The Brussels Parliament building (French : Parlement de Bruxelles, Dutch : Parlement van Brussel) is a neoclassical building located on the Rue du Lombard/Lombardstraat in Brussels, Belgium, housing the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region. [1] It largely dates from the early 20th century, although some wings date back to the 17th century and certain later renovations.
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2008) |
The hemicycle is on the top floor of the building, with the roof being of modern zinc and glass design. The chamber is encircled by a long curved wooden wall and there is an overhanging press and public gallery. Committee rooms have likewise been updated with modern technology but much of the building remains neoclassical. There is also a cafeteria and reading room for deputies. The four rear wings have administrative functions, including housing the President's offices. There is also 400 m2 (4,300 sq ft) of hanging gardens extending to heights of up to 27 metres (89 feet). [1]
Towards the end of the 17th century, the site housed the vast mansion of the Maes family on Rue du Chêne/Eikstraat, which was destroyed in 1695 during the bombardment of Brussels in the War of the Grand Alliance. The remains of the mansion and its lands were bought by the Count of Limminghe, Charles van den Berghe, who held numerous posts of administration in Brussels, being twice the city's burgomaster (later mayor). A year later, in 1696, he built another large, prestigious two-story mansion at the end of an enclosed courtyard with a garden (entered via Saint-Jean/Sint-Jan), which was then sold on to various figures such as Apostolic Nuncio and the then-ambassador to England. [1]
The building was acquired by the state for the first time in 1823 when the Brabant Province and the Dutch State bought it to house the Brabant government and act as the official residence of the local governor. This situation continued after Belgian Independence in 1830. Due to development of the provincial government, however, the building became too small and dilapidated by the end of the 1860s, hence there were successive waves of reconstruction, albeit with a planned design for consistency. The governors residence began to be modified in 1885, and in 1907, the office wing was replaced. Georges Hano, the Ministry of Public Works' then-architect, built a higher wing with direct access to the Rue de Chêne. The different buildings were also interlinked and the facades overlooking the courtyard were unified. The governors' residence was increased one story on the side facing the courtyard and the height was also increased on the building surmounting the porch reconstructed by Hansotte. The new Rue du Lombard/Lombardstraat was opened up by the city at the start of the 20th century and Hano desired to make the presence of the provincial government felt on this new road which his complex now bordered. In 1913, works began on a new building, completed in 1930, in a neo-Louis XVI style with a ceremonial entrance hall and lavish decoration. [1]
In 1995, Brussels was split from Brabant and given its own regional government. The Federal Government gave the building to the Brussels-Capital Region, which in turn gave it to the Brussels Regional Parliament, which was searching for a seat. However, it became apparent that the buildings were unsuited for the role of a parliament, leading to the opening of an architectural competition later that year. The resulting changes made included increasing the height of the wing overlooking the Rue du Lombard in order to erect a new hemicycle on the top floor. This added a large modern roof element to the neoclassical design of the building. Committee rooms were given modern equipment and state rooms were restored. Despite the building's renovation, the original dimensions have been retained. A multipurpose hall was also built beneath a hanging garden to create a link between the building's different sections. [1]
Since being taken over by the Brussels Region, the building has hosted various modern works of art maintained by a commission who purchase the works for the Parliament. The Commission is composed of members of the Parliament Office together with eight external observers from the art world. In 1998, this commission entrusted 11 artists to create works for areas of the building; [1]
The Palais Bourbon is the meeting place of the National Assembly, the lower legislative chamber of the French Parliament. It is located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, on the Rive Gauche of the Seine, across from the Place de la Concorde.
The Parliament of Wallonia is the legislative body of Wallonia, one of the three self-governing regions of Belgium. The parliament building, the former Hospice Saint-Gilles, is situated in Namur, the capital of Wallonia, at the symbolic confluence of the Meuse and the Sambre, the two main rivers of the most inhabited parts of Wallonia, the Sillon industriel. On the other side of the Meuse, facing the Parliament, is the Élysette, the seat of the Government of Wallonia.
The Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region, is the governing body of the Brussels-Capital Region, one of the three regions of Belgium. It is also known as the Brussels Regional Parliament.
The Rue de la Loi or Wetstraat (Dutch), meaning "Law Street", is a major street running through central and eastern Brussels, Belgium, which is famous due to the presence of several notable Belgian and European Union (EU) governmental buildings. The road runs from the Rue Royale/Koningsstraat, in central Brussels, to the Robert Schuman Roundabout in its European Quarter. It forms the first (westerly) part of the N3 road that runs to Aachen, Germany.
The Egmont Palace, also sometimes known as the Arenberg Palace, is a neoclassical palace in Brussels, Belgium. It was originally built between 1548 and 1560 for Countess Françoise of Luxembourg and Count Lamoral of Egmont, though its appearance was heavily modified in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was partly destroyed by fire in 1892, after which it was once again reconstructed. Nowadays, it is used by the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for receptions, as a guest house and conference centre.
The Palace of Coudenberg was a royal residence situated on the Coudenberg or Koudenberg, a small hill in what is today the Royal Quarter of Brussels, Belgium.
The Royal Palace of Brussels is the official palace of the King and Queen of the Belgians in the centre of the nation's capital, Brussels. However, it is not used as a royal residence, as the king and his family live in the Royal Palace of Laeken in northern Brussels. The website of the Belgian Monarchy describes the function of the Royal Palace as follows:
The Royal Palace is where His Majesty the King exercises his prerogatives as Head of State, grants audiences and deals with affairs of state. Apart from the offices of the King and the Queen, the Royal Palace houses the services of the Grand Marshal of the Court, the King's Head of Cabinet, the Head of the King's Military Household and the Intendant of the King's Civil List. The Royal Palace also includes the State Rooms where large receptions are held, as well as the apartments provided for foreign Heads of State during official visits.
The seven institutions of the European Union (EU) are seated in four different cities, which are Brussels (Belgium), Frankfurt am Main (Germany), Luxembourg (Luxembourg) and Strasbourg (France), rather than being concentrated in a single capital city. All four were chosen, among various reasons, for their location halfway between France and Germany, the countries whose rivalry led to two World Wars and whose reconciliation paved the way for European integration. The EU agencies and other bodies are located all across the union, but usually not fixed in the treaties. The Hague is the only exception, as the fixed seat of the Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol). Luxembourg City is the EU capital that can lay claim to having the most of the seven EU institutions based wholly or partly upon its territory, with only the European Council and European Central Bank not having a presence in the city. Over the years, Brussels has become the EU's political hub, with the College of the Commissioners – the European Commission's politically accountable executive – and the European Council both meeting at their Brussels-based headquarters, and the European Parliament and Council of the EU holding the majority of their meetings annually within the city. This has led media to describe it as the de facto "capital of the EU".
The city of Strasbourg in France is the official seat of the European Parliament. The institution is legally bound by the decision of Edinburgh European Council of 11 and 12 December 1992 and Article 341 of the TFEU to meet there twelve times a year for a session, each of which usually takes about four days. The majority of work, however, takes place in Brussels, and some other work is undertaken in Luxembourg City. Also all votes of the European Parliament must take place in Strasbourg. "Additional" sessions and committees take place in Brussels. Although de facto a majority of the Parliament's work is now geared to its Brussels site, it is legally bound to keep Strasbourg as its official home; a situation which garners much criticism from the European Parliament itself, as well as many interest groups, administrative staff, and environmentalist groups amongst others.
Brussels (Belgium) is considered the de facto capital of the European Union, having a long history of hosting a number of principal EU institutions within its European Quarter. The EU has no official capital but Brussels hosts the official seats of the European Commission, Council of the European Union, and European Council, as well as a seat of the European Parliament. In 2013, this presence generated about €250 million and 121,000 jobs. The main rationale for Brussels being chosen as "capital of the European Union" was its halfway location between France, Germany and the United Kingdom, the three countries whose rivalry played a role in starting the two World Wars and whose reconciliation paved the way for European integration.
Alphonse Hubert François Balat was a Belgian architect.
The Palace of the Nation is a neoclassical palace in Brussels, Belgium, housing the Belgian Federal Parliament.
La Cambre Abbey or Ter Kameren Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey in the City of Brussels, Belgium. It is located in the Maelbeek valley between the Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos and the Ixelles Ponds. The abbey church is a Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Mechelen–Brussels and home to a community of Norbertine canons, while other parts of the monastery house the headquarters of the Belgian National Geographic Institute (NGI) and La Cambre, a prestigious visual arts school.
The Espace Léopold or Leopoldruimte is the complex of parliament buildings in Brussels, Belgium, housing the European Parliament, a legislative chamber of the European Union (EU). It consists of a number of buildings, primarily the oldest, the Paul-Henri Spaak building, which houses the debating chamber and the President's offices, and the Altiero Spinelli building, which is the largest. The buildings are located in the European Quarter of Brussels, with construction starting in 1989.
The Esplanade of the European Parliament, or simply the Mall, is a pedestrian mall in Brussels, Belgium, completed in 2002. Its most representative parts are the Solidarność 1980 Esplanade and the Simone Veil Agora.
The Palace of Charles of Lorraine is a neoclassical palace in the Royal Quarter of Brussels, Belgium. Its construction started in 1757 to serve as the residence of the Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands, Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, replacing the Palace of Orange-Nassau. It currently houses a museum, part of the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR).
The Cinquantenaire Arcade is a memorial arcade in the centre of the Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark in Brussels, Belgium. The centrepiece is a monumental triple arch known as the Cinquantenaire Arch. It is topped by a bronze quadriga sculptural group with a female charioteer, representing the Province of Brabant personified raising the national flag.
Gustave Hansotte (1827-1886) was a 19th-century Belgian architect, representative of neoclassical architecture and eclectic architecture of Belgium.
The Palace of the Count of Flanders is a neoclassical palace in Brussels, Belgium. It was originally built between 1776 and 1781 for Countess Brigitte of Tirimont-Templeuve, though it was heavily expanded in the 19th century. Nowadays, it houses the Court of Audit of Belgium.
Hôtel de Courcy is a private mansion located in Rennes, 9 rue Martenot, opposite the La Motte square and near Parc du Thabor. Built in around 1830, it was the property of several families of Rennes before being transferred to the State during the 20th century.
