Brussels
Saint Vindicianus, the Bishop of Cambrai, made the first recorded reference to the place in 695 when it was still a hamlet. Traces of human settlement go back to the Stone Age with vestiges and place-names related to the civilisation of megaliths near the Grand-Place. During late antiquity, the region was home to Roman occupation as attested by archaeological evidence discovered on the current site of Tour & Taxis. According to local legend, the origin of the settlement that became Brussels lies in Saint Gaugericus' construction of a chapel on an island in the river Senne around 580. The official founding of Brussels is usually said to be around 979 when Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine, transferred the relics of the martyr Saint Gudula from Moorsel to Saint Gaugericus' chapel. When Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor, appointed Charles to become Duke of Lower Lotharingia in 977, Charles ordered the construction of the city's first permanent fortification on that same island. Lambert I, Count of Louvain, gained the County of Brussels around 1000 by marrying Charles' daughter. Because of its location on the banks of the Senne, on an important trade route between the Flemish cities of Bruges and Ghent, and Cologne in the Kingdom of Germany, Brussels became a commercial centre specialised in the textile trade. As the town grew to a population of around 30,000, the surrounding marshes were drained to allow for further expansion. In 1183, the Counts of Leuven became Dukes of Brabant. In the early 13th century, the first walls of Brussels were built and after this, the city grew significantly. Around this time, work began on what is now the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in 1225, replacing an older Romanesque church. To let the city expand, a second set of walls was erected between 1356 and 1383.
In 1477, the Burgundian duke Charles the Bold perished in the Battle of Nancy. Through the marriage of his daughter Mary of Burgundy to Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, the Low Countries fell under Habsburg sovereignty. Brussels flourished as the Princely Capital of the prosperous Burgundian Netherlands, also known as the Seventeen Provinces. Philip died in 1506, and he was succeeded by his son Charles V who then also became King of Spain and even Holy Roman Emperor at the death of his grandfather Maximilian I in 1519. It was in the Coudenberg Palace that Charles V was declared of age in 1515, and it was there in 1555 that he abdicated all of his possessions and passed the Habsburg Netherlands to King Philip II of Spain. In 1695, during the Nine Years' War, King Louis XIV of France sent troops to bombard Brussels with artillery. Together with the resulting fire, it was the most destructive event in the entire history of Brussels. The Grand-Place was destroyed, along with 4,000 buildings, a third of all the buildings in the city. The reconstruction of the city centre, effected during subsequent years, profoundly changed its appearance and left numerous traces still visible today. During the War of the Spanish Succession Brussels fell in Anglo-Dutch hands following the Battle of Ramillies in 1706. In 1708, Brussels again sustained a French attack which it repelled. Following the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, Spanish sovereignty over the Southern Netherlands was transferred to the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg. This event started the era of the Austrian Netherlands. Brussels was captured by France in 1746, during the War of the Austrian Succession, but was handed back to Austria three years later.
In 1830, the Belgian Revolution began in Brussels after a performance of Auber's opera La Muette de Portici at the Royal Theatre of La Monnaie. On the 21st of July 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. The Industrial Revolution and the opening of the Brussels, Charleroi Canal in 1832 brought prosperity to the city through commerce and manufacturing. The Free University of Brussels was established in 1834 and Saint-Louis University in 1858. In 1835, the first passenger railway built outside England linked the municipality of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean with Mechelen. During the 19th century, the population of Brussels grew considerably from about 80,000 to more than 625,000 people for the city and its surroundings. The Senne had become a serious health hazard, and from 1867 to 1871, under the tenure of the city's then-mayor, Jules Anspach, its entire course through the urban area was completely covered over. This allowed urban renewal and the construction of modern buildings of Haussmann-esque style along grand central boulevards. Buildings such as the Bourse Palace in 1873, the Palace of Justice in 1883 and Saint Mary's Royal Church in 1885 date from this period. This development continued throughout the reign of King Leopold II. The International Exposition of 1897 contributed to the promotion of the infrastructure. Brussels was one of the major European centres of the Art Nouveau style in the 1890s and early 1900s. The architects Victor Horta, Paul Hankar, and Henry van de Velde were known for their designs, many of which survive today.
Starting from the early 1960s, Brussels became the de facto capital of what would become the European Union. Brussels serves as de facto capital of the European Union, hosting the major political institutions of the Union. The EU has not declared a capital formally though the Treaty of Amsterdam formally gives Brussels the seat of the European Commission and the Council of the European Union. Between 2002 and 2004, the European Council also fixed its seat in the city. In 2014, the Union hosted a G7 summit in the city. Brussels, along with Luxembourg and Strasbourg, began to host European institutions in 1957, soon becoming the centre of activities. The current major buildings are the Berlaymont building of the Commission, symbolic of the quarter as a whole, the Europa building of the Council and the Espace Léopold of the Parliament. In recent years, the presence has increased considerably, with the Commission alone occupying within the European Quarter. The city is the political and administrative centre of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO's Brussels headquarters houses 29 embassies and brings together over 4,500 staff from allied nations. A new €750 million headquarters building begun in 2010 was completed in 2017. Since 1949, a number of NATO Summits have been held in Brussels, the most recent taking place in June 2021. The city hosts 120 international institutions, 181 embassies and more than 2,500 diplomats, making it the second centre of diplomatic relations in the world after New York City.
Brussels was historically Dutch-speaking using the Brabantian dialect but since the 19th century French has become the city's predominant language. The main cause of this transition was the rapid assimilation of the local Flemish population amplified by immigration from France and Wallonia. The rise of French in public life gradually began by the end of the 18th century quickly accelerating after Belgian independence. Although a majority of the population remained bilingual until the second half of the 20th century, family transmission of the historic Brabantian dialect declined leading to an increase of monolingual French-speakers from 1910 onwards. From the mid-20th century, the number of monolingual French-speakers surpassed the number of mostly bilingual Flemish inhabitants. In 1991, 63.7% of inhabitants in Brussels-Capital Region answered that they were Belgian citizens born as such in Belgium indicating that more than a third of residents had not been born in the country. According to Statbel in 2020, taking into account the parents' nationality of birth, 74.3% of the population of the Brussels-Capital Region was of foreign origin and 41.8% was of non-European origin. Among those aged under 18, 88% were of foreign origin and 57% of non-European origin. Currently about half of the population speaks a home language other than these two. In 2013 academic research showed that approximately 17% of families spoke none of the official languages in the home while in a further 23% a foreign language was used alongside French.
The Grand-Place is the main attraction in the city centre and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. The square is dominated by the 15th century Flamboyant Town Hall, the neo-Gothic Breadhouse and the Baroque guildhalls of the former Guilds of Brussels. Manneken Pis, a fountain containing a small bronze sculpture of a urinating youth, is a tourist attraction and symbol of the city. The neoclassical style of the 18th and 19th centuries is represented in the Royal Quarter around Brussels Park and the Place Royale. Examples include the Royal Palace, the Church of St. James on Coudenberg, the Palace of the Nation and the Academy Palace. Some additional landmarks in the centre are the Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries in 1847 one of the oldest covered shopping arcades in Europe, the Congress Column in 1859, the Bourse Palace in 1873 and the Palace of Justice in 1883. The latter designed by Joseph Poelaert in eclectic style is reputed to be the largest building constructed in the 19th century. Completed only in 1969 and combining Art Deco with neo-Byzantine elements, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg is one of the largest churches by area in the world. Another example are the exhibition halls of the Centenary Palace built for the 1935 World's Fair on the Heysel Plateau in northern Brussels. The Atomium is a symbolic modernist structure located on the Heysel Plateau which was originally built for the 1958 World's Fair. It consists of nine steel spheres connected by tubes and forms a model of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times.
Brussels is known for its local waffle its chocolate its French fries and its numerous types of beers. The Brussels sprout which has long been popular in Brussels may have originated there and is also named after the city. Owing to Brussels' cosmopolitan population almost every national cuisine in the world can be found there. The gastronomic offer includes approximately 1,800 restaurants including three 2-starred and ten 1-starred Michelin restaurants. Pralines were first introduced in 1912 by Jean Neuhaus II a Belgian chocolatier of Swiss origin in the Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries. Numerous friteries are spread throughout the city and in tourist areas fresh hot waffles are also sold on the street. As well as other Belgian beers the spontaneously fermented lambic style brewed in and around Brussels is widely available there. Kriek a cherry lambic is available in almost every bar or restaurant in Brussels. Brussels is known as the birthplace of the Belgian endive. The technique for growing blanched endives was accidentally discovered in the 1850s at the Botanical Garden of Brussels in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. The Ommegang a medieval pageant and folkloric costumed procession commemorating the Joyous Entry of Emperor Charles V and his son Philip II in the city in 1549 takes place every year in July. Since 2019 it has been recognised as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
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Common questions
When was Brussels first recorded in history?
Saint Vindicianus, the Bishop of Cambrai, made the first recorded reference to the place in 695 when it was still a hamlet. Traces of human settlement go back to the Stone Age with vestiges and place-names related to the civilisation of megaliths near the Grand-Place.
Who founded Brussels and when did the official founding occur?
The official founding of Brussels is usually said to be around 979 when Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine, transferred the relics of the martyr Saint Gudula from Moorsel to Saint Gaugericus' chapel. During late antiquity, the region was home to Roman occupation as attested by archaeological evidence discovered on the current site of Tour & Taxis.
What happened to Brussels during the bombardment of 1695?
In 1695, during the Nine Years' War, King Louis XIV of France sent troops to bombard Brussels with artillery. The Grand-Place was destroyed along with 4,000 buildings which represented a third of all the buildings in the city.
When did Brussels become the capital of Belgium?
On the 21st of July 1831, Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians, ascended the throne after the Belgian Revolution began in Brussels following a performance of Auber's opera La Muette de Portici at the Royal Theatre of La Monnaie.
Why does French dominate the language landscape of modern Brussels?
Brussels was historically Dutch-speaking using the Brabantian dialect but since the 19th century French has become the city's predominant language due to rapid assimilation of the local Flemish population and immigration from France and Wallonia. From the mid-20th century, the number of monolingual French-speakers surpassed the number of mostly bilingual Flemish inhabitants.
Which landmarks make up the main attractions of Brussels today?
The Grand-Place is the main attraction in the city centre and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. Other notable sites include Manneken Pis, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg completed only in 1969, and the Atomium which was originally built for the 1958 World's Fair.