city centre, follows its former course.  
  
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In the 15th century, by means of the wedding of heiress [[Margaret III of Flanders]] with [[Philip II, Duke of Burgundy|Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy]], a new Duke of Brabant emerged from the House of [[Valois Dynasty|Valois]] (namely [[Antoine, Duke of Brabant|Antoine]], their son), with another line of descent from the Habsburgs (Maximilian of Austria, later [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor]], married [[Mary of Burgundy]], who was born in Brussels).
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In the fifteenth century, by means of the wedding of heiress [[Margaret III of Flanders]] with [[Philip II, Duke of Burgundy|Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy]], a new Duke of Brabant emerged from the House of [[Valois Dynasty|Valois]] (namely [[Antoine, Duke of Brabant|Antoine]], their son), with another line of descent from the Habsburgs (Maximilian of Austria, later [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor]], married [[Mary of Burgundy]], who was born in Brussels).
  
 
Brabant had lost its independence, but Brussels became the Princely Capital of the prosperous [[Low Countries]], and flourished.
 
Brabant had lost its independence, but Brussels became the Princely Capital of the prosperous [[Low Countries]], and flourished.
  
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[[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]], heir of the Low Countries since 1506, though (as he was only 6 years old) governed by his aunt [[Margaret of Austria (1480-1530)|Margaret of Austria]] until 1515, was declared King of the unified [[Spain]], in 1516, in the Cathedral of Saint Gudule in Brussels.
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===Renaissance===
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[[Image:Grand- Place BXL1695 -01.jpg|thumb|Grand Place after [[Bombardment of Brussels|the 1695 bombardment]] by the French army]]
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[[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]], heir of the Low Countries since 1506, though (as he was only 6 years old) governed by his aunt [[Margaret of Austria (1480-1530)|Margaret of Austria]] until 1515, was declared King of [[Spain]], in 1516, in the Cathedral of Saint Gudule in Brussels.
  
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Upon the death of his grandfather, [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor]], in 1519, Charles became also the new archduke of the Austrian Empire and thus the [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Holy Roman Emperor]] of the Empire "[[The empire on which the sun never sets|in which the sun does not set]]". It was in the [[Coudenberg|Palace complex at the Brussels' Coudenberg]], that Charles V abdicated in 1555. This impressive palace, famous all over Europe, had expanded a lot since it was first the seat of the dukes of Brabant, but was sadly destroyed in 1731 in a huge fire (all that now remains is an archaeological site).
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Upon the death of his grandfather, [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor]] in 1519, [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] became the new archduke of the Austrian Empire and thus the [[Holy Roman Emperor]] of the Empire "[[The empire on which the sun never sets|on which the sun does not set]]". It was in [[Coudenberg|the Palace complex at Coudenberg]] that Charles V abdicated in 1555. This impressive palace, famous all over Europe, had greatly expanded since it had first become the seat of the Dukes of Brabant, but it was destroyed by fire in 1731. All that remains is an archaeological site.
  
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In 1695 Brussels was attacked by general Villeroy of King [[Louis XIV of France]]. A bombardment destroyed the city's heart: more than 4,000 houses were set on fire, including the medieval buildings on the Grote Markt or [[Grand Place]].
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In 1695, [[France|French]] troops sent by King [[Louis XIV]] [[bombardment of Brussels|bombarded Brussels with artillery]]. Together with the resulting fire, it was most destructive event in the entire history of Brussels. The [[Grand Place]] was destroyed, along with 4000 buildings, a third of those in the city. The reconstruction of [[pentagon (Brussels)|the city centre]], effected during subsequent years, profoundly changed the appearance of the city and left numerous traces still visible today.
  
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In 1830, the [[Belgian revolution]] took place in Brussels after a performance of [[Daniel-Francois-Esprit Auber|Auber's]] opera ''[[La Muette de Portici]]'' at [[La Monnaie|De Munt]] or [[La Monnaie]] theatre. On [[July 21]], [[1831]], [[Leopold I of Belgium|Leopold I]], the first King of the Belgians, ascended the throne, undertaking the destruction of the city walls and the construction of many buildings. Under [[Leopold II of Belgium|Leopold II]], the city underwent many more changes: the [[Zenne]] was culverted (as it brought diseases), the [[North-South Junction]] was built, and the [[Tervuren]] Avenue was laid out.
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===Revolution===
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[[Image:Wappers belgian revolution.jpg|thumb|''Episode of the [[Belgian Revolution]] of 1830'', [[Egide Charles Gustave Wappers|Wappers]] (1834)]]
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In 1830, the [[Belgian revolution]] took place in Brussels after a performance of [[Daniel-Francois-Esprit Auber|Auber's]] opera ''[[La Muette de Portici]]'' at [[La Monnaie|De Munt]] or [[La Monnaie]] theatre. On [[July 21]], [[1831]], [[Leopold I of Belgium|Leopold I]], the first King of the Belgians, ascended the throne, undertaking the destruction of the city walls and the construction of many buildings. Following independence, the city underwent many more changes. The Senne had become a serious [[health hazard]], and from 1867 to 1871 its entire [[urban area]] was [[covering of the Senne|completely covered over]]. This allowed [[urban renewal]] and the construction of modern buildings and boulevards which are characteristic of downtown Brussels today.
  
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Beginning on May 10, 1940, Brussels was bombed by the German army; however, most of the war damage to the city was done in 1944&ndash;1945. The [[Heysel Stadium disaster]] took place in Brussels on May 29, 1985. The Brussels Capital Region was founded on [[June 18]], [[1989]].
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===Modern history===
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{{Expand|date=June 2008}}
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[[Image:Solvay conference 1927.jpg|thumb|left|The 1927 [[Solvay Conference]] in Brussels was the first world physics conference.]]
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The city has hosted various fairs and conferences, including the fifth [[Solvay Conference]] in 1927 and two world fairs: the 1935 world fair and the [[Expo '58]].
  
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Brussels is famous for celebrating its history, as well as history in general. This is most evident in the fact that Brussels has well over 100 museums.
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Beginning on [[May 10]] [[1940]], Brussels was bombed by the German army; however, most of the war damage to the city took place in 1944&ndash;1945. The [[North-South Junction]] was built, completed in 1952. The first [[Brussels premetro]] was finished in 1969, and the first line of the [[Brussels Metro]] was opened in 1976. The [[Heysel Stadium disaster]] took place in Brussels on [[May 29]] [[1985]]. The Brussels Capital Region was founded on [[June 18]], [[1989]].
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==Geography==
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===Climate===
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Brussels is relatively near the coastal areas, and its climate is therefore influenced by marine air masses from the [[Atlantic Ocean]], as well as nearby wetlands. On average (based on measurements the last 100 years), there are approximately 200 days of rain per year in the Brussels-Capital Region.<ref>[http://www.meteo.be/meteo/view/fr/360361-Parametres.html#ppt_757427 Site de l'institut météorologique belge]</ref>.
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{{Brussels weatherbox}}
  
 
==Political centre==
 
==Political centre==
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===Capital===
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===Belgian capital===
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====Belgium====
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{{Expand|date=July 2008}}
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{{Unreferenced-section|date=December 2006}}
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[[Image:Palace of Brussels.jpg|thumb|The [[Royal Palace of Brussels]]]]
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Although some believe, wrongly, that the capital of Belgium is the entire [[Brussels-Capital Region]], article 194 of the [[Belgian Constitution]] lays down that the capital of Belgium is the City of Brussels municipality.<ref>[http://www.fed-parl.be/gwuk0015.htm#E11E15]</ref> Arguments that article 194's use of lower case for "''ville de Bruxelles''" and "''stad Brussel''" makes a subtle difference and means that greater Brussels is the capital cannot be legally defended. However, although the City of Brussels is the official capital, the funds allowed by the federation and region for the representative role of the capital are divided among the 19 municipalities, and some national institutions are sited in the other 18 municipalities. Thus, while ''de jure'' only the City of Brussels is entitled to the title of capital city of Belgium, ''de facto'' the entire Region plays this role.
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Despite what it name indicates, the [[Brussels-Capital Region]] is not the capital of [[Belgium]] in itself. The article 194 of the [[Belgian Constitution]] lays down that the capital of Belgium is the [[City of Brussels]], a smaller municipality within the capital region that once was the city's core.<ref>http://www.fed-parl.be/gwuk0015.htm#E11E15</ref>
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[[Image:European parliament 002.JPG|thumb|right|One of the [[European Parliament]] buildings]]
 
  
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====Flanders and the French community====
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However, although the City of Brussels is the official capital, the funds allowed by the federation and region for the representative role of the capital are divided among the 19 municipalities, and some national institutions are sited in the other 18 municipalities. Thus, while ''[[de jure]]'' only the City of Brussels is entitled to the title of capital city of Belgium, ''de facto'' the entire Region plays this role.
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The national institutions of the Belgian state are spread loosely around the region. For example the [[Belgian Federal Parliament]] and the legislative chambers of the [[Walloon Region]] and the [[Flemish Region]].
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===Flanders and the French community===
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{| class="toccolours" style="float:right; margin:0 auto; backgrond:none; font-size:90%"
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| style="background:#FFF; padding:5px; text-align:center" class="toccolours"|
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{{Image label begin|image=Brussels-Capital Region blank stylised.svg|width=270}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.24|y=0.55|scale=270|text=[[Anderlecht|1]]}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.8|y=0.67|scale=270|text=[[Auderghem|2]]}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.2|y=0.33|scale=270|text=[[Sint-Agatha-Berchem|3]]}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.48|y=0.2|scale=270|text=[[City of Brussels|4]]}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.63|y=0.56|scale=270|text=[[Etterbeek|5]]}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.685|y=0.3|scale=270|text=[[Evere|6]]}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.328|y=0.67|scale=270|text=[[Forest, Belgium|7]]}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.25|y=0.27|scale=270|text=[[Ganshoren|8]]}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.475|y=0.64|scale=270|text=[[Ixelles|9]]}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.56|y=0.618|scale=270|text=[[Ixelles|9]]}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.28|y=0.2|scale=270|text=[[Jette|10]]}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.289|y=0.345|scale=270|text=[[Koekelberg|11]]}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.284|y=0.41|scale=270|text=[[Sint-Jans-Molenbeek|12]]}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.41|y=0.585|scale=270|text=[[Saint-Gilles, Belgium|13]]}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.524|y=0.424|scale=270|text=[[Saint-Josse-ten-Noode|14]]}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.584|y=0.36|scale=270|text=[[Schaerbeek|15]]}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.472|y=0.86|scale=270|text=[[Uccle|16]]}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.75|y=0.84|scale=270|text=[[Watermael-Boitsfort|17]]}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.76|y=0.446|scale=270|text=[[Woluwe-Saint-Lambert|18]]}}
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    {{Image label|x=0.84|y=0.568|scale=270|text=[[Woluwe-Saint-Pierre|2]]}}
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    {{Image label end}}''The 19 municipalities of the [[Brussels-Capital Region]]''
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| style="line-height:70%" | <ol>
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<li>[[Anderlecht]]</li>
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<li>[[Auderghem]]</li>
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<li>[[Sint-Agatha-Berchem]]</li>
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<li>[[City of Brussels]]</li>
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<li>[[Etterbeek]]</li>
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<li>[[Evere]]</li>
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<li>[[Forest, Belgium|Forest]]</li>
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<li>[[Ganshoren]]</li>
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<li>[[Ixelles]]</li>
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<li>[[Jette]]</li>
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<li>[[Koekelberg]]</li>
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<li>[[Sint-Jans-Molenbeek]]</li>
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<li>[[Saint-Gilles, Belgium|Saint-Gilles]]</li>
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<li>[[Saint-Josse-ten-Noode]]</li>
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<li>[[Schaerbeek]]</li>
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<li>[[Uccle]]</li>
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<li>[[Watermael-Boitsfort]]</li>
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<li>[[Woluwe-Saint-Lambert]]</li>
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<li>[[Woluwe-Saint-Pierre]]</li>
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</ol>
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|}
 
The Brussels-Capital Region is one of the three federated regions of Belgium, alongside [[Wallonia]] and the [[Flemish Region]]. Geographically and linguistically, it is a (bilingual) [[enclave]] in the (unilingual) Flemish Region. Regions are one component of Belgium's complex institutions, the three communities being the other component: the Brussels inhabitants must deal with either the [[French Community of Belgium|French (speaking) community]] or the [[Flemish Community]] for matters such as culture and education.
 
The Brussels-Capital Region is one of the three federated regions of Belgium, alongside [[Wallonia]] and the [[Flemish Region]]. Geographically and linguistically, it is a (bilingual) [[enclave]] in the (unilingual) Flemish Region. Regions are one component of Belgium's complex institutions, the three communities being the other component: the Brussels inhabitants must deal with either the [[French Community of Belgium|French (speaking) community]] or the [[Flemish Community]] for matters such as culture and education.
  
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Brussels is also the capital of both the French Community of Belgium (''Communauté française de Belgique'' in French) and of [[Flanders]] (''Vlaanderen''); all Flemish capital institutions are established here: [[Flemish Parliament]], [[Flemish government]] and its administration.
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Brussels is also the capital of both the [[French Community of Belgium]] (''Communauté française de Belgique'' in French) and of [[Flanders]] (''Vlaanderen''); all Flemish capital institutions are established here: [[Flemish Parliament]], [[Flemish government]] and its administration.
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===International centre===
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Brussels has since [[World War II]] become the administrative centre of many international organisations. Notably the [[European Union]] (EU) and the [[NATO|North Atlantic Treaty Organisation]] (NATO) have their main institutions in the city, along with 1000 other international organisations and 2000 international corporations.{{Fact|date=July 2008}} Brussels is third in the number of international conferences it hosts<ref name="ULB Int">[http://www.ulb.ac.be/docs/ulb-prestige/bxluk.html Brussels, an international city and European capital] Université Libre de Bruxelles</ref> also becoming one of the largest convention centres in the world.<ref name="diplomatie">[http://www.diplomatie.be/EN/belgium/belgiumdetail.asp?TEXTID=1754 Brussels: home to international organisations] diplomatie.be</ref> The presence of the EU and the other international bodies has for example led to there being more ambassadors and journalists in Brussels than in [[Washington D.C.]].<ref name="E!Sarp">E!Sharp magazine, Jan-Feb 2007 issue: Article "A tale of two cities".</ref> International schools have also been established to serve this presence.<ref name="diplomatie"/>
  
 
====European Union====
 
====European Union====
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Two of the main institutions of the [[European Union]] - the [[European Commission]] and the [[Council of the European Union]] - have their headquarters in Brussels: the Commission in the [[Berlaymont building]], and the Council in the [[Justus Lipsius building]] facing it. The third institution, the [[European Parliament]], also has a parliamentary chamber in Brussels in which its committees meet and some of its plenary sessions are held (the other plenary sessions are held in [[Strasbourg]], and its administrative headquarters are in [[Luxembourg]]). ''See also: [[Brussels and the European Union]]''.
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{{main|Brussels and the European Union}}
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[[Image:European Commission outside.jpg|thumb|The [[European Commission]] in the [[Berlaymont building]]]]
  
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===International organizations===
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Brussels is considered as the ''[[de facto]]'' [[capital]] of the [[European Union]] due to its history of hosting the [[institutions of the European Union|EU's institutions]], even though the EU has not declared any official capital city. The city plays host to the official seats of the [[European Commission]] (in the [[Berlaymont building]]) and the [[Council of the European Union]] (in the [[Justus Lipsius building]] facing it).<ref name="ENA COMM SEAT">[http://www.ena.lu?lang=2&doc=3102 European Navigator] Seat of the European Commission</ref><ref name="EC EiB">European Commission publication: ''Europe in Brussels'' 2007</ref> Furthermore three quarters of the work of the [[European Parliament]] takes place in the city at its [[Espace Léopold|Brussels hemicycle]] (its official seat is [[Strasbourg]]).<ref>{{cite web|last=Wheatley|first=Paul|title=The two-seat parliament farce must end|date=[[2006-10-02]]|publisher=Café Babel|url=http://www.cafebabel.com/en/article.asp?T=A&Id=2047|accessdate = 2007-07-16}}</ref>
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Brussels is also the political seat of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ([[NATO]]), the [[Western European Union]] (WEU) and [[EUROCONTROL]], the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation. Due to this, some countries have three ambassadors present in Brussels: the normal bi-lateral ambassador, the EU-ambassador, and finally the NATO-ambassador.
 
  
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==Folklore==
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Brussels began to host institutions in 1957, with the executives of the [[European Economic Community|EEC]] and [[European Atomic Energy Community|Euratom]] which were originally shared with [[Luxembourg City|Luxembourg]] but quickly met in Brussels for practical reasons. In 1965 Brussels gained the right to host the merged Commission and Council, with some concessions to Luxembourg, and over the following years the Parliament established an increasing presence in Brussels, although was required to maintain its presence in [[Strasbourg]] by the treaties.<ref name="ENA COMM SEAT"/><ref name="EC EiB"/> Between 2002 and 2004, the [[European Council]] also fixed its seat in the city.<ref name="Dragoman">{{cite web|last=Stark|first=Christine|authorlink=|coauthors=|title=Evolution of the European Council: The implications of a permanent seat|work=|publisher=Dragoman.org|date=|url=http://www.dragoman.org/ec/belfast-2002.pdf|format=PDF|doi=|accessdate = 2007-07-12}}</ref>
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Brussels' identity owes much to its rich folklore and traditions, among the liveliest in the country:
 
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*A good introduction to the Brussels local dialect and way of life can be obtained at the ''House of Toone''. This theatre of [[marionette]]s, originally located in the Marolles area, is now delivering its slapstick comedy in a 1696 estaminet a stone throw away from the [[Grand Place]].
 
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*The ''Ommegang'' (Dutch: ''walking around'') started in the 14th-century as a religious [[procession]]. Taking place every year in July, it now commemorates Charles V's [[Joyous Entry]] in the city in 1549. The colourful parade includes floats, traditional giant puppets, such as [[Saint Michael]] and [[Saint Gudula]], and scores of folkloric groups, either on foot or on horseback, dressed in medieval garb. The parade ends in a [[Medieval pageant|pageant]] on the Grand Place.
 
−
*The ''Meyboom'' (Dutch: ''tree of May'') is an even older Brussels tradition (1308), which takes place paradoxically on [[August 9]]. After parading a young [[beech]] in the city, it is planted in a joyful spirit involving lots of music, ''brusseleir'' songs, and giant puppets.
 
  
−
==Demographics==
+
Today the presence has increased considerably with the Commission alone occupying 865,000m² within the "European Quarter" in the east of the city. The concentration and density has caused concern that the presence of the institutions has caused a "[[ghetto]] effect" in that part of the city.<ref name="EUO buildings">{{cite web|last=Vucheva|first=Elitsa|authorlink=|coauthors=|title=EU quarter in Brussels set to grow|work=|publisher=EU Observer|date=[[2007-09-05]]|url=http://euobserver.com/9/24707|format=|doi=|accessdate = 2007-09-27}}</ref> However the presence has contributed significantly to the importance of Brussels as an international centre.<ref name="E!Sarp"/>
−
===Linguistic situation===
 
−
[[Image:Brussels signs.jpg|thumb|Bilingual signs in Brussels.]]
 
  
−
Brussels is officially bilingual, [[French language|French]], and [[Dutch language|Dutch]], although French, mother tongue of the majority of the population, is the [[lingua franca]] and the most widely used language in Brussels. The historical [[indigenous language]] of Brussels were [[Brabantian]] dialects particular to Brussels and related to Dutch. Research in the city's archives shows that Dutch was by far the most widely used language in both the population and the local administration until the French occupation (1793&ndash;1815), even though French had been the language of the local governors since the [[Burgundian (party)|Burgundian]] era. <ref>''Linguistic Usages in Brussels before 1794'', [http://www.paulderidder.be/history.htm] last accessed 14-Feb-2007</ref>.
+
==Culture==
 +
===Architecture===
 +
[[Image:Grand Place.jpg|thumb|upright|The medieval [[Grand Place]]]]
  
−
During the [[19th century]] however, as literacy progressed, most dialect-speakers turned to [[French language|French]] rather than to Dutch as their language of culture. The main reasons for this perhaps surprising fact is the higher prestige of the French language at the time - even the [[Flemish people|Flemish]] elites were French-speaking - and the perception that Dutch was the language of Catholic and rural [[Flanders]], with which most people in Brussels felt they had little in common. Moreover, there was much discussion in Flanders at the time about the standard language: should it be standard Dutch as spoken in the [[Netherlands]] or a (still to be codified) standard form of ''[[Flemish (linguistics)|Flemish]]'' ? This incertitude was an additional factor favouring French. As a result, people would often speak dialect at home or with friends but French in all other situations. Even today, it is not uncommon to meet (older) French-speaking "Bruxellois" who are unable to express themselves in standard Dutch but who speak or at least understand Brussels dialect.
+
The architecture in Brussels is diverse, and spans from the mediaeval constructions on the [[Grand Place]] to the [[Postmodernism|postmodern]] buildings of the [[Brussels and the European Union|EU institutions]].
  
−
A linguistic curiosity is the "Marollien" dialect, based on the Walloon of Liège and heavily influenced by the general (Dutch) Brussels dialect, which used to be spoken mostly in a central section of the city, the "Marolles/Marollen". Today, all Brussels dialects are on the verge of extinction, although some try to revive them (see links).
+
Main attractions include the [[Grand Place]], since 1988 a [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage Site]], with the Gothic town hall in the old centre, the [[St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral]] and the [[Royal Castle of Laken|Laken Castle]] with its large greenhouses. Another famous landmark is the [[Royal Palace of Brussels|Royal Palace]].  
  
−
Nowadays, the Brussels Capital Region is officially bilingual French-Dutch. There are no official statistics on the first language of the Brussels population since the State-run decennial linguistic census has been abolished. All studies carried on can only be estimations. However, according to a 2001 study by Rudi Janssen, a sociolinguist, and a similar study conducted by E. Corijn (both affiliated with the [[Vrije Universiteit Brussel|VUB]]):{{Request quote|date=April 2007}}
+
The [[Atomium]] is a symbolic {{convert|103|m|ft|0|sing=on}} metre tall structure that was built for the [[Expo '58|1958 World’s Fair]]. It consists of nine steel spheres connected by tubes, and forms a model of an iron crystal (specifically, a [[unit cell]]. The architect A. Waterkeyn devoted the building to science. Next to the Atomium is the [[Mini-Europe]] park with 1:25 scale [[maquette]]s of famous buildings from across Europe.
  
−
* 51 % of the Brussels population are native French-speakers (monolingual);
+
The [[Manneken Pis]], a bronze fountain of a small peeing boy is a famous tourist attraction and symbol of the city.
−
* 8.5 % of the Brussels population are native Dutch-speakers (monolingual);
 
−
* 10.2 % have both Dutch and French as a mother tongue or speak both languages;
 
−
* 9.1% of monolingual French or Dutch-speakers learn the other language later in life (this probably concerns mostly French-speakers who learn Dutch&nbsp;{{Fact|date=April 2007}})
 
−
* 19.8% speak French in combination with a language other than Dutch
 
  
−
The lingua franca is French, although knowledge of Dutch is considered highly desirable.<ref>[http://www.mr.be/programme/pdf/emploi/A313-Accompagnement-demandeurs-emploi-a-Bruxelles.pdf]</ref> Janssen estimates that 35.40% of the population speaks Dutch either as a first or as a second language. One of the consequences of this change of attitude towards the Dutch language is, for example, that most children in Dutch-speaking schools in Brussels do not speak Dutch at home (see [http://www.bop.vgc.be/onderwijs/tellingen/februari06.html the official VGC figures for February, 2006])
+
Other landmarks include the [[Cinquantenaire|Cinquantenaire park]] with its triumphal arch and nearby museums, the [[Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Belgium|Basilica of the Sacred Heart]], [[Brussels Stock Exchange]], the [[Law Courts of Brussels|Palace of Justice]] and the buildings of EU institutions in the [[Brussels and the European Union|European Quarter]].
  
−
The occasional imprecision of linguistic pairing can be quite amusing. Whilst some ancient streets have only their original Dutch name (e.g. ''Coudenberg''), others were originally named in French and have had their later Dutch names revised. For instance until approximately 2004 the ''Rue du Beau Site'' in Ixelles/Elsene bore two bilingual nameplates, the older giving, as the Dutch version, the hastily translated ''Schoon Zicht Straat'' and the more recent giving the more idiomatic ''Welgelegenstraat''.
+
[[Image:Cinquantenaire.jpg|thumb|left|[[Cinquantenaire]] triumphal arch]]
  
−
It should be noted that due to the growth of the [[city of Brussels]], the periphery, which is institutionally part of Dutch-speaking Flanders, has attracted a large French-speaking population. In some of the municipalities immediately bordering the Brussels Capital Region, the majority of the population is French-speaking, in a few cases numbering over 70%. This is one of the major sources of linguistic conflict in Belgium.
+
Cultural facilities include the Brussels Theatre and the [[La Monnaie]] Theatre and opera house. There is a wide array of museums, from the [[Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium|Royal Museum of Fine Art]] to the [[Musée Royal de l'Armée| Museum of the Army]] and the [[Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée| Comic Museum]]. Brussels also has a lively music scene, with everything from opera houses and concert halls to music bars and techno clubs.  
  
−
==Universities and colleges==
+
The city centre is notable for its Flemish town houses. Also particularly striking are the buildings in the [[Art Nouveau]] style by the Brussels architect [[Victor Horta]]. In the heyday of Art Nouveau new Brussels suburbs were developed, and much buildings are in this style. The architecture of the quarter [[Schaerbeek]], [[Etterbeek]] [[Ixelles]], and [[Saint-Gilles]] is particularly worth seeing. Another example of Brussels Art Nouveau is the [[Stoclet Palace]], by the Viennese architect [[Josef Hoffmann]]. The modern buildings of [[Espace Leopold]] complete the picture.  
−
Brussels has several [[university|universities]], the [[Université Libre de Bruxelles]] (ULB), the [[Vrije Universiteit Brussel]] (VUB), the [[Facultés Universitaires Saint Louis]] (FUSL), the [[Katholieke Universiteit Brussel]] (KUB) and the [[Royal Military Academy (Belgium)|Royal Military Academy]] (RMA). A satellite campus of the [[Université Catholique de Louvain]] (UCL) is also located in Brussels: it is called "Louvain-en-Woluwe" or "UCL-Brussels", and hosts the faculty of Medicine of the university.
 
  
−
The Conservatoire Royal and the [[Koninklijk Conservatorium (Brussel)|Koninklijk Conservatorium]] are [[drama]] schools in the city attended by many of the top actors and actresses to come out of [[Belgium]].
+
[[Image:Atomium 20-08-07.jpg|thumb|The [[Atomium]] in [[Heysel|Heysel Park]]]]
  
−
==Transport==
+
The city has had a renown artist scene for many years. The famous Belgian surrealist [[René Magritte]], for example, studied in Brussels. The city is also a capital of the comic strip; some treasured Belgian characters are [[Lucky Luke]], [[Tintin]], [[Cubitus]], [[Gaston Lagaffe]] and [[Marsupilami]]. Throughout the city walls are painted with large motifs of comic book characters, and the interiors of some Metro stations are designed by artists. The [[Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée|Belgian Comics Museum]] combines two artistic leitmotifs of Brussels, being a museum devoted to Belgian comic strips, housed in the former Waucquez department store, designed by [[Victor Horta]] in the [[Art Nouveau]] style.
−
[[Image:Metro bruxelles station debrouckere.jpg|thumb|Brussels metro (actually here ''premetro''), ''de Brouckère'' station]]
+
 
−
[[Image:Gare du Nord Nr 2.jpg|thumb|Platforms at Brussels North station]]
+
The [[King Baudouin Stadium]] is a concert and competition facility with a 50,000 seat capacity, the largest in Belgium. The site was formerly occupied by the [[Heysel Stadium]], which in 1985 saw one of the worst disasters in European football, when 39 deaths and over 400 serious injuries were suffered after English [[hooligans]] fell on Italian football fans, sparking a mass panic.
 +
 
 +
===Arts===
 +
Brussels contains over 40 museums,<ref>[http://www.brussels.org/mus.htm Museum<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref> including the Museum of Modern Art<ref>[http://www.trabel.com/brussel/brussels-museums-modernart.htm Museum of Modern Art in Brussels. Museum Moderne Kunst Brussel. Musée d'art moderne Bruxelles<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref>, and the [[Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium]]. The museum has an extensive collection of various painters, such as the [[Flemish painting| Flemish painters]] like [[Pieter Brueghel the Elder|Brueghel]], [[Rogier van der Weyden]], [[Robert Campin]], [[Anthony van Dyck]], and [[Jacob Jordaens]].
 +
 
 +
===Gastronomy===
 +
[[Image:Brussels waffle.jpg|thumb|150px|Brussels is known for its local [[waffle]] (pictured) and chocolate.]]
 +
Brussels is known for its local [[waffle]], its [[chocolate]], its [[french fries]] and its numerous types of [[beer]]s . The [[Brussels sprout]] was first cultivated in Brussels, hence its name.
 +
 
 +
The gastronomic offer includes approximately 1,800 restaurants, and a number of high quality bars. The Belgian cuisine is known among connoisseurs as one of the best in Europe. In addition to the traditional restaurants, there is a large number of cafés, bistros and the usual range of international fast food chains. The cafés are similar to bars, and offer beer and light dishes, coffee houses in the usual sense are the Salons de Thé. Also widespread are ''brasseries'', which usually offer a large number of beers and typical national dishes.
 +
 
 +
The Belgian cuisine is characterized by the combination of French cuisine with the more hearty Flemish fare. Notable specialities include [[Brussels waffle]]s (gaufres) and [[mussels]] (usually as "moules frites," served with fries). The city is a stronghold of chocolate and pralines manufacturers with traditional companies like Godiva, Neuhaus and Leonidas. Numerous [[friteries]] are spread throughout the city, and in tourist areas, fresh, hot, waffles are also sold on the street.
 +
 
 +
In addition to the regular selection of Belgian beer, the famous [[lambic]] style of beer is only brewed in and around Brussels, and the yeasts have their origin in the Senne valley. In mild contrast to the other versions, [[Kriek]] (cherry beer) enjoys outstanding popularity, as it does in the rest of Belgium. Kriek is available in almost every bar or restaurant.
 +
 
 +
==Economy==
 +
{{see|Economy of Belgium}}
 +
Serving as the centre of administration for Europe, Brussels' economy is largely service-oriented. It is dominated by regional headquarters of multinationals, by European institutions, by various administrations, and by related services, though it does have a number of notable craft industries, such as the [[Cantillon Brewery]], a [[lambic]] brewery founded in 1900.
 +
 
 +
==Languages==
 +
{{Refimprovesect|date=July 2008}}
 +
[[Image:Languages spoken at home in the Brussels Capital Region (2006).svg|thumb|Languages spoken at home (Capital Region, 2006)<ref name="rudi3">{{nl}}[http://www.brusselsstudies.be/PDF/NL_51_BruS13NL.pdf ”Taalgebruik in Brussel en de plaats van het Nederlands. Enkele recente bevindingen”], Rudi Janssens, Brussels Studies, Nummer 13, [[7 January]] [[2008]] (see page 4).</ref><br />{{legend|#0084ff|French only}}{{legend|#11cbd9|French & Dutch}}{{legend|#7700bb|French w/ another non-Dutch language}}{{legend|#1abb45|Dutch only}}{{legend|#d00000|Neither French nor Dutch}}]]
  
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===Connections===
+
{{see also|Frenchification of Brussels}}
−
'''Brussels''' is served by [[Brussels Airport]], located in the nearby Flemish municipality of [[Zaventem]], and by the much smaller so-called [[Charleroi Brussels South|Brussels South Airport]], located near [[Charleroi]] (Wallonia), some 50km from Brussels. Brussels is also served by direct high-speed rail links: to the [[United Kingdom]] by the [[Eurostar]] train via the Channel Tunnel; to Amsterdam, Paris and Cologne by the [[Thalys]]; and to Cologne and Frankfurt by the German [[ICE]].
+
Originally a Dutch-speaking city, Brussels is nowadays officially bilingual [[French language|French]]-[[Dutch language|Dutch]].<ref name="vl">{{nl}}[http://brussel.vlaanderen.be/brusselhistorisch.html "Brussel historisch"], Hoofdstedelijke Aangelegenheden, Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap</ref><ref name="ULB">{{fr}}[http://www.ulb.ac.be/philo/spf/langue/francais.htm#CHAP%203 "Histoire de la langue"], Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)</ref> French is the mother tongue of the majority of the population and the [[lingua franca]]. Research in the city's archives shows that Dutch was by far the most widely used language in local administration until the French occupation (1793-1815),<ref name="mythe">{{nl}}[http://www.paulderidder.be/print/taalgebruik.pdf "De mythe van de vroege verfransing"], Taalgebruik te Brussel van de 12de eeuw tot 1794, Paul De Ridder</ref> even though French had been the language of the local governors since the [[Burgundian (party)|Burgundian]] era.<ref>''Linguistic Usages in Brussels before 1794'', [http://www.paulderidder.be/history.htm] last accessed [[14 February]] [[2007]]</ref> From 1880 on, more and more Dutch-speaking people became bilingual, resulting in a rise of monolingual French-speakers after 1910. Halfway through the 20th century the number of monolingual French-speakers carried the day over the (mostly) bilingual Flemish inhabitants.<ref name="brio4">{{nl}}[http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/andere%20publicaties/btng-rbhc,%2021,%201990,%203-4,%20pp%20383-412.pdf "Thuis in gescheiden werelden" — De migratoire en sociale aspecten van verfransing te Brussel in het midden van de 19e eeuw"], BTNG-RBHC, XXI, 1990, 3-4, pp. 383-412, Machteld de Metsenaere, Eerst aanwezend assistent en docent Vrije Universiteit Brussel</ref>
  
−
===Public transport===
+
During the 19th century most dialect-speakers (speaking the local dialect of Dutch) turned to French rather than to Dutch as their language of culture. The main reasons for this were the higher prestige of the French language at the time (even the Flemish elites had adopted French), the perception that Dutch was the language of rural and poor [[Flanders]] and the fact that the Belgian administration was solely conducted in French. The education system was almost exclusively French-speaking, which hampered the spread of the Dutch standard language and contributed to low-class image of Dutch.<ref name="brio3">{{nl}}[http://www.brio.sharedfolder.net/Taal_sociale_integr_4.pdf "Taal- en onderwijspolitiek te Brussel (1878-1914)"], Harry van Velthoven, p261-443, Taal en Sociale Integratie 4, Brussel, VUB, 1981</ref> As a result, people would often speak a Dutch dialect in private but French in public occasions. Even today, it is not uncommon to meet (older) French-speaking "Bruxellois" who are unable to express themselves in standard Dutch but who speak or at least understand the [[Brabantian]] dialect.
−
The [[Brussels metro]] dates back to 1976, but underground lines known as ''premetro'' have been serviced by tramways since 1968. A comprehensive bus and [[Brussels trams|tram network]] also covers the city. Brussels also has its own port on the [[Willebroek]] canal located in the northwest of the city.
 
  
−
There are four companies managing public transport inside Brussels:
+
A linguistic curiosity is [[Marols]] (''Marollien''), a variant of the Dutch dialect of Brussels heavily influenced by the [[Walloon language|Walloon]] of [[Liège]], which used to be spoken mostly in the [[Marolles]]/[[Marollen]], a central section of the city. Today, all Brussels dialects are on the verge of extinction.<ref>{{nl}}de Vriendt, Sera: ''Taal in stad en land - Brussels'', Uitgeverij Terra - Lannoo, 2004, ISBN 90-209-5857-7</ref>
−
* [[STIB/MIVB]] (metro, bus, tram; Brussels' Regional services)
 
−
* [[NMBS/SNCB]] (train, organised on a Belgian scale)
 
−
* [[De Lijn]] (buses based in Flanders)
 
−
* [[TEC (transport)|TEC]] (buses based in Wallonia)
 
−
An interticketing system means that a STIB/MIVB ticket holder can use the train or long-distance buses inside the city. The commuter services operated by De Lijn, TEC and SNCB/NMBS will in the next few years be augmented by a metropolitan [[RER]] rail network around Brussels.
 
  
−
Since 2003 Brussels has had a car-sharing service operated by the [[Bremen]] company Cambio in partnership with STIB/MIVB and local ridesharing company taxi stop. In 2006 shared bicycles were also introduced.
+
Nowadays, the Brussels Capital Region is officially bilingual French-Dutch. There are no official linguistic statistics since the State-run decennial linguistic census has been abolished after the fixation of the Belgian [[language border]]. All studies carried out can only be estimations.
  
−
===Railway stations===
+
[[Image:Manneke pis 2 Sept2005.jpg|150px|thumb|left|[[Manneken Pis]] is seen as a symbol of French and Dutch cohabitation in Brussels.<ref>{{cite web |language=Dutch |url=http://www.taalrespect.be/archives/2007/08/25/manneken-pis-schrijft-slecht-nederlands/ |title=Manneken-Pis schrijft slecht Nederlands |publisher=Het Nieuwsblad |date=2007-08-25}}</ref>]]
−
The major stations in Brussels are on the [[North-South Junction]]:
 
−
* [[North station (Brussels)|Brussels North]] (French: ''Gare du Nord'', Dutch: ''Brussel-Noord'')
 
−
* [[Central station (Brussels)|Brussels Central]] (French: ''Gare Centrale'', Dutch: ''Brussel-Centraal'')
 
−
* [[Bruxelles Gare du Midi / Brussel-Zuid railway station|Brussels South]] (French: ''Gare du Midi'' or ''Bruxelles-Midi'', Dutch: ''Brussel-Zuid'') (the [[Eurostar]], [[Thalys]], HST or [[TGV]] and [[InterCityExpress|ICE]] international terminal)
 
  
−
Two more stations serve the [[European Union|EU]] district in Brussels. Trains towards [[Namur (city)|Namur]] and [[Luxembourg]] call at:
+
As Brussels is the capital of a country of which 60% of the inhabitants are Dutch speakers, and the Brussels Region is completely surrounded by the Flemish region, it is logical that many Dutch speakers from the periphery come to the city for working, shopping and going out.
−
* [[Brussels Luxembourg railway station|Brussels Luxembourg/Luxemburg]]
+
So, although the lingua franca is French, knowledge of Dutch is considered highly desirable.<ref>[http://www.mr.be/programme/pdf/emploi/A313-Accompagnement-demandeurs-emploi-a-Bruxelles.pdf L’accompagnement des demandeurs d’emploi à Bruxelles]</ref> One of the consequences of this change of attitude towards the Dutch language is, for example, that most children in Dutch-speaking schools in Brussels do not speak Dutch at home.<ref>[http://www.bop.vgc.be/onderwijs/tellingen/februari06.html the official VGC figures for February, 2006]</ref> Janssens estimates that 28.23% of the population have a ''good to perfect'' knowledge of Dutch (either as a first or as a second language). For English this is 35.4% and for French 95%, due to its role as lingua franca.<ref name="lesoir">{{fr}}[http://www.lesoir.be/regions/bruxelles/enquete-le-francais-maitrise-2008-01-08-570166.shtml "Welcome supplante Welkom à Bruxelles"], Le Soir, [[8 January]] [[2008]]</ref><ref name="rudi3"/>
−
* [[Schuman station|Brussels Schuman]]
 
  
−
The last two stations located in the centre of Brussels (they also are on the North-South Junction and operate only in rush hours) are:
+
The occasional imprecision of linguistic pairing can be quite amusing. Whilst some ancient streets have only their original Dutch name (e.g. ''[[Coudenberg]]''), others were originally named in French and have had their later Dutch names revised. For instance the ''Rue du Beau Site'' in [[Ixelles]]/Elsene bears two bilingual nameplates, the older giving, as the Dutch version, the hastily translated ''Schoon-Zicht Straat'' and the more recent giving the more idiomatic ''Welgelegenstraat''. Other such pairs are Regentiestraat/Regentschapstraat and Koopmansstraat/Koopliedenstraat.
−
* Brussels Congress (French: ''Bruxelles-Congrès'', Dutch:''Brussel-Congres'')
 
−
* Brussels Chapel (French: ''Bruxelles-Chapelle'', Dutch: ''Brussel-Kapellekerk'')
 
  
−
Other railway stations in other Brussels municipalities include:
+
Due to the city's growth beyond the limits of the [[Brussels Capital Region]], the periphery, which is institutionally part of Dutch-speaking Flanders, has attracted a large French-speaking population. In some of the municipalities immediately bordering the Brussels Capital Region, the population became majority French-speaking during the second half of the 20th century, in a few cases currently numbering over 70%. Because of the refusal of many of these to use Dutch, this is one of the major sources of linguistic conflict in Belgium, particularly in the [[Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde]] region.<ref>{{fr}}[http://info.france2.fr/dossiers/europe/34025346-fr.php?page=2 "Bruxelles dans l'oeil du cyclone"], France 2, [[14 November]] [[2007]]</ref>
−
* [[Schaarbeek railway station|Schaerbeek - Schaarbeek]]
 
−
* Etterbeek
 
−
* Uccle Stalle - Ukkel Stalle
 
−
* Uccle Calevoet - Ukkel Kalevoet
 
−
* Jette
 
−
* [[Mérode station|Merode]]
 
−
* [[Delta station|Delta]]
 
−
* Saint-Job - Sint-Job
 
−
* Forest Est - Vorst Oost
 
−
* Forest Midi - Vorst Zuid
 
−
* Sint-Agatha-Berchem - Berchem-Sainte-Agathe
 
−
* Watermael - Watermaal
 
−
* Boitsfort - Bosvoorde
 
−
* Boondael - Boondaal
 
−
* Meiser
 
  
−
===Road network===
+
==Education==
−
In mediaeval times Brussels stood at the intersection of routes running north-south (the modern Hoogstraat/Rue Haute) and east-west (Gentsesteenweg/Chaussée de Gand-Grasmarkt/Rue du Marché aux Herbes-Naamsestraat/Rue de Namur). The ancient pattern of streets radiating from the ''Grote Markt/Grand'Place'' in large part remains, but has been overlaid by boulevards built over the River [[Zenne]]/Senne, the city walls and the railway junction between the North and South Stations.
+
[[Image:ULB 20050712.jpg|thumb|151px|[[Université Libre de Bruxelles]]]]
 +
There are several [[University|universities]] in Brussels. The two main universities are the [[Université Libre de Bruxelles]], a [[French language|French-speaking]] university with about 20,000 students in three campuses in the city (and two others outside),<ref>{{cite web|title=Presentation of the Université libre de Bruxelles|publisher=[[Université Libre de Bruxelles]]|url=http://www.ulb.ac.be/docs/ulb-prestige/indexuk.html|accessdate = 2007-12-09}}</ref> and the [[Vrije Universiteit Brussel]], a [[Dutch language|Dutch-speaking]] university with about 10,000 students.<ref>{{cite web|title=About the University : Culture and History|publisher=[[Vrije Universiteit Brussel]]|url=http://www.vub.ac.be/english/home/about.html|accessdate = 2007-12-09}}</ref> Both universities originate from a single ancestor university founded in 1834, namely the [[Free University of Brussels]], which was split in 1970 at about the same time the Flemish and French Communities gained legislative power over the organisation of higher education.
  
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As one expects of a capital city, Brussels is the hub of the fan of old national roads, the principal ones being clockwise the N1 (N to [[Breda]]), N2 (E to [[Maastricht]]), N3 (E to [[Aachen]]), N4 (SE to [[Luxembourg]]) N5 (S to [[Rheims]]), N6 (SW to [[Maubeuge]]), N8 (W to [[Koksijde]]) and N9 (NW to [[Ostend]]) <ref>[http://www.autosnelwegen.net/frames.html?/nb.html Belgian N roads]</ref>. Usually named ''steenwegen/chaussées'', these highways normally run straight as a die, but on occasion lose themselves in a [[labyrinth]] of narrow shopping streets.
+
Other universities include the [[Facultés Universitaires Saint Louis]] with 2,000 students,<ref>{{cite web|title=Institution: Historique|publisher=Facultés Universitaires Saint Louis|url=http://www.fusl.ac.be/fr/27.html|accessdate = 2007-12-09}}</ref> , the Catholic University of Brussels ([[Katholieke Universiteit Brussel]])<ref>{{cite web|title=Katholieke Universiteit Brussel|publisher=Katholieke Universiteit Brussel|url=http://www.kubrussel.ac.be/english/index.htm|accessdate = 2007-12-09}}</ref>
 +
, the [[Royal Military Academy (Belgium)|Royal Military Academy]], a military college established in 1834 by a [[France|French]] colonel<ref>{{cite web|title=What makes the RMA so special?|publisher=[[Royal Military Academy (Belgium)|Belgian Royal Military Academy]]|url=http://www.rma.ac.be/RMAdotNet/scsc/infos/default.aspx?Page=1&SubPage=3|accessdate = 2007-12-09}}</ref> and two drama schools founded in 1982: the [[Dutch language|Dutch-speaking]] [[Koninklijk Conservatorium (Brussel)|Koninklijk Conservatorium]] and the [[French language|French-speaking]] [[Conservatoire Royal (Brussels)|Conservatoire Royal]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Petite histoire du Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles|publisher=Conservatoire Royal|url=http://www.conservatoire.be/historique.html|accessdate = 2007-12-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel|publisher=[[Koninklijk Conservatorium (Brussel)|Koninklijk Conservatorium]]|url=http://www.kcb.be/eng/indexin.asp?pag=bib&nr=1|accessdate = 2007-12-09}}</ref>
  
−
As for motorways, the town is skirted by the [[European route E19]] (N-S) and the [[European route E40|E40]] (E-W), while the [[European route E411|E411]] leads away to the SE. Brussels has an [[beltway|orbital]] [[motorway]], numbered ''R0'' (R-zero) and commonly referred to as the "ring" (French: ''ring'' Dutch: ''grote ring''). It is pear-shaped as the southern side was never built as originally conceived, owing to residents' objections.
+
Still other universities have campuses in Brussels, such as the [[Université Catholique de Louvain]] that has had its medical faculty in the city since 1973.<ref>{{cite web|title=L'histoire de l'UCL à Bruxelles|publisher=[[Université Catholique de Louvain]]|url=http://www.uclouvain.be/47547.html|accessdate = 2007-12-09}}</ref> In addition the [[Boston University Brussels]] campus was established in 1972 and offers masters degrees in business administration and international relations. Due to the post-war international presence in the city, there are also a number of international schools, including the [[International School of Brussels]] with 1,450 pupils between 2½ to 18,<ref>{{cite web|title=ISB Profile|publisher=[[International School of Brussels]]|url=http://www.isb.be/page.cfm?p=7|accessdate = 2007-12-09}}</ref> the British School of Brussels, and the four [[European School]]s serving those working in the [[Institutions of the European Union|EU institutions]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Background |publisher=[[European Schools|Schola Europaea]]|url=http://www.eursc.eu/index.php?id=133|accessdate = 2007-12-09}}</ref>
  
−
The city centre, sometimes known as "the pentagon", is surrounded by the "small ring" (Dutch: ''kleine ring'', French: ''petite ceinture''), a sequence of boulevards formally numbered ''R20''. These were built upon the site of the second set of city walls following their demolition. Metro line 2 runs under much of these.
+
==Transport==
 +
[[Image:Eurostar train.jpg|thumb|Brussels is connected with other European cities through the e.g. [[Eurostar]] high-speed rail network.]]
 +
===Connections===
 +
Brussels is served by [[Brussels Airport]], located in the nearby Flemish municipality of [[Zaventem]], and by the much smaller so-called [[Brussels South Charleroi Airport]], located near [[Charleroi]] (Wallonia), some {{convert|50|km|mi|-1|abbr=on}} from Brussels. Brussels is also served by direct high-speed rail links: to  [[London]] by the [[Eurostar]] train via the Channel Tunnel (1hr 51 min); to Amsterdam, Paris and Cologne by the [[Thalys]]; and to Cologne and Frankfurt by the German [[InterCityExpress|ICE]].
  
−
On the eastern side of the city, the ''R21'' (French: ''grande ceinture'', ''grote ring'' in Dutch) is formed by a string of boulevards that curves round from Laken ([[Laeken]]) to Ukkel ([[Uccle]]). Some ''premetro'' stations (see [[Brussels metro]]) were built on that route. A little further out, a stretch numbered R22 leads from Zaventem to [[Sint-Job]].
+
===Public transport===
 +
The [[Brussels Metro]] dates back to 1976, but underground lines known as ''premetro'' have been serviced by tramways since 1968. A comprehensive bus and [[Brussels trams|tram network]] also covers the city.
  
−
==Conferences and world fairs==
+
Brussels also has its own port on the [[Brussels-Scheldt Maritime Canal]] located in the northwest of the city. The [[Brussels-Charleroi Canal]] connects the industrial areas of [[Wallonia]].
−
[[Image:Solvay conference 1927.jpg|thumb|Photograph of the fifth conference in 1927.]]
 
−
Brussels hosted the famous fifth [[Solvay Conference]] in 1927, where physicists like [[Albert Einstein]], [[Max Planck|Planck]], [[Marie Curie|Curie]], [[Hendrik Lorentz|Lorentz]], [[Paul Dirac|Dirac]], [[Louis, 7th duc de Broglie|De Broglie]], [[Niels Bohr|Bohr]], [[Erwin Schrödinger|Schrödinger]], [[Wolfgang Pauli|Pauli]] and [[Werner Heisenberg|Heisenberg]] discussed the path of the [[modern physics]], specifically the new [[Quantum Theory]]. Einstein, disenchanted with Heisenberg's "[[Uncertainty Principle]]", remarked "God does not play dice". Bohr replied, "Einstein, stop telling God what to do." (See [[Bohr-Einstein debates]]). Seventeen of the twenty-nine attendees were or became [[Nobel Prize]] laureates. The building in which the conference took place (see picture) is now occupied by one of the high schools of the city's education system; [[:fr: Lycée Émile Jacqmain|Lycée Émile Jacqmain]].
 
  
−
Brussels hosted the third ''[[Congrès international d'architecture moderne]]'' (Dutch:Internationaal Congres voor Moderne Architectuur) in 1930.
+
An interticketing system means that a STIB/MIVB ticket holder can use the train or long-distance buses inside the city. The commuter services operated by De Lijn, TEC and SNCB/NMBS will in the next few years be augmented by a metropolitan [[RER]] rail network around Brussels.
  
−
Two world fairs took place in Brussels, the ''[[1935 world fair|Exposition universelle et internationale]]'' (1935) and the World [[Expo '58]] in 1958. The [[Atomium]], a 103 metre representation of an iron crystal was built for the Expo '58, and is still there, now renovated.
+
Since 2003 Brussels has had a car-sharing service operated by the [[Bremen]] company Cambio in partnership with STIB/MIVB and local ridesharing company taxi stop. In 2006 shared bicycles were also introduced.
  
−
==Places of interest==
+
===Road network===
−
[[Image:Bruxelles Grande-Place.jpg|thumbnail|Old houses on Brussels' [[Grand Place]] or ''Grote Markt'']]
+
[[Image:Wetstraat.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Rue de la Loi]]/Wetstraat is one of the city's main streets]]
−
[[Image:RoyalPalaceBrussel Copyright200406KaihsuTai.jpg|thumb|The [[Royal Palace of Brussels]]]]
+
In mediaeval times Brussels stood at the intersection of routes running north-south (the modern Hoogstraat/Rue Haute) and east-west (Gentsesteenweg/Chaussée de Gand-Grasmarkt/Rue du Marché aux Herbes-Naamsestraat/Rue de Namur). The ancient pattern of streets radiating from the [[Grand Place]] in large part remains, but has been overlaid by boulevards built [[covering of the Senne|over the River Zenne/Senne]], [[small ring (Brussels)|over the city walls]] and over the [[North-South connection|railway connection between the North and South Stations]].
−
* ''[[Grand Place]]'' (Dutch: ''Grote Markt'', the central market square and the jewel in Brussels' crown. The Grand-Place is Brussels' top tourist attraction justified by the [[gothic architecture|Gothic]] magnificence of the [[Brussels Town Hall|Town Hall]] and the [[Baroque]] exuberance of the late seventeenth-century [[guild]]houses with the sculptures of [[:fr:Pierre van Dievoet|Peter van Dievoet]] surrounding the square.
 
−
* The [[Royal Palace of Laeken]] and the [[Royal Palace of Brussels]].
 
−
* [[Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium]] [http://www.fine-arts-museum.be/] (French: ''Musées Royaux des Beaux Arts'', Dutch: ''Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten'') combining four interconnected sections of old masters and modern art collections. Together they make up Belgium's most complete collection of fine art with works by, amongst many, [[Pieter Brueghel the Elder|Pieter Bruegel]], [[Peter Paul Rubens|Rubens]], [[Paul Delvaux]] and [[René Magritte]].
 
−
* Brussels is famous for being home to many [[Belgian comics]] characters, including [[The Smurfs]], [[Largo Winch]], [[Tintin and Snowy|Tintin]] and [[Lucky Luke]] to name but a few. Throughout Brussels, (also nicknamed Comic City) there are many murals, frescos and even statues celebrating the city's many cartoon heroes.
 
−
* On the site of the [[Heysel|Heysel/Heizel]] are the [[Atomium]], one of the symbols of Belgium, a remnant of the 1958 World exposition in Brussels, and [[Mini-Europe]], a park which hosts miniature models of famous European buildings.
 
−
* [[Manneken Pis]]: a small bronze fountain sculpture depicting a little boy urinating into the fountain's basin.
 
−
* Several churches, such as the [[Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Belgium|Basilica of the Sacred Heart]] in Koekelberg, and the [[Saint Michael and Saint Gudula Cathedral]].
 
−
* The Jubilee Arch (French: ''Les Arcades du Cinquantenaire'', Dutch: ''Triomfboog van het Jubelpark'')
 
−
* La Bourse/De Beurs, the location of the stock market [[Euronext]] in Belgium.
 
−
* [[La Monnaie|De Munt/La Monnaie]], an [[opera house]].
 
−
* [[Grand-Place|The Floral Carpet]] (not permanent)
 
−
* [[Tour and Taxis]]: a former stockhouse of the [[Thurn and Taxis]] family.
 
−
* [[Palais Stoclet|Palais Stoclet/Stoclethuis]]
 
−
* [[Maison Horta|Maison Horta/Hortahuis]]
 
−
* [[Avenue Louise|Avenue Louise/Louisalaan]], an avenue in the fashionable part of Brussels.
 
−
===Notable parks===
 
−
[[Image:Brussels - Grand Place, Floral Carpet - 20040813 modified.jpg|thumb|right|The Floral Carpet on the Grand Place in 2004]]
 
−
[[Image:Palaisd'EgmontBrussels.jpg|thumb|The [[Egmont Palace|''Egmontpaleis'' or ''Palais d'Egmont'']], seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a site for European diplomacy]]
 
−
{{Commons|Brussel|Brussels}}
 
−
{{portalpar|Belgium|Flag of Belgium.svg|65}}
 
−
* ''[[Brussels Park]]'' (French: ''Parc de Bruxelles'', Dutch: ''Warandepark'')
 
−
* ''[[Bois de la Cambre]]'' or [[Ter Kamerenbos]]
 
−
* ''[[Cinquantenaire]]'' (Dutch: ''Jubelpark'')
 
−
* ''[[Laeken Park]]'' (French: ''Parc de Laeken'', Dutch: ''Park van Laken'')
 
−
* ''[[Woluwe Park]]'' (French: ''Parc de Woluwe'', Dutch: ''Park van Woluwe'')
 
−
* ''[[Josaphat Park]]'' (French: ''Parc Josaphat'', Dutch: ''Josaphatpark'')
 
−
* ''[[King Baudouin Park]]'' (French: ''Parc Roi Baudouin'', Dutch: ''Koning Boudewijnpark'')
 
−
* ''[[Kauberg]]''
 
−
* ''[[Jardin botanique]]'' (Dutch: ''Kruidtuin'')
 
−
* ''[[Leopold Park]]'' (French: ''Parc Léopold'', Dutch: ''Leopoldpark'')
 
−
* ''[[Jardins du Maelbeek]]'' (Dutch: ''Maalbeektuinen'')
 
−
* ''[[Duden Park]]'' (French: ''Parc Duden'', Dutch: ''Dudenpark'')
 
−
* ''[[Astrid Park]]'' (French: ''Parc Astrid'', Dutch: ''Astridpark'')
 
  
−
===Notable people from Brussels===
+
As one expects of a capital city, Brussels is the hub of the fan of old national roads, the principal ones being clockwise the N1 (N to [[Breda]]), N2 (E to [[Maastricht]]), N3 (E to [[Aachen]]), N4 (SE to [[Luxembourg]]) N5 (S to [[Rheims]]), N6 (SW to [[Maubeuge]]), N8 (W to [[Koksijde]]) and N9 (NW to [[Ostend]]) <ref>[http://www.autosnelwegen.net/frames.html?/nb.html Belgian N roads]</ref>. Usually named ''steenwegen/chaussées'', these highways normally run straight as a die, but on occasion lose themselves in a maze of narrow shopping streets.
−
See also: [[Notable people from Brussels]]
 
−
* [[Chantal Akerman]], filmmaker and director
 
−
* [[Pierre Alechinsky]], artist
 
−
* [[Plastic Bertrand]], musician
 
−
* [[Brian Molko]], lead singer of the band Placebo
 
−
* [[Jacques Brel]], musician
 
−
* [[Rene Carcan]], artist
 
−
* [[Michel De Ghelderode]], dramatist
 
−
* [[Marc Didden]], film director
 
−
* [[Gudula|Saint Gudulae of Brussels and Eibingen]], Saint of the city and national saint of Belgium
 
−
* [[Audrey Hepburn]], actress
 
−
* [[Hergé]], [[Franco-Belgian comics|comics]] writer
 
−
* [[René Follet]], [[Franco-Belgian comics|comics]] writer
 
−
* [[Victor Horta]], [[Art Nouveau]] architect
 
−
* [[Jacky Ickx]], racing driver
 
−
* [[Paul-Emile Janson]], politician, former Prime Minister of [[Belgium]]
 
−
* [[Nicholas Lens]], author/composer
 
−
* [[Suzanne Lilar]], essayist, novelist, and playwright, lived in Brussels from 1977-1992
 
−
* [[René Magritte]], painter
 
−
* [[Amélie Nothomb]], writer
 
−
* [[Peyo]] (Pierre Culliford), illustrator and creator of the [[Smurfs]]
 
−
* [[François Schuiten]], [[Franco-Belgian comics|comics]] artist
 
−
* [[Paul-Henri Spaak]], politician, several times Minister of Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister of [[Belgium]], former Secretary General of the [[NATO]]
 
−
* [[Toots Thielemans]], jazz musician
 
−
* [[Jean-Claude Van Damme]], actor; nickname: "The Muscles from Brussels"
 
−
* [[Rogier van der Weyden]], painter, (1400-1465)
 
−
* [[Barend van Orley]], painter, (1488-1541)
 
−
* [[Jean d'Osta]] (1909-1993), writer
 
−
* [[Diane von Furstenberg]], fashion designer
 
−
* [[Lex Goudsmit]], Actor
 
−
* [[Marguerite Yourcenar]], writer and first female member of the [[Académie Française]]
 
−
* Olivier Theyskens, fashion designer
 
−
[[Image:Manneke_pis_2_Sept2005.jpg|thumb|The most famous statue: [[Manneken Pis]]]]
 
−
[[Image:Bruxelles-DonQuijote.JPG|thumb|Don Quijote & Sancho Panza statue at Place d’Espagne/Spanjeplein: [[Don Quijote]]]]
 
  
−
===Sports clubs===
+
As for motorways, the town is skirted by the [[European route E19]] (N-S) and the [[European route E40|E40]] (E-W), while the [[European route E411|E411]] leads away to the SE. Brussels has an [[beltway|orbital]] [[motorway]], numbered ''R0'' (R-zero) and commonly referred to as the "ring" (French: ''ring'' Dutch: ''grote ring''). It is pear-shaped as the southern side was never built as originally conceived, owing to residents' objections.
−
* [[R.S.C. Anderlecht]], [[football (soccer)|football]]
 
−
* [[F.C. Molenbeek Brussels Strombeek]], football
 
−
* [[R. Union Saint-Gilloise]], football
 
−
* [[R.R.B.C. Brussels]], [[basketball]]
 
  
−
===Museums===
+
The city centre, sometimes known as "the pentagon", is surrounded by the "[[small ring (Brussels)|Small ring]]" (Dutch: ''kleine ring'', French: ''petite ceinture''), a sequence of boulevards formally numbered ''R20''. These were built upon the site of the second set of city walls following their demolition. Metro line 2 runs under much of these.
−
* [[Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium]]
 
−
* [[BOZAR-PMSK (The Palace of Fine Arts)]]  
 
−
* Film Museum
 
−
* [[Musical Instrument Museum]] (MiM)
 
−
* National Army Museum
 
−
* [[Royal Museums of Art and History]]
 
−
* [[Belgian Centre for Comic Strip Art]]
 
−
* [[Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences]]
 
  
−
===Other===
+
On the eastern side of the city, the ''R21'' (French: ''[[grande ceinture]]'', ''grote ring'' in Dutch) is formed by a string of boulevards that curves round from Laken ([[Laeken]]) to Ukkel ([[Uccle]]). Some ''premetro'' stations (see [[Brussels Metro]]) were built on that route. A little further out, a stretch numbered R22 leads from Zaventem to [[Sint-Job]].
−
* [[List of Minister-Presidents of Brussels]]
 
−
* [[Brussels Cross]]
 
−
* [[Brussels sprout]] - the vegetable named after the city
 
−
* [[Art Nouveau]]
 
−
* [[List of metro stations of Brussels]]
 
−
* [[Sonian Forest]]
 
−
* [[Memorial van Damme]]
 
−
* [[Eurovision Song Contest 1987]]
 
−
* [[Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film]]
 
−
* [[Gallery Gabrichidze]]
 
−
* The highest building in Brussels is the [[South Tower (Brussels)|South Tower]] (150 m); the most famous probably the [[Atomium]], which is a remnant from the [[Expo '58|1958 World Exposition]].
 
  
 
==Twin cities==
 
==Twin cities==
 +
[[Image:Brussels Zonienwoud.jpg|thumb|The [[Sonian Forest]] at the outskirts of Brussels]]
 +
{{Refimprovesect|date=June 2008}}
 +
Brussels is [[Town twinning|twinned]] with the following 14 cities:
 +
{|
 +
| valign="top" |
 
*{{flagicon|Turkey}} [[Akhisar]], [[Turkey]]
 
*{{flagicon|Turkey}} [[Akhisar]], [[Turkey]]
−
* {{USA}}: [[Atlanta, Georgia]]
+
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]], [[United States]]
−
* {{GER}}: [[Berlin]]
+
*{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Berlin]], [[Germany]]
−
* {{CHN}}: [[Beijing]]
+
*{{flagicon|People's Republic of China}} [[Beijing]], [[People's Republic of China]]
−
* {{CAN}}: [[Montreal]]
+
*{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Montreal]], [[Canada]] {{Fact|date=February 2008}}
−
* {{MAC-PRC}}: [[Macau]]
+
*{{flagicon|Macau}} [[Macau]]
−
* {{ESP}}: [[Madrid]]
+
*{{flagicon|Venezuela}} [[Caracas]], [[Venezuela]]
−
* {{USA}}: [[Washington, D.C.]]
+
| valign="top" |
−
* {{UKR}}: [[Kiev]]
+
*{{flagicon|Spain}} [[Madrid]], [[Spain]]
−
* {{NLD}}: [[Breda]]
+
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Washington, D.C.]], [[United States]]
−
* {{CZE}}: [[Prague]]
+
*{{flagicon|Ukraine}} [[Kiev]], [[Ukraine]]
−
*[[Image:Flag of Slovenia.svg|20px]] [[Ljubljana]], [[Slovenia]]
+
*{{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Breda]], The [[Netherlands]]
 +
*{{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Prague]], [[Czech Republic]]
 +
*{{flagicon|Slovenia}} [[Ljubljana]], [[Slovenia]]
 +
*{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Sofia]], [[Bulgaria]]
 +
|}
  
−
==Notes==
+
==See also==
−
<references/>
+
{{Brussels topics}}
 +
 
 +
==References==
 +
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
 
{{sisterlinks|Brussels}}
 
{{sisterlinks|Brussels}}
−
 
+
<!-- links to official and standard-reference sites only please. —>
 
* [http://www.bruxelles.irisnet.be/ Brussels-Capital Region], official site
 
* [http://www.bruxelles.irisnet.be/ Brussels-Capital Region], official site
−
* {{wikitravelpar|Brussels}}
+
* {{wikitravel}}
−
* [http://www.planitram.be/ Planitram] Public transport in the Region of Brussels Capital, unofficial site (in English and French)
+
* [http://www.ilotsacre.be/site/en/default_en.htm Interactive map]
−
* [http://www.fine-arts-museum.be/ Royal Museums of Fine Art of Belgium]
+
* [http://brussels.360cities.net Interactive 360 virtual tour]
−
* [http://www.erasmuspc.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=258&Itemid=58 Article about the famous Brussels Cartoon Murals]
+
* Virtual tour 360° From Brussels !
−
* [http://www.avhb.be/informatief.html Academie van het Brussels] {{Languageicon|nl|Dutch}}
+
** [http://www.visitonweb.com/wikipedia/grand-place-bruxelles-uk.html Brussels Grand-Place]
−
* [http://www.cyberbruxelles.be/cyberbruxelles/ADIPB.html Académie pour la Défense et l'Illustration du Parler Bruxellois] (Marollien)
+
** [http://www.visitonweb.com/wikipedia/mannekenpis-uk.html Manneken Pis]
−
* [http://www.belgiumcities.info/Brussels_5_General_Summary_1.html Concise Guide to Brussels Tourism]
+
** [http://www.visitonweb.com/wikipedia/bruxelles-cinquantenaire-uk.html Jubilee¨Park]
−
* [http://20kmdebruxelles.be/20km/set_en.htm 20km of Brussels] - every year there is a spectacular run with 25,000 runners running 20km
+
** [http://www.visitonweb.com/wikipedia/sainte-gudule-uk.html St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral]
−
* [http://www.ommegang.be/ Ommegang Festival]
+
** [http://www.visitonweb.com/wikipedia/galerie-du-roi-uk.html Royal Galleries of Saint-Hubert]
−
* [http://www.ilotsacre.be/site/en/default_en.htm Brussels interactive map]
 
−
* [http://www.lucadea.com/static.php?page=bruxelles Lucadea.com] - 65 Bruxelles beautiful pics
 
−
* [http://www.brusselstourism.eu.com/ BrusselsTourism] The first portal site for Tourism in Brussels, Capital of Europe. Since 1997
 
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{{Belgium_provinces}}
 
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{{Brussels-Capital Region}}
 
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{{Capital cities of the European Union}}
 
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{{European Capital of Culture}}
 
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Revision as of 03:35, 10 July 2008

For other places with the same name, see Brussels (disambiguation).
City of Brussels
Brussels skyline seen from the Kunstberg or Mont des Arts
Brussels skyline seen from the Kunstberg or Mont des Arts
Flag of City of Brussels
Flag		 Official seal of City of Brussels
Seal
Nickname: Capital of Europe, Comic City
Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium
Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium
Coordinates: {{#invoke:Coordinates|coord}}{{#coordinates:50|50|48.22|N|4|21|8.94|E|type:city
name= }}
Country Belgium
Region Brussels-Capital Region
Founded 979
Founded (Region) June 18, 1989
Government
 - Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans
Elevation 13 m (43 ft)
Population (2005)
 - Region 1,024,492
 - Metro 1,975,000
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Website: www.brussels.irisnet.be

Brussels (French: Bruxelles, pronounced [bʁysɛl]; Dutch: Brussel, pronounced [ˈbrɵsəɫ]) is the largest city in Belgium, and the administrative heart of the European Union (EU). The City of Brussels in the Brussels-Capital Region is the country's capital.[1] Brussels has grown from a 10th century fortress town founded by Charlemagne's grandson into a metropolis of over one million inhabitants[2][3].

Brussels is also capital of the Brussels-Capital Region, of Flanders and of the French Community of Belgium. It is not, however, the capital of the Walloon Region (Wallonia), whose capital is Namur.

Although the City of Brussels historically was the city's core, the population has long since outgrown the municipality. Today, the settlement of Brussels is effectively most often synonymous with the more recently established Brussels-Capital Region; one of Belgium's three regions.

Brussels is often considered the de facto capital of the European Union, and hosts key EU institutions such as the Commission, Parliament and the Council. Brussels is a metonymy for the European Union's government. Hence, many other pan-European organisations are also headquartered in the city. NATO is also based in Brussels.

Etymology

The name Brussels comes from the old Dutch Bruocsella, which means marsh (bruoc) and home (sella) or "home in the marsh".

History

Middle Ages

The origin of the settlement that was to become Brussels lies in Saint Gaugericus' construction of a chapel on an island in the river Senne around 580.[4]

The official founding of Brussels is usually situated around 979, because Duke Charles transferred the relics of Saint Gudula from Moorsel to the Saint Gaugericus chapel in Brussels, located on what would be called Saint Gaugericus Island. The Holy Roman Emperor Otto II gave the duchy of Lower Lotharingia to Charles, the banished son of King Louis IV of France in 977, who would construct the first permanent fortification in the city, doing so on that same island.

1555 map of the city

The county of Brussels was attributed to Lambert I of Leuven, count of Leuven around 1000. In 1047, his son Lambert II, Count of Leuven founded the Saint Gudula chapter.

Because of its location on the shores of the Senne on an important trade route between Bruges and Ghent, and Cologne, Brussels grew quite quickly; it became a commercial centre that rapidly extended towards the upper town (St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral, Coudenberg, Zavel area...), where there was a smaller risk of floods. As it grew to a population of around 30,000, the surrounding marshes were drained to allow for further expansion. The Counts of Leuven became Dukes of Brabant at about this time (1183/1184). In the 11th century, the city got its first walls.[5]

After the construction of the first walls of Brussels in the early 13th century, Brussels grew significantly. In order to let the city expand, a second set of walls was erected between 1356 and 1383. Today, traces of it can still be seen, mostly because the "small ring", a series of roadways in downtown Brussels bounding the historic city centre, follows its former course.

In the fifteenth century, by means of the wedding of heiress Margaret III of Flanders with Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, a new Duke of Brabant emerged from the House of Valois (namely Antoine, their son), with another line of descent from the Habsburgs (Maximilian of Austria, later Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, married Mary of Burgundy, who was born in Brussels).

Brabant had lost its independence, but Brussels became the Princely Capital of the prosperous Low Countries, and flourished.

Renaissance

Grand Place after the 1695 bombardment by the French army

Charles V, heir of the Low Countries since 1506, though (as he was only 6 years old) governed by his aunt Margaret of Austria until 1515, was declared King of Spain, in 1516, in the Cathedral of Saint Gudule in Brussels.

Upon the death of his grandfather, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor in 1519, Charles V became the new archduke of the Austrian Empire and thus the Holy Roman Emperor of the Empire "on which the sun does not set". It was in the Palace complex at Coudenberg that Charles V abdicated in 1555. This impressive palace, famous all over Europe, had greatly expanded since it had first become the seat of the Dukes of Brabant, but it was destroyed by fire in 1731. All that remains is an archaeological site.

In 1695, French troops sent by King Louis XIV bombarded Brussels with artillery. Together with the resulting fire, it was most destructive event in the entire history of Brussels. The Grand Place was destroyed, along with 4000 buildings, a third of those in the city. The reconstruction of the city centre, effected during subsequent years, profoundly changed the appearance of the city and left numerous traces still visible today.

Revolution

Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830, Wappers (1834)

In 1830, the Belgian revolution took place in Brussels after a performance of Auber's opera La Muette de Portici at De Munt or La Monnaie theatre. On July 21, 1831, Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians, ascended the throne, undertaking the destruction of the city walls and the construction of many buildings. Following independence, the city underwent many more changes. The Senne had become a serious health hazard, and from 1867 to 1871 its entire urban area was completely covered over. This allowed urban renewal and the construction of modern buildings and boulevards which are characteristic of downtown Brussels today.

Modern history

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The 1927 Solvay Conference in Brussels was the first world physics conference.

The city has hosted various fairs and conferences, including the fifth Solvay Conference in 1927 and two world fairs: the 1935 world fair and the Expo '58.

Beginning on May 10 1940, Brussels was bombed by the German army; however, most of the war damage to the city took place in 1944–1945. The North-South Junction was built, completed in 1952. The first Brussels premetro was finished in 1969, and the first line of the Brussels Metro was opened in 1976. The Heysel Stadium disaster took place in Brussels on May 29 1985. The Brussels Capital Region was founded on June 18, 1989.

Geography

Climate

Brussels is relatively near the coastal areas, and its climate is therefore influenced by marine air masses from the Atlantic Ocean, as well as nearby wetlands. On average (based on measurements the last 100 years), there are approximately 200 days of rain per year in the Brussels-Capital Region.[6]. Template:Brussels weatherbox

Political centre

Belgian capital

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The Royal Palace of Brussels

Despite what it name indicates, the Brussels-Capital Region is not the capital of Belgium in itself. The article 194 of the Belgian Constitution lays down that the capital of Belgium is the City of Brussels, a smaller municipality within the capital region that once was the city's core.[7]

However, although the City of Brussels is the official capital, the funds allowed by the federation and region for the representative role of the capital are divided among the 19 municipalities, and some national institutions are sited in the other 18 municipalities. Thus, while de jure only the City of Brussels is entitled to the title of capital city of Belgium, de facto the entire Region plays this role.

The national institutions of the Belgian state are spread loosely around the region. For example the Belgian Federal Parliament and the legislative chambers of the Walloon Region and the Flemish Region.

Flanders and the French community

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The 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region
  1. Anderlecht
  2. Auderghem
  3. Sint-Agatha-Berchem
  4. City of Brussels
  5. Etterbeek
  6. Evere
  7. Forest
  8. Ganshoren
  9. Ixelles
  10. Jette
  11. Koekelberg
  12. Sint-Jans-Molenbeek
  13. Saint-Gilles
  14. Saint-Josse-ten-Noode
  15. Schaerbeek
  16. Uccle
  17. Watermael-Boitsfort
  18. Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
  19. Woluwe-Saint-Pierre

The Brussels-Capital Region is one of the three federated regions of Belgium, alongside Wallonia and the Flemish Region. Geographically and linguistically, it is a (bilingual) enclave in the (unilingual) Flemish Region. Regions are one component of Belgium's complex institutions, the three communities being the other component: the Brussels inhabitants must deal with either the French (speaking) community or the Flemish Community for matters such as culture and education.

Brussels is also the capital of both the French Community of Belgium (Communauté française de Belgique in French) and of Flanders (Vlaanderen); all Flemish capital institutions are established here: Flemish Parliament, Flemish government and its administration.

International centre

Brussels has since World War II become the administrative centre of many international organisations. Notably the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) have their main institutions in the city, along with 1000 other international organisations and 2000 international corporations.[citation needed] Brussels is third in the number of international conferences it hosts[8] also becoming one of the largest convention centres in the world.[9] The presence of the EU and the other international bodies has for example led to there being more ambassadors and journalists in Brussels than in Washington D.C..[10] International schools have also been established to serve this presence.[9]

European Union

The European Commission in the Berlaymont building

Brussels is considered as the de facto capital of the European Union due to its history of hosting the EU's institutions, even though the EU has not declared any official capital city. The city plays host to the official seats of the European Commission (in the Berlaymont building) and the Council of the European Union (in the Justus Lipsius building facing it).[11][12] Furthermore three quarters of the work of the European Parliament takes place in the city at its Brussels hemicycle (its official seat is Strasbourg).[13]

Brussels began to host institutions in 1957, with the executives of the EEC and Euratom which were originally shared with Luxembourg but quickly met in Brussels for practical reasons. In 1965 Brussels gained the right to host the merged Commission and Council, with some concessions to Luxembourg, and over the following years the Parliament established an increasing presence in Brussels, although was required to maintain its presence in Strasbourg by the treaties.[11][12] Between 2002 and 2004, the European Council also fixed its seat in the city.[14]

Today the presence has increased considerably with the Commission alone occupying 865,000m² within the "European Quarter" in the east of the city. The concentration and density has caused concern that the presence of the institutions has caused a "ghetto effect" in that part of the city.[15] However the presence has contributed significantly to the importance of Brussels as an international centre.[10]

Culture

Architecture

File:Grand Place.jpg
The medieval Grand Place

The architecture in Brussels is diverse, and spans from the mediaeval constructions on the Grand Place to the postmodern buildings of the EU institutions.

Main attractions include the Grand Place, since 1988 a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the Gothic town hall in the old centre, the St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral and the Laken Castle with its large greenhouses. Another famous landmark is the Royal Palace.

The Atomium is a symbolic 103-meter (338 ft) metre tall structure that was built for the 1958 World’s Fair. It consists of nine steel spheres connected by tubes, and forms a model of an iron crystal (specifically, a unit cell. The architect A. Waterkeyn devoted the building to science. Next to the Atomium is the Mini-Europe park with 1:25 scale maquettes of famous buildings from across Europe.

The Manneken Pis, a bronze fountain of a small peeing boy is a famous tourist attraction and symbol of the city.

Other landmarks include the Cinquantenaire park with its triumphal arch and nearby museums, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Brussels Stock Exchange, the Palace of Justice and the buildings of EU institutions in the European Quarter.

File:Cinquantenaire.jpg
Cinquantenaire triumphal arch

Cultural facilities include the Brussels Theatre and the La Monnaie Theatre and opera house. There is a wide array of museums, from the Royal Museum of Fine Art to the Museum of the Army and the Comic Museum. Brussels also has a lively music scene, with everything from opera houses and concert halls to music bars and techno clubs.

The city centre is notable for its Flemish town houses. Also particularly striking are the buildings in the Art Nouveau style by the Brussels architect Victor Horta. In the heyday of Art Nouveau new Brussels suburbs were developed, and much buildings are in this style. The architecture of the quarter Schaerbeek, Etterbeek Ixelles, and Saint-Gilles is particularly worth seeing. Another example of Brussels Art Nouveau is the Stoclet Palace, by the Viennese architect Josef Hoffmann. The modern buildings of Espace Leopold complete the picture.

File:Atomium 20-08-07.jpg
The Atomium in Heysel Park

The city has had a renown artist scene for many years. The famous Belgian surrealist René Magritte, for example, studied in Brussels. The city is also a capital of the comic strip; some treasured Belgian characters are Lucky Luke, Tintin, Cubitus, Gaston Lagaffe and Marsupilami. Throughout the city walls are painted with large motifs of comic book characters, and the interiors of some Metro stations are designed by artists. The Belgian Comics Museum combines two artistic leitmotifs of Brussels, being a museum devoted to Belgian comic strips, housed in the former Waucquez department store, designed by Victor Horta in the Art Nouveau style.

The King Baudouin Stadium is a concert and competition facility with a 50,000 seat capacity, the largest in Belgium. The site was formerly occupied by the Heysel Stadium, which in 1985 saw one of the worst disasters in European football, when 39 deaths and over 400 serious injuries were suffered after English hooligans fell on Italian football fans, sparking a mass panic.

Arts

Brussels contains over 40 museums,[16] including the Museum of Modern Art[17], and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. The museum has an extensive collection of various painters, such as the Flemish painters like Brueghel, Rogier van der Weyden, Robert Campin, Anthony van Dyck, and Jacob Jordaens.

Gastronomy

File:Brussels waffle.jpg
Brussels is known for its local waffle (pictured) and chocolate.

Brussels is known for its local waffle, its chocolate, its french fries and its numerous types of beers . The Brussels sprout was first cultivated in Brussels, hence its name.

The gastronomic offer includes approximately 1,800 restaurants, and a number of high quality bars. The Belgian cuisine is known among connoisseurs as one of the best in Europe. In addition to the traditional restaurants, there is a large number of cafés, bistros and the usual range of international fast food chains. The cafés are similar to bars, and offer beer and light dishes, coffee houses in the usual sense are the Salons de Thé. Also widespread are brasseries, which usually offer a large number of beers and typical national dishes.

The Belgian cuisine is characterized by the combination of French cuisine with the more hearty Flemish fare. Notable specialities include Brussels waffles (gaufres) and mussels (usually as "moules frites," served with fries). The city is a stronghold of chocolate and pralines manufacturers with traditional companies like Godiva, Neuhaus and Leonidas. Numerous friteries are spread throughout the city, and in tourist areas, fresh, hot, waffles are also sold on the street.

In addition to the regular selection of Belgian beer, the famous lambic style of beer is only brewed in and around Brussels, and the yeasts have their origin in the Senne valley. In mild contrast to the other versions, Kriek (cherry beer) enjoys outstanding popularity, as it does in the rest of Belgium. Kriek is available in almost every bar or restaurant.

Economy

Serving as the centre of administration for Europe, Brussels' economy is largely service-oriented. It is dominated by regional headquarters of multinationals, by European institutions, by various administrations, and by related services, though it does have a number of notable craft industries, such as the Cantillon Brewery, a lambic brewery founded in 1900.

Languages

{{#invoke:Message box|ambox}}

File:Languages spoken at home in the Brussels Capital Region (2006).svg
Languages spoken at home (Capital Region, 2006)[18]
██ French only██ French & Dutch██ French w/ another non-Dutch language██ Dutch only██ Neither French nor Dutch


Originally a Dutch-speaking city, Brussels is nowadays officially bilingual French-Dutch.[19][20] French is the mother tongue of the majority of the population and the lingua franca. Research in the city's archives shows that Dutch was by far the most widely used language in local administration until the French occupation (1793-1815),[21] even though French had been the language of the local governors since the Burgundian era.[22] From 1880 on, more and more Dutch-speaking people became bilingual, resulting in a rise of monolingual French-speakers after 1910. Halfway through the 20th century the number of monolingual French-speakers carried the day over the (mostly) bilingual Flemish inhabitants.[23]

During the 19th century most dialect-speakers (speaking the local dialect of Dutch) turned to French rather than to Dutch as their language of culture. The main reasons for this were the higher prestige of the French language at the time (even the Flemish elites had adopted French), the perception that Dutch was the language of rural and poor Flanders and the fact that the Belgian administration was solely conducted in French. The education system was almost exclusively French-speaking, which hampered the spread of the Dutch standard language and contributed to low-class image of Dutch.[24] As a result, people would often speak a Dutch dialect in private but French in public occasions. Even today, it is not uncommon to meet (older) French-speaking "Bruxellois" who are unable to express themselves in standard Dutch but who speak or at least understand the Brabantian dialect.

A linguistic curiosity is Marols (Marollien), a variant of the Dutch dialect of Brussels heavily influenced by the Walloon of Liège, which used to be spoken mostly in the Marolles/Marollen, a central section of the city. Today, all Brussels dialects are on the verge of extinction.[25]

Nowadays, the Brussels Capital Region is officially bilingual French-Dutch. There are no official linguistic statistics since the State-run decennial linguistic census has been abolished after the fixation of the Belgian language border. All studies carried out can only be estimations.

Manneken Pis is seen as a symbol of French and Dutch cohabitation in Brussels.[26]

As Brussels is the capital of a country of which 60% of the inhabitants are Dutch speakers, and the Brussels Region is completely surrounded by the Flemish region, it is logical that many Dutch speakers from the periphery come to the city for working, shopping and going out. So, although the lingua franca is French, knowledge of Dutch is considered highly desirable.[27] One of the consequences of this change of attitude towards the Dutch language is, for example, that most children in Dutch-speaking schools in Brussels do not speak Dutch at home.[28] Janssens estimates that 28.23% of the population have a good to perfect knowledge of Dutch (either as a first or as a second language). For English this is 35.4% and for French 95%, due to its role as lingua franca.[29][18]

The occasional imprecision of linguistic pairing can be quite amusing. Whilst some ancient streets have only their original Dutch name (e.g. Coudenberg), others were originally named in French and have had their later Dutch names revised. For instance the Rue du Beau Site in Ixelles/Elsene bears two bilingual nameplates, the older giving, as the Dutch version, the hastily translated Schoon-Zicht Straat and the more recent giving the more idiomatic Welgelegenstraat. Other such pairs are Regentiestraat/Regentschapstraat and Koopmansstraat/Koopliedenstraat.

Due to the city's growth beyond the limits of the Brussels Capital Region, the periphery, which is institutionally part of Dutch-speaking Flanders, has attracted a large French-speaking population. In some of the municipalities immediately bordering the Brussels Capital Region, the population became majority French-speaking during the second half of the 20th century, in a few cases currently numbering over 70%. Because of the refusal of many of these to use Dutch, this is one of the major sources of linguistic conflict in Belgium, particularly in the Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde region.[30]

Education

Université Libre de Bruxelles

There are several universities in Brussels. The two main universities are the Université Libre de Bruxelles, a French-speaking university with about 20,000 students in three campuses in the city (and two others outside),[31] and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, a Dutch-speaking university with about 10,000 students.[32] Both universities originate from a single ancestor university founded in 1834, namely the Free University of Brussels, which was split in 1970 at about the same time the Flemish and French Communities gained legislative power over the organisation of higher education.

Other universities include the Facultés Universitaires Saint Louis with 2,000 students,[33] , the Catholic University of Brussels (Katholieke Universiteit Brussel)[34] , the Royal Military Academy, a military college established in 1834 by a French colonel[35] and two drama schools founded in 1982: the Dutch-speaking Koninklijk Conservatorium and the French-speaking Conservatoire Royal.[36][37]

Still other universities have campuses in Brussels, such as the Université Catholique de Louvain that has had its medical faculty in the city since 1973.[38] In addition the Boston University Brussels campus was established in 1972 and offers masters degrees in business administration and international relations. Due to the post-war international presence in the city, there are also a number of international schools, including the International School of Brussels with 1,450 pupils between 2½ to 18,[39] the British School of Brussels, and the four European Schools serving those working in the EU institutions.[40]

Transport

File:Eurostar train.jpg
Brussels is connected with other European cities through the e.g. Eurostar high-speed rail network.

Connections

Brussels is served by Brussels Airport, located in the nearby Flemish municipality of Zaventem, and by the much smaller so-called Brussels South Charleroi Airport, located near Charleroi (Wallonia), some 50 km (30 mi) from Brussels. Brussels is also served by direct high-speed rail links: to London by the Eurostar train via the Channel Tunnel (1hr 51 min); to Amsterdam, Paris and Cologne by the Thalys; and to Cologne and Frankfurt by the German ICE.

Public transport

The Brussels Metro dates back to 1976, but underground lines known as premetro have been serviced by tramways since 1968. A comprehensive bus and tram network also covers the city.

Brussels also has its own port on the Brussels-Scheldt Maritime Canal located in the northwest of the city. The Brussels-Charleroi Canal connects the industrial areas of Wallonia.

An interticketing system means that a STIB/MIVB ticket holder can use the train or long-distance buses inside the city. The commuter services operated by De Lijn, TEC and SNCB/NMBS will in the next few years be augmented by a metropolitan RER rail network around Brussels.

Since 2003 Brussels has had a car-sharing service operated by the Bremen company Cambio in partnership with STIB/MIVB and local ridesharing company taxi stop. In 2006 shared bicycles were also introduced.

Road network

File:Wetstraat.jpg
Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat is one of the city's main streets

In mediaeval times Brussels stood at the intersection of routes running north-south (the modern Hoogstraat/Rue Haute) and east-west (Gentsesteenweg/Chaussée de Gand-Grasmarkt/Rue du Marché aux Herbes-Naamsestraat/Rue de Namur). The ancient pattern of streets radiating from the Grand Place in large part remains, but has been overlaid by boulevards built over the River Zenne/Senne, over the city walls and over the railway connection between the North and South Stations.

As one expects of a capital city, Brussels is the hub of the fan of old national roads, the principal ones being clockwise the N1 (N to Breda), N2 (E to Maastricht), N3 (E to Aachen), N4 (SE to Luxembourg) N5 (S to Rheims), N6 (SW to Maubeuge), N8 (W to Koksijde) and N9 (NW to Ostend) [41]. Usually named steenwegen/chaussées, these highways normally run straight as a die, but on occasion lose themselves in a maze of narrow shopping streets.

As for motorways, the town is skirted by the European route E19 (N-S) and the E40 (E-W), while the E411 leads away to the SE. Brussels has an orbital motorway, numbered R0 (R-zero) and commonly referred to as the "ring" (French: ring Dutch: grote ring). It is pear-shaped as the southern side was never built as originally conceived, owing to residents' objections.

The city centre, sometimes known as "the pentagon", is surrounded by the "Small ring" (Dutch: kleine ring, French: petite ceinture), a sequence of boulevards formally numbered R20. These were built upon the site of the second set of city walls following their demolition. Metro line 2 runs under much of these.

On the eastern side of the city, the R21 (French: grande ceinture, grote ring in Dutch) is formed by a string of boulevards that curves round from Laken (Laeken) to Ukkel (Uccle). Some premetro stations (see Brussels Metro) were built on that route. A little further out, a stretch numbered R22 leads from Zaventem to Sint-Job.

Twin cities

File:Brussels Zonienwoud.jpg
The Sonian Forest at the outskirts of Brussels

{{#invoke:Message box|ambox}} Brussels is twinned with the following 14 cities:

See also

Template:Brussels topics

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  1. ↑ Welcome to Brussels
  2. ↑ Brussels.org - History of Brussels
  3. ↑ Brussels: The "Capital of Europe"
  4. ↑ Brussels History
  5. ↑ Template:NlZo ontstond Brussel Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie - Commission of the Flemish Community in Brussels
  6. ↑ Site de l'institut météorologique belge
  7. ↑ http://www.fed-parl.be/gwuk0015.htm#E11E15
  8. ↑ Brussels, an international city and European capital Université Libre de Bruxelles
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Brussels: home to international organisations diplomatie.be
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 E!Sharp magazine, Jan-Feb 2007 issue: Article "A tale of two cities".
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 European Navigator Seat of the European Commission
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 European Commission publication: Europe in Brussels 2007
  13. ↑ Wheatley, Paul (2006-10-02). The two-seat parliament farce must end. Café Babel. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
  14. ↑ Stark, Christine. Evolution of the European Council: The implications of a permanent seat (PDF). Dragoman.org. Retrieved 2007-07-12.
  15. ↑ Vucheva, Elitsa (2007-09-05). EU quarter in Brussels set to grow. EU Observer. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  16. ↑ Museum
  17. ↑ Museum of Modern Art in Brussels. Museum Moderne Kunst Brussel. Musée d'art moderne Bruxelles
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Template:Nl”Taalgebruik in Brussel en de plaats van het Nederlands. Enkele recente bevindingen”, Rudi Janssens, Brussels Studies, Nummer 13, 7 January 2008 (see page 4).
  19. ↑ Template:Nl"Brussel historisch", Hoofdstedelijke Aangelegenheden, Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap
  20. ↑ (French)"Histoire de la langue", Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
  21. ↑ Template:Nl"De mythe van de vroege verfransing", Taalgebruik te Brussel van de 12de eeuw tot 1794, Paul De Ridder
  22. ↑ Linguistic Usages in Brussels before 1794, [1] last accessed 14 February 2007
  23. ↑ Template:Nl"Thuis in gescheiden werelden" — De migratoire en sociale aspecten van verfransing te Brussel in het midden van de 19e eeuw", BTNG-RBHC, XXI, 1990, 3-4, pp. 383-412, Machteld de Metsenaere, Eerst aanwezend assistent en docent Vrije Universiteit Brussel
  24. ↑ Template:Nl"Taal- en onderwijspolitiek te Brussel (1878-1914)", Harry van Velthoven, p261-443, Taal en Sociale Integratie 4, Brussel, VUB, 1981
  25. ↑ Template:Nlde Vriendt, Sera: Taal in stad en land - Brussels, Uitgeverij Terra - Lannoo, 2004, ISBN 90-209-5857-7
  26. ↑ Manneken-Pis schrijft slecht Nederlands (in Dutch). Het Nieuwsblad (2007-08-25).
  27. ↑ L’accompagnement des demandeurs d’emploi à Bruxelles
  28. ↑ the official VGC figures for February, 2006
  29. ↑ (French)"Welcome supplante Welkom à Bruxelles", Le Soir, 8 January 2008
  30. ↑ (French)"Bruxelles dans l'oeil du cyclone", France 2, 14 November 2007
  31. ↑ Presentation of the Université libre de Bruxelles. Université Libre de Bruxelles. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
  32. ↑ About the University : Culture and History. Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
  33. ↑ Institution: Historique. Facultés Universitaires Saint Louis. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
  34. ↑ Katholieke Universiteit Brussel. Katholieke Universiteit Brussel. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
  35. ↑ What makes the RMA so special?. Belgian Royal Military Academy. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
  36. ↑ Petite histoire du Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles. Conservatoire Royal. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
  37. ↑ Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel. Koninklijk Conservatorium. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
  38. ↑ L'histoire de l'UCL à Bruxelles. Université Catholique de Louvain. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
  39. ↑ ISB Profile. International School of Brussels. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
  40. ↑ Background. Schola Europaea. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
  41. ↑ Belgian N roads

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