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History of Brussels (Belgium)

The earliest settlement of what is now Brussels goes back to the year 580 and the island between two branches of the river Senne (Saint-Géry island), on which Gaugericus (Gery), Christian bishop of Cambrai, built a chapel (Saint-Géry Chapel), which remained the oldest place of worship in the city until the building was demolished in the 1790s. 

Brussels is mentioned again in the historical record again in 695. 

In the year 979, Lambert the Duke of Louvain, fortified the settlement on Saint-Géry Island. From the 1100s, the Dukes of Brabant transformed the fortress into a castle. The first city walls (première enceinte - see shaded region on map to the right), built in the 1200s, enclosed the city. By then, Brussels had developed into a substantial market town, in particular with the production of cloth. In the 1300s the "second walls" (seconde enceinte - see outer border on map to the right) of Brussels were built, forming the proverbial "pentagon" with eight city gates. 

The magnificent Brussels Town Hall dates to the 1400s. 

Brussels and the surrounding Low Countries were under the control of the House of Habsburg 1556–1714. Charles V would hand power over to his son Philip II, who sent the infamous Duke of Alba to do battle with the Protestant Reformation, resulting in much bloodshed. While the northern Provinces broke away to form the Protestant Netherlands, the southern provinces remained loyal to Spain and the Roman Catholic Church. 

Later, in 1695, Brussels, temporarily under the control of the British king, William III of Orange, was bombarded by the French, and many buildings destroyed, only to be rebuilt within a few years.

Between 1714 and 1795, Brussels came under Austrian rule. Under Emperor Joseph II of Austria, all but one of the city gates were removed. It was at this time that religious toleration was first extended to Belgian Protestants. 

From 1795 until 1815, Belgium was annexed by France, and Brussels came under the departement of the Dyle (one of nine Belgian departements). 

Following the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, for a brief period, Brussels was given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This led to the Revolution of 1830, and the creation of Belgium as an independent nation. 

Prior to 1830, the city of Brussels was confined to what is known as the "pentagon", a five sided area enclosed by what were the second city walls dating back to the 1300s. During the period 1812-40, the second city walls were removed and replaced with wide Parisian-style boulevards, forming la Petite Ceinture - now an internal multi-lane ring road. (See map below of Brussels in 1830)


In 1853, the city expanded beyond the "pentagon" to include Schaerbeek, Etterbeek and Saint-Josse-ten-Noode - what became the Leopold Quarter, and the Quarter of the Squares. In 1864, the city expanded further to encompass what became Avenue Louise and Bois de la Cambre. In 1907, the "Jardin du Roi" and "Abbaye de la Cambre" were added. 

During the 20th century, Brussels was twice under German occupation. 

Following the First World War, in 1921, the municipalities of Laeken, Neder-over-Heembeek and Haren were joined to Brussels. For the first time, the historic "pentagon" area of the city was no longer the most populous. During the years 1920-1940, various new housing estates were built along the lines of the British-style "Garden city", such as the Kapelleveld in Woluwe St Lambert.

Following the Second World War, the modernisation of the city was nicknamed "Bruxellisation". A major milestone was the 1958 "World Exhibition" held at Heysel in the north of Brussels. The system of underground road tunnels dates to this time. Another major transformation came with the 1952 north-south rail link, linking the South and North stations and passing through the historic "pentagon". The 1967 "Manhatten Project" led to the area around the North station being developed into a New York style business centre with huge high-rise buildings.     

Brussels became the capital city of what is now known as the European Union, and the Leopold Quarter to the east of the city centre was transformed by major buildings. 

I grew up in Belgium, living there from 1979 until I left school in 1992, and coming back to spend time with my parents until they moved to Italy in 1996. I now realise that, despite having lived there for 13 formative years of my life, my knowledge of Brussels is very piecemeal and incomplete. 

Sources

Meganck, Marc. Les 100 mots de Bruxelles. 

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