Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the capital of Belgium. The Brussels-Capital Region is located in the central portion of the country and is a part of both the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community, but is separate from the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region, located less than 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the south. Historically Dutch-speaking, Brussels saw a language shift to French from the late 19th century. Nowadays, the Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual in French and Dutch, although French is the majority language and lingua franca. Brussels is also increasingly becoming multilingual. English is spoken widely and many migrants and expatriates speak other languages as well.
The Grand-Place or Grote Markt is the central square of Brussels, Belgium. It is surrounded by opulent Baroque guildhalls of the former Guilds of Brussels and two larger edifices; the city's Flamboyant Town Hall, and the neo-Gothic King's House or Bread House building, containing the Brussels City Museum. The square measures 68 by 110 metres and is entirely paved.
The Town Hall of the City of Brussels is a landmark building and the seat of the City of Brussels municipality of Brussels, Belgium. It is located on the south side of the famous Grand-Place/Grote Markt, opposite the neo-Gothic King's House or Bread House building, housing the Brussels City Museum.
Peter van Dievoet was a Flemish Baroque sculptor, statuary, wood carver and designer of ornamental architectural elements active in Brussels and England. He is known for his work on a number of the Baroque guild houses on the Grand-Place, which was rebuilt after the bombardment of 1695, as well as on the Statue of James II on Trafalgar Square, London, made in collaboration with fellow Flemish sculptor Laurens van der Meulen. He was the half-brother of Philippe van Dievoet, goldsmith to King Louis XIV of France and the uncle of the Parisian printer Guillaume Vandive.
The Seven Noble Houses of Brussels were the seven families or clans whose descendants formed the patrician class and urban aristocracy of Brussels, Belgium.
The Ommegang of Brussels is a traditional Ommegang, a type of medieval pageant, celebrated annually in Brussels, Belgium.
The following is a timeline of the history of Brussels, Belgium.
The Church of Our Lady of Victories at the Sablon, or the Church of Our Lady of the Sablon, is a Catholic church located in the Sablon/Zavel district, in the historic centre of Brussels, Belgium. It is dedicated to Our Lady of the Sablon.
In Brussels, as in most European cities, one needed the capacity of bourgeois to exercise political rights but also to practice a trade, which in Brussels meant to be a member of the guilds or of the Seven Noble Houses.
The Leyniers family (/lɛnɪjɛ/) is a bourgeois family that appeared in Brussels in the 15th century and produced many high-level tapestry makers and dyers, experts in the art of dyeing in subtle shades the woolen threads destined for this trade.
The House ofSweerts or Sweerts Lineage is one of the Seven Noble Houses of Brussels along with the Houses of: Sleeus, Serhuyghs, Steenweeghs, Coudenbergh, Serroelofs and Roodenbeke.
The Drapery Court also called the Chamber of Commerce in the eighteenth century, was one of the oldest and most influential institutions of the City of Brussels during the Ancien Régime and was abolished during the French occupation of Brussels.
The House or Lineage ofCoudenbergh or Coudenberg is one of the Seven Noble Houses of Brussels along with the Houses of: Sleeus, Serhuyghs, Steenweeghs, Sweerts, Serroelofs, and Roodenbeke.
The House or Lineage ofSerroelofs or t’Serroelofs is one of the Seven Noble Houses of Brussels along with the Houses of: Sleeus, Serhuyghs, Steenweeghs, Sweerts, Coudenberg, and Roodenbeke.
The House ofRoodenbeke or Roodenbeke Lineage is one of the Seven Noble Houses of Brussels along with the Houses of: Sleeus, Serhuyghs, Steenweeghs, Sweerts, Serroelofs, and Coudenberg.
The House ofSleeus or Sleeus Lineage is one of the Seven Noble Houses of Brussels along with the Houses of: Roodenbeke, Serhuyghs, Steenweeghs, Sweerts, Serroelofs, and Coudenberg.
The House ofSerhuyghs or Serhuyghs Lineage is one of the Seven Noble Houses of Brussels along with the Houses of: Sleeus, Roodenbeke, Sweerts, Serroelofs, Steenweeghs, and Coudenberg.
The House ofSteenweeghs or Steenweeghs Lineage is one of the Seven Noble Houses of Brussels, along with Roodenbeke, Sleeus, Serhuyghs, Sweerts, Serroelofs and Coudenberg.
The Belfry of Brussels was a medieval bell tower in central Brussels, Belgium. Built long before the city's current Town Hall on the Grand-Place/Grote Markt, whose tower it should not be confused with, it formerly stood in front of the Church of St. Nicholas until its collapse on 25 July 1714. It was never rebuilt.
