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 Atomium is a landmark modernist building in Brussels, Belgium, originally constructed as the centrepiece of the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. Designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn and the architects André and Jean Polak as a tribute to scientific progress, as well as to symbolise Belgian engineering skills at the time, it is located on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Laeken, where the exhibition took place. It is the city's most popular tourist attraction, and serves as a museum, an art centre and a cultural destination.
The City of Brussels is the largest municipality and historical centre of the Brussels-Capital Region, as well as the capital of the Flemish Region and Belgium. The City of Brussels is also the administrative centre of the European Union, as it hosts a number of principal EU institutions in its European Quarter.
Kermesse, or kermis, or kirmess, is an outdoor fair or festival usually organized for charitable purposes. The term was derived from 'kerk' (church) and 'mis' (mass) in the original Dutch language term, and was borrowed in English, French, Spanish and many other languages. It originally denoted a mass and patronal festival held on the anniversary of the foundation of a church and in honour of the patron saint. Such celebrations were regularly held in the Low Countries, in Central Europe and also in northern France, and were accompanied by feasting, dancing and competitions of all kinds. The Kirchweih is the German equivalent, while church ale was a name of similar festivals in England. Many Catholic churches (parishes) still have patronal festivals of some sort for the anniversary of the church's founding, or the feast day of the saint it is dedicated to.
The Brussels Stock Exchange, abbreviated to BSE, was founded in Brussels, Belgium, by decree of Napoleon in 1801. In 2002, the BSE merged with the Amsterdam, Lisbon and Paris stock exchanges into Euronext, renaming the BSE Euronext Brussels. The most well known stock market index on the BSE is the BEL20.
The Mont des Arts or Kunstberg, meaning "Hill/Mount of the Arts", is an urban complex and historic site in central Brussels, Belgium, including the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR), the National Archives of Belgium, the Square – Brussels Meeting Centre, and a public garden.
The Halle Gate is a former medieval city gate and the last vestige of the second walls of Brussels, Belgium. Built between 1381 and 1383, it was heavily restored in the 19th century in its current neo-Gothic style by the architect Henri Beyaert. It is now a museum dedicated to the medieval City of Brussels, part of the Royal Museums of Art and History (RMAH).
The Boulevard Anspach (French) or Anspachlaan (Dutch) is a central boulevard in Brussels, Belgium, connecting the Place de Brouckère/De Brouckèreplein to the Place Fontainas/Fontainasplein. It was created following the covering of the river Senne (1867–1871), and bears the name of Jules Anspach, a former mayor of the City of Brussels.
The Temple of the Augustinians, alternatively the Church of the Augustinians in Brussels, Belgium, was a Brabantine Baroque-style church designed and built from 1621 to 1642 by the architect Jacob Franquart for the Augustinians order. It was located on the Place de Brouckère/De Brouckèreplein in central Brussels until its demolition in 1893–94. Its facade's masonry, however, was preserved, being disassembled and reconstructed as the facade of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Ixelles.
The Brussels International Exposition of 1897 was a world's fair held in Brussels, Belgium, from 10 May 1897 through 8 November 1897. There were 27 participating countries, and an estimated attendance of 7.8 million people.
Het Zinneke, sometimes called Zinneke Pis by analogy with Manneken Pis, is a bronze sculpture in central Brussels, Belgium, erected in 1999. Created by Tom Frantzen, it represents a dog urinating against a marker, along the same lines as Manneken Pis and its derivative Jeanneke Pis. It is an example of folk humour popular in Brussels.
The Place de Brouckère or De Brouckèreplein (Dutch) is a major square in central Brussels, Belgium. It was created following the covering of the river Senne (1867–1871), replacing the Temple of the Augustinians, which was demolished in 1893. It is named in honour of Charles de Brouckère, a former mayor of the City of Brussels and professor at the Free University of Brussels, who played a great political role during the Belgian Revolution of 1830. The square measures approximately 50 by 350 metres and is nearly entirely paved.
The Place de la Bourse (French) or Beursplein (Dutch), meaning "Stock Exchange Square", is a major square in central Brussels, Belgium. It was created following the covering of the river Senne (1867–1871). The former Brussels Stock Exchange building, of which it takes its name, is located on this square. It is served by the premetro station Bourse/Beurse on lines 3 and 4.
The Boulevard Adolphe Max or Adolphe Maxlaan (Dutch) is a central boulevard in Brussels, Belgium. It was created following the covering of the river Senne (1867–1871), and bears the name of Adolphe Max, a former mayor of the City of Brussels.
The Central Boulevards are a series of grand boulevards in central Brussels, Belgium. They were constructed following the covering of the river Senne (1867–1871), as part of the major urban works by the architect Léon Suys under the tenure of the city's then-mayor, Jules Anspach. They are from south to north and from west to east: the Boulevard Maurice Lemonnier/Maurice Lemonnierlaan, the Boulevard Anspach/Anspachlaan, the Boulevard Adolphe Max/Adolphe Maxlaan, and the Boulevard Émile Jacqmain/Émile Jacqmainlaan.
The Place Fontainas (French) or Fontainasplein (Dutch) is a square in central Brussels, Belgium. It was created following the covering of the river Senne (1867–1871). It is named in honour of André-Napoléon Fontainas, a former mayor of the City of Brussels.
The Passage du Nord (French) or Noorddoorgang (Dutch), meaning "Northern Passage", is a glazed shopping arcade in central Brussels, Belgium. It was built in 1881–82 in an eclectic style by Henri Rieck, following the covering of the Senne and the creation of the Central Boulevards. It is decorated with 32 caryatids in the neoclassical style by Jean-François-Joseph Bertheux and sculptures and putti by Constant Albert Desenfants.
The Place Anneessens (French) or Anneessensplein (Dutch) is a square in central Brussels, Belgium. It is named in honour of François Anneessens, dean of the Nation of St. Christopher, who was beheaded on the Grand-Place/Grote Markt during a period of uprisings within the Austrian Netherlands.
The Anspach Fountain is an eclectic-style fountain-obelisk erected between 1895 and 1897 in the centre of the Place de Brouckère/De Brouckèreplein in Brussels, Belgium. Designed by the architect Charles-Émile Janlet, it is dedicated to the memory of Jules Anspach, a former mayor of the City of Brussels.
The Schaerbeek Gate was one of the medieval city gates of the second walls of Brussels, Belgium.
