On this Thursday last, Jan and I decided to take a little trip to Brussels. I had some business to take care of at the US Embassy, so we decided to do some sight seeing while we were there. The day was rainy, sleety, and cold. Not the best day for checking out the sights, but it was still interesting and fun. Enjoy the pictures.
Belgian Parliament Building
Brussels Park
Parc de Bruxelles (French) or Warandepark (Dutch), wrongly called Parc Royal in French, is the largest urban public park in the center of Brussels. It is surrounded by the Royal Palace of Brussels, the Belgian parliament and the U.S.A. embassy. In the summer, free parties are organized every weekend in the heart of this park. There is also the Théâtre Royal du Parc (Dutch: Parktheater) on its border.
Its main paths and fountain are laid out in the form of masonic symbols (in particular the compass).
Jesus in a "fish suit," really?
Royal Palace.
The EU Parliament
Espace Léopold (French, commonly used in English) or Leopoldsruimte (Dutch) is the complex of parliament buildings in Brussels housing the European Parliament, a legislative chamber of the European Union.
It consists of the Paul-Henri Spaak building (which houses the debating chamber), the Altiero Spinelli building, two new buildings known as D4 and D5 and a newly refurbished building with was the former entrance to the Brussels-Luxembourg Station. The buildings are located in the European quarter in the east of Brussels, with building starting in 1989.
The complex is not the official seat of Parliament, which is the Immeuble Louise Weiss in Strasbourg, France, but as most of the other institutions of the European Union are in Brussels, Parliament built the Brussels complex in order to be closer to their activities. A majority of the Parliament's work is now geared to its Brussels site, but it is legally bound to keep Strasbourg as its official home.
Parc du Cinquantenaire and the Military History Museum
St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral
The St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral is located at the Treurenberg hill in Brussels. In Dutch it is called Sint-Michiels- en Sint-Goedelekathedraal, usually shortened to "Sint-Goedele".
In 1047, Lambert II, Count of Leuven founded a chapter in this church and organized the transportation of the relics of Saint Gudula, before then housed in Saint Gaugericus Church on Saint Gaugericus Island. The church patron saints, archangel St. Michael and the martyr St. Gudula, are also the patron saints of the city of Brussels.
In the thirteenth century, the cathedral was renovated in the Gothic style. The choir was constructed between 1226 and 1276. The facade was completed in the mid-fifteenth century.
It is an archiepiscopal cathedral of the Archbishop of Mechlin-Brussels, the Primate of Belgium, currently Cardinal Godfried Danneels. It is located in the national capital and therefore often used for Catholic ceremonies of national interest, such as royal marriages and state funerals.
The south tower contains a 49-bell carillon by the Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry on which Sunday concerts are often given.
Manneken Pis and Environs
Manneken Pis (Brabantian for little man wee) is a Brussels landmark. It is a small bronze fountain sculpture depicting a naked little boy urinating into the fountain's basin. Similar statues can be found in the Belgian cities of Geraardsbergen, Hasselt, Gent and in the North French village of Broxeele, a town with the same etymology as Brussels. There is an ongoing dispute over which Manneken Pis is the oldest - the one in Brussels or the one in Geraardsbergen.
There are several legends behind this statue, but the most famous is the one about Duke Godfrey II of Leuven. In 1142, the troops of this two-year-old lord were battling against the troops of the Berthouts, the lords of Grimbergen, in Ransbeke (now Neder-over-Heembeek). The troops put the infant lord in a basket and hung it in a tree, to encourage them. From there, he urinated on the troops of the Berthouts, who eventually lost the battle.
Another legend goes like this: In the 14th century, Brussels was under siege by a foreign power. The city had held their ground for quite some time. The attackers had thought of a plan to place explosive charges at the city walls. A little boy named Juliaanske from Brussels happened to be spying on them as they were preparing. He urinated on the burning fuse and thus saved the city.
Grand Place
The Grand Place (French: Grand-Place or Grand Place, Dutch: Grote Markt) is the central market square of Brussels. It is surrounded by guild houses, the city's spectacular Town Hall and the Breadhouse (Dutch: Broodhuis, French: Maison du Roi). The square is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in Brussels.
The town hall was constructed between 1402 and 1455. The original architect was probably Jacob van Thienen. The gothic tower was designed by architect Jan van Ruysbroeck. At the top of the tower stands a statue of St. Michael, the patron of Brussels.
In the 13th century the predecessor of the Breadhouse was a wooden building where bakers sold their bread in a covered market: the Dutch name Broodhuis recalls this function. It was replaced in the 15th century by a stone building for the administration of the duke of Brabant; when the duchy fell to the Habsburgs, the Maison du duc (Duke's house) became the Maison du Roi (King's house). In 1873, the city entrusted architect Victor Jamaer to restore the battered structure in neo-gothic style.
The Grand Place was first laid out after the construction of the town hall, at the centre of the city's commercial district. Neighboring streets still reflect the area's origins, named after the sellers of butter, cheese, herring, coal and so on. The original Grand Place was a medley of buildings constructed between the 15th and 17th centuries in a variety of styles.
On August 13, 1695, a 70,000-strong French army under Marshal François de Neufville, Duke of Villeroy attacked Brussels in retaliation for the League of Augsburg's attack on French-held Namur in what is now southern Belgium. The French launched a massive bombardment of the city centre with cannons and mortars, setting it on fire and flattening the majority of the Grand Place. Only the stone shell of the town hall and a few fragments of other buildings remained standing.
The square was rebuilt in the following four years by the city's guilds. Their efforts were regulated by the city councilors and the Governor of Brussels, who required that their plans be submitted to the authorities for their approval. This helped to deliver a remarkably harmonious layout for the rebuilt Grand Place, despite the ostensibly clashing combination of Gothic, Baroque and Louis XIV styles.
