Brussels: a modern city with a beautiful historical center

in Belgium 540 Views

This post is also available in: Deutsch

In addition to being the capital of Belgium, the city of Brussels (Bruxelles/Brussel) is also the seat of numerous institutions of the European Union. In fact, the European Commission, the European Council, the Council of the European Union, and one of the two seats of the European Parliament are located in this city. This presence of prestigious offices of European institutions make it the most important administrative seat of the European Union.

A BILINGUAL CITY

The city is located in Brabant, in a flat area about 62 meters high. Brussels developed around a castle located on an island in the Senne River. Since its foundation, according to tradition in the tenth century, the city was divided into two districts, one, the Coudenberg, was inhabited by the French-speaking population, and the other by the Flemish-speaking population.

Brussels began to develop in the Middle Ages, soon becoming an important commercial center thanks to its position along the merchant connection route between the Rhine plain and Flanders.

The city from the thirteenth century was surrounded by a wall about 4 km long. In the 14th century, due to the development of the city, it was decided to build a new fortified wall reinforced by 72 towers which reached a considerable length of 8 kilometers, on which seven main gates opened.

Today Brussels has a modern look, but its historic center retains its medieval layout and is full of Gothic-style buildings. The heart of the city is the famous Grand Place, which UNESCO has included among the World Heritage Sites. In the city, some Art Nouveau buildings (Hôtel Tassel, Hôtel Solvay, Hôtel van Eetvelde, and Maison & Atelier Horta) designed by the architect Victor Horta are also part of the world heritage site.

The city is located in the Flemish-speaking area of Belgium. Historically, the city was inhabited by a population whose mother tongue was Flemish. But today its population mostly speaks French. In fact, over 60% of the inhabitants are native French speakers. While Flemish mother tongues are only 20% of the inhabitants.

The climate of Brussels.