Timeline of Brussels

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

The following is a timeline of the history of Brussels , Belgium.

Prehistory

• 3000–2200 BCE – First known settlements in Brussels during the Neolithic era, located in the Sonian Forest. ^[1]

Roman Period

• 1st century CE – A Roman villa is constructed in Anderlecht, located near today's Allée de la Villa Romaine/Romeinse-Villadreef. ^[2]
• 2nd century CE – A Gallo-Roman villa is constructed in Jette, located in today's King Baudouin Park. ^[3]

Middle Ages

• 580 – Saint Gaugericus builds a chapel on an island in the river Senne, laying the origin of the settlement which was to become Brussels. ^[4]

Charles of Lorraine founded what would become Brussels, c. 979.

• 979 – Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine, transfers the relics of Saint Gudula to the chapel built by Saint Gaugericus, marking the city's official founding.
• 1012 – Saint Guy dies in Anderlecht on his return home from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. ^[5]
• 1015–1020 – Oldest written record of the city by Olbert of Gembloux. ^[6]
• 1229 – Henry I, Duke of Brabant, issues a charter of rights for the city. ^[7]
• 1273 – The first stage of the Church of St Michael and St Gudula's rebuilding in the Gothic style is completed (approximate date). ^[8]
• 1304 – The Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon is founded. ^[9]
• 1308 – The Meyboom is first attested. ^[10]
• 1348 – The Ommegang begins as a Marian procession. ^[11]
• 1356
  • The Joyous Entry of Joanna and Wenceslaus into the city takes place.
  • The expansion of the city's fortifications begins.
• 1370 – The Brussels massacre occurs, followed by the expulsion of the city's remaining Jewish population.
• 1381 – The Halle Gate is built.
• 1420 – The Town Hall is built.
• 1455 – The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament of the Miracle is built.
• 1476 – The first printing press is in operation in the city. ^[12]
• 1477 – The Habsburgs come to power in the Burgundian Netherlands, with Brussels as their capital. ^[13]

16th and 17th centuries

• 1536 – The King's House is built at the Grand-Place/Grote Markt for the Duke of Brabant. ^[14]
• 1555 – Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, abdicates in the Aula Magna of the Palace of Coudenberg.
• 1561 – The city's port and the Willebroek Canal are opened. ^[15]
• 1568 – The Counts of Egmont and Horn are executed at the Grand-Place.
• 1579–1585 – Calvinist Republic of Brussels
• 1585 – 10 March: Spain recaptures the city, then the capital of Spanish Netherlands, after a siege by the Duke of Parma. ^{[16] [17]}
• 1619 – The original Manneken Pis statue is installed.
• 1622 – The funeral of Albert VII of Austria takes place.
• 1695 – The city is bombarded by the French, destroying a third of its buildings, including the Grand-Place.
• 1700 – The first Theatre of La Monnaie, then spelled La Monnoye, is built.

Brussels in the 17th century

Ommegang of Brussels in 1615

The Grand-Place/Grote Markt in flames during the bombardment of Brussels in 1695

18th century

• 1713 – The city becomes part of the Austrian Netherlands.
• 1714 – The Belfry collapses.
• 1719 – François Anneessens is executed at the Grand-Place.
• 1731 – The Palace of Coudenberg is destroyed by fire.
• 1746 – The city is besieged and captured by the French.
• 1772
  • The Imperial and Royal Academy is established. ^[18]
  • The Opéra flamand is established.
• 1774 – The Rue Royale/Koningsstraat is laid out. ^[9]
• 1775 – Brussels Park is laid out.
• 1782 – The Place Royale/Koningsplein is laid out.
• 1787 – The Vauxhall opens.
• 1783 – The Royal Palace's construction begins.
• 1784 – The city's gates are demolished, except for the Halle Gate.
• 1787 – The Church of St. James on Coudenberg is consecrated.
• 1789 – The Brabant Revolution reaches the city and makes the Austrian authorities flee.
• 1790 – December: The Austrians take the city back and pledge to reverse the reforms of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor.
• 1795 – The French rule begins; the city becomes part of the department of the Dyle.
• 1796
  • La Cambre Abbey and Forest Abbey are abolished.
  • The Church of St. Gaugericus is demolished.

19th century

• 1803 – The Museum of Fine Arts opens. ^[19]
• 1815
  • The Duchess of Richmond's ball takes place.
  • The city becomes the joint capital of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
• 1819 – The new opera theatre is inaugurated.
• 1822 – The Société Générale de Belgique is headquartered in the city. ^[20]
• 1826 – The Botanical Garden is founded.

Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830, Gustaf Wappers, 1834

• 1830
  • The Belgian Revolution starts in the city. ^[21]
  • The city becomes the capital of Kingdom of Belgium. ^[13]
  • Population: 98,279 city; 120,981 metro. ^[22]
• 1832
  • The Royal Conservatory is founded.
  • The Brussels–Charleroi Canal is completed.
• 1834 – The Free University is founded
• 1835 – The Groendreef/Allée Verte railway station, Belgium's first, is inaugurated.
• 1846
  • The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences is founded.
  • Population: 123,874. ^[23]
• 1847
  • The Avenue Louise/Louizalaan is commissioned.
  • The Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries open.
• 1848 – The International Peace Congress is held in the city.
• 1850 – Population: 142,289 city; 222,424 metro. ^[22]

View into Brussels along the Brussels–Charleroi Canal from Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, c. 1855

• 1855 – The Brussels-Luxembourg railway station is built.
• 1856 – The reconstructed Royal Theatre of La Monnaie opens.
• 1859 – The Congress Column is erected.
• 1860 – Population: 185,982 city; 300,341 metro. ^[22]
• 1861 – The Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos is laid out.
• 1869 – Trams begin operating in the city.
• 1871
  • The covering of the Senne takes place; the Central Boulevards are laid out.
  • The Banque de Bruxelles is established. ^[20]
• 1873 – The new building for the Brussels Stock Exchange is completed.
• 1877 – Ixelles Cemetery is created.
• 1880
  • The Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark is created.
  • The White slave trade affair scandal is exposed and attracts international attention.
• 1881 – L'Echo newspaper begins its publication. ^[24]
• 1883 – The Palace of Justice is inaugurated.
• 1885
  • Saint Mary's Royal Church is built.
  • Population: 171,751. ^[23]
• 1887
  • Le Soir newspaper begins its publication. ^[24]
  • The Palace for Fine Arts is built.
• 1888 – Het Laatste Nieuws newspaper begins its publication. ^[24]
• 1889 – November: The Brussels Anti-Slavery Conference 1889–90 begins.
• 1890 – The Abattoirs of Anderlecht  [ fr ] enter service as a central abattoir for the whole city.
• 1891 – August: The International Socialist Labor Congress is held in the city.
• 1893
  • The Paris–Brussels cycle race begins. ^[25]
  • The Hôtel Tassel is built.
  • The Hankar House is built.
• 1894 – The Société Belge d'Études Coloniales is headquartered in the city.
• 1895
  • The Royal Greenhouses of Laeken are built.
  • The Hotel Métropole opens at the Place de Brouckère/De Brouckèreplein.
• 1896 – The King's House is rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style.
• 1897
  • The Brussels International world's fair is held.
  • The Avenue de Tervueren/Tervurenlaan is laid out.
• 1899 – The Maison du Peuple/Volkshuis is built.
• 1900
  • The Cantillon brewery is founded.
  • Saint-Jean Hospital is built. ^[26]

20th century

Equestrian Statue of Leopold II, Place du Trône/Troonplein, Brussels

• 1901 – The Maison & Atelier Horta is built.
• 1905
  • The Cauchie House is built.
  • The Cinquantenaire's memorial arch is completed.
• 1908 – The Chapel of the Resurrection is built.
• 1910 – The Brussels International world's fair is held.

The 1911 Solvay Conference in Brussels was the first world physics conference.

• 1911
  • The first Solvay Conference is held.
  • The Stoclet Palace is built.
• 1914 – World War I: The city is captured and occupied by the German Army.
• 1917 – The Constant Vanden Stock Stadium opens.
• 1919
  • The Lignes Farman airline begins operating its Paris–Brussels route. ^[27]
  • Population: 685,268 metro. ^[28]
• 1920 – The Oscar Bossaert Stadium opens.
• 1921 – Haren, Laeken and Neder-Over-Heembeek are merged into the City of Brussels.
• 1922 – The Société du Palais des Beaux-Arts and the Jardin botanique Jean Massart  [ fr ] ^[29] are established.
• 1923 – The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History opens.
• 1927 – The fifth Solvay Conference, perhaps the most famous, is held.
• 1930 – The Jubilee Stadium opens.
• 1931 – The Brussels Symphony Orchestra is founded.
• 1934 – The Villa Empain is built.
• 1935
  • The Brussels International world's fair is held; the Palais des Expositions is built.
  • The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is consecrated.
  • The city co-hosts the 1935 European Wrestling Championships.
• 1937 – The Queen Elisabeth Competition begins.
• 1939 – The Constantin Meunier Museum opens.
• 1940
  • World War II: The German occupation begins.
  • The German Military Administration in Belgium and Northern France is headquartered in the city.^{[ citation needed ]}
  • July: The Frontstalag 110 prisoner-of-war camp is established by the Germans. ^[30]
• 1941 – The Frontstalag 110 POW camp is dissolved. ^[30]

Scenes of jubilation as British troops liberate Brussels, 4 September 1944

• 1944
  • 3–4 September: The city is liberated by the Welsh Guards; the Palace of Justice is burnt by the Germans to destroy legal records during their retreat.
  • 8 September: The Belgian government in exile returns to the city after four years in London.
  • The District of Brussels, formed by Nazi Germany, is no longer in control of the territory.
• 1948
  • The Treaty of Brussels, founding the Western Union (WU), is signed.
  • Brussels Airport opens.
• 1950 – The city hosts the 1950 European Athletics Championships.
• 1952 – The North–South connection is completed; Brussels Central Station and Brussels-South railway station open.
• 1953 – The city hosts the 1953 World Fencing Championships.

The Atomium and cable car during the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo 58)

• 1958
  • Expo 58 world's fair is held; the Atomium is built.
  • The city becomes one of the seats of the European Community.
• 1960 – The city hosts the Congolese Round Table Conference.
• 1967
  • The À L'Innovation department store is destroyed by fire.
  • NATO's headquarters are established in the city.
• 1969 – The Free University splits along linguistic lines into the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).
• 1971
  • The Brussels Agglomeration  [ fr ] is created. ^[31]
  • The Flower carpet at the Grand-Place begins.
• 1972 – The city hosts the 1972 European Karate Championships.
• 1974 – The Brussels Independent Film Festival begins.
• 1975
  • Bank Brussels Lambert is headquartered in the city.
  • The Université catholique de Louvain's Jardin des plantes médicinales Paul Moens  [ fr ] is established.
• 1976 – The Brussels Metro begins operating.
• 1978
  • The Brussels Ring is constructed.
  • The RTBF Symphony Orchestra is formed. ^[32]
• 1979
  • May: The city hosts the 1979 European Judo Championships.
  • The Archives of the City of Brussels moves into the former Magasins Waucquez  [ fr ]. ^[33]
• 1980
  • The Flemish Community and the French Community of Belgium each designate Brussels as their capital city.
  • Population of the Brussels-Capital Region: 1,008,715. ^[34]
• 1985
  • Pope John Paul II visits the city. ^[35]
  • 29 May: The Heysel Stadium disaster takes place. ^[35]
• 1988 – Kinepolis Brussels opens.
• 1989
  • Brussels-Capital Region is formed; the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region ^[36] and Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region are established.
  • The Belgian Comic Strip Center opens.
  • Mini-Europe opens.
• 1990 – Population of the Brussels-Capital Region: 964,385. ^[34]
• 1993 – The Espace Léopold opens.
• 1994
  • The City of Brussels is designated capital of Belgium and seat of the Federal Government. ^[37]
  • Freddy Thielemans becomes mayor. ^[38]
• 1995
  • The Erasmus Brussels University of Applied Sciences and Arts is established after a merger of some ten colleges in and around the city.
• 1996 – The Belgacom Towers are built.
• 1998 – The Ancienne Belgique is renovated.
• 1999 – The Wedding of Prince Philippe and Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz takes place.
• 2000
  • The city is named European Capital of Culture alongside eight other European cities. ^[39]
  • The Zinneke Parade begins.
  • The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) relocates to the former Old England department store.

21st century

• 2004 – The North Galaxy Towers are built.
• 2006 – The Atomium is renovated. ^[40]
• 2007 – The Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel (HUB) is established. ^[41]
• 2009 – The Magritte Museum opens.
• 2010 – Population of the Brussels-Capital Region: 1,089,538. ^[34]
• 2013
  • The Brussels Agreement for the normalisation of Kosovo–Serbia relations is signed.
  • Yvan Mayeur becomes mayor.
  • Rudi Vervoort becomes Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region.
  • The Fin-de-Siècle Museum opens.
• 2014 – The Jewish Museum of Belgium shooting occurs.
• 2016 – The Brussels bombings occur, killing 34 and injuring 230.
• 2017
  • 20 June: The June 2017 Brussels attack occurs.
  • 25 August: The August 2017 Brussels attack occurs.

See also

• History of Brussels  [ fr ]
• List of mayors of the City of Brussels (largest municipality in the Brussels-Capital Region)
• List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region
• Timeline of Belgian history
• Timelines of other municipalities in Belgium: Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Leuven, Liège

References

Citations

1. "Microsoft Word - resume_poster_Prignon.doc". archive.wikiwix.com. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
2. "De Frankische tijd". www.delbeccha.be. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
3. "Archeologische site in Laarbeekbos krijgt infoborden". www.bruzz.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-07-14.
4. State, Paul F. (2004). Historical Dictionary of Brussels. Scarecrow Press. p. 269.
5. "CatholicSaints.Info » Blog Archive » Weninger's Lives of the Saints – Saint Guido, Confessor" . Retrieved 2022-07-14.
6. De Sancto Verono Lembecae et Montibus Hannoniae.
7. "De keure van 1229", Brussel: Waar is de Tijd, 6 (1999), pp. 133-135.
8. Charles Harrison Townsend (1916), Beautiful buildings in France & Belgium, New York: Hubbell, OL   7213871M
9. Grant Allen (1904), Belgium: its cities, Boston: Page, OL   24136954M
10. "Histoire". www.meyboom.be. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
11. "L'Ommegang". patrimoine.brussels (in French). Direction du Patrimoine culturel.
12. Robert Proctor (1898). "Books Printed From Types: Belgium: Bruxelles". Index to the Early Printed Books in the British Museum. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner and Company. hdl:2027/uc1.c3450632 – via HathiTrust.
13. BBC News. "Belgium Profile: Timeline". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
14. Hennaut 2000, p. 17.
15. "Tijdsbalk - 1560 tot 1570 jaar in onze jaartelling" (in Dutch). willebroek.be. Retrieved 10 Apr 2016.
16. "Farnese, Alessandro", in Historical Dictionary of Brussels, by Paul F. State (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015 p.163
17. Demetrius C. Boulger, The History of Belgium: Cæsar to Waterloo (Princeton University Press, 1902) p.335
18. James E. McClellan (1985). "Official Scientific Societies: 1600-1793". Science Reorganized: Scientific Societies in the Eighteenth Century. Columbia University Press. ISBN   978-0-231-05996-1.
19. Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. "Museum History". Archived from the original on June 7, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
20. "Belgium". International Banking Directory. New York: Bankers Publishing Company. 1922. hdl:2027/hvd.hb1sji.
21. "Belgium". Political Chronology of Europe. Europa Publications. 2003. ISBN   978-1-135-35687-3.
22. "Belgium". Statesman's Year-Book. London: Macmillan and Co. 1869. hdl:2027/nyp.33433081590337.
23. Chambers 1901.
24. "Belgium". Europa World Year Book. Europa Publications. 2004. ISBN   978-1-85743-254-1.
25. Jeroen Heijmans; Bill Mallon (2011). "Chronology". Historical Dictionary of Cycling. Scarecrow Press. ISBN   978-0-8108-7175-5.
26. Catholic Encyclopedia 1908.
27. Patrick Robertson (2011). Robertson's Book of Firsts. Bloomsbury. ISBN   978-1-60819-738-5.
28. "Belgium". Statesman's Year-Book. London: Macmillan and Co. 1921. hdl:2027/njp.32101072368440.
29. "Garden Search: Belgium". London: Botanic Gardens Conservation International. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
30. "German Frontstalag Camps" . Retrieved 13 August 2022.
31. Major Cities and Their Peripheries: Co-operation and Co-ordinated Management. Local and Regional Authorities in Europe. Council of Europe Press. 1993. ISBN   978-92-871-2394-7. Archived from the original on 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
32. Colin Lawson, ed. (2003). "Orchestras Founded in the 20th Century (chronological list)". Cambridge Companion to the Orchestra. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-00132-8.
33. "Archives of the City of Brussels". Brusselsmuseums.be. Conseil bruxellois des Musées. Archived from the original on 2015-05-24. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
34. Brussels Institute for Statistics and Analysis. "Population Totale". Structure de la population. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
35. "History of Brussels: Chronology". City of Brussels. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
36. Centre d'Informatique pour la Region Bruxelloise. "About the Region". Brussels-Capital Region Portal. Archived from the original on 2012-11-23. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
37. "Article 194" (PDF). The Belgian Constitution. Belgian House of Representatives. 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
38. "Belgian mayors". City Mayors.com. London: City Mayors Foundation. Archived from the original on 2013-04-27. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
39. "Association of European Cities of Culture of the Year 2000". Krakow the Open City. 17 August 2011. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
40. "Restauration de l'Atomium". Beliris (in French). Retrieved 2021-04-26.
41. Walter Rüegg [in German], ed. (2011). "Universities founded in Europe between 1945 and 1995". Universities Since 1945. History of the University in Europe. Vol. 4. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-1-139-49425-0.

This article incorporates information from the French Wikipedia.

Bibliography

In English

Published in the 19th century

• New Picture of Brussels, and its Environs, or, Stranger's Guide to the Curiosities of that Interesting City, London: Samuel Leigh, 1820, OCLC   63579821
• "Brussels". Galignani's Traveller's Guide through Holland and Belgium (4th ed.). Paris: A. and W. Galignani. 1822. hdl:2027/njp.32101073846667.
• David Brewster, ed. (1830). "Brussels". Edinburgh Encyclopædia. Edinburgh: William Blackwood.
• "Brussels", Cabinet Cyclopædia, vol. Cities and Principal Towns of the World, London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, & Green, 1830, OCLC   2665202
• "Brussels", A hand-book for travellers on the continent (2nd ed.), London: John Murray, 1838, OCLC   2030550
• Frederick Knight Hunt (1845), "Brussels", The Rhine: its scenery & historical & legendary associations, London: Jeremiah How
• "Brussels". Coghlan's Illustrated Guide to the Rhine (18th ed.). London: Trubner & Co. 1863.
• Stranger's Guide to Brussels and its environs (6th ed.), Kiessling & Co., 1876
• W. Pembroke Fetridge (1885), "Brussels to Antwerp", Harper's hand-book for travellers in Europe and the east, New York: Harper & Brothers

Published in the 20th century

• "Brussels". Chambers's Encyclopaedia. London. 1901. hdl:2027/njp.32101065312876 – via Hathi Trust.
• Ernest Gilliat-Smith (1906), The story of Brussels, London: Dent, OL   24358871M
• Ernest Gilliat-Smith (1908). "Brussels". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York.
• "Brussels", Belgium and Holland, Leipzig: Karl Baedeker, 1910, OCLC   397759
• "Brussels". Belgium. Grieben's Guide Books. Vol. 141. London: Williams & Norgate. 1910. hdl:2027/uiuc.3096224_001.

Published in the 21st century

• Anton Kreukels; et al., eds. (2005). "Brussels". Metropolitan Governance and Spatial Planning: Comparative Case Studies of European City-Regions. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-134-49606-8.
• Xhardez, Catherine (2016). Translated by Jane Corrigan. "The integration of new immigrants in Brussels: an institutional and political puzzle". Brussels Studies . doi: 10.4000/brussels.1434 . - translation of "L’intégration des nouveaux arrivants à Bruxelles : un puzzle institutionnel et politique"

In other languages

• Hennaut, Eric (2000). La Grand-Place de Bruxelles. Bruxelles, ville d'Art et d'Histoire (in French). Vol. 3. Brussels: Éditions de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale.
• Zeiller, Martin (1654). "Brussel". Topographia Circuli Burgundici. Topographia Germaniae (in German). Frankfurt. p. 44+.
• Almanach royal de la cour, des provinces méridionales et de la ville de Bruxelles (in French). Bruxelles: A. Stapleaux. 1817.
• Marie-Nicolas Bouillet [in French]; L.G. Gourraigne (1914). "Bruxelles". Dictionnaire universel d'histoire et de geographie (in French) (34th ed.). Paris: Hachette.

External links

• Europeana. Items related to Brussels, various dates.