Brussels is the bilingual capital of Belgium. This means that both French and Dutch are the official languages of the city. Street names and traffic sings are always in these two languages. Furthermore, it is a cosmopolitan city where many different cultures live together and where different languages can be heard on each street. This liveliness and international flair is, of course, intimately related to its role as a crossroads for all of Europe.

The same variety and contrast can also be found in the different architectural styles that can be found in Brussels, the former capital of the medieval Duchy of Brabant. Gothic cathedrals and churches are next to - and sometimes in stark contrast with - gracious classical facades like the buildings around the Royal Square (Place Royale - Koningsplein), or beautiful art nouveau and art deco houses.

The heart of Brussels and the place to start getting to know the city is the Grand'Place (Grote Markt). This historic market square with its splendid guild houses and the impressive Gothic beauty of the Town Hall, is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful town squares in Europe.

A bit of history :

The name Brussels is derived from the word Bruocsella meaning 'of the marsh?, because many years ago Brussels was surrounded by an extensive marshland.
According to tradition Brussels began as a Gallo-Romeinse settlement in the 7th century A.D. It wasn't until 977 that Brussels really began to take shape as a city. In the 12th century the city already had 5000 residents.

During the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries Brussels was the main centre for the manufacturing of luxurious fabrics, for exporting and for economy and politics. New city walls were erected around the city of Brussels to protect against enemy invasion. These walls stood until the 19th century when they were replaced by a ring road round the city. The only remaining section of the wall still standing is the Porte de Hal.

The Grote Markt, said by many to be the most beautiful market square in Europe, is the historical centre of Brussels. In the 15th century the citizens of the city obtained true power and with it embodied the majestic townhall, with a tower 96m high.

Hastily destroyed by the army of Louis XIV during a three siege in 1695, the market place took the people of Brussels three years to re-build. After that time Brussels fell into the hands of a number of different rulers from different lands.

In her search for independance, Brussels was often the stage for fighting that continued until the arrival of Charles de Lorraine in 1744. In 1789 the people of Brussels followed the example of revolutionary France and took part in the Brabants uprising against Austria. In 1790 the United Belgian States was proclaimed. There was much disunity amongst the groupings, and after a number of attacks from the Austrian side, the revolutionary French government took power. Brussels was now in the hands of the French.

In 1815 Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo and after the Vienna Treaty Brussels came under the dominion of The Netherlands. In 1830 the Belgian Revolution led Brussels to independence and Brussels was chosen as the new capital for the state of Belgium.

The city began its modernisation during the 19th century. In 1865 the first European passnger railway was opened between Brussel and Mechelen. New street were laid and road taxes were abolished. The Palace of Justice was built and the city was extended.

Brussels has survived two world wars. In the post-war years Brussels again began expanding and modernising again. In the year 1958 the World Fair was held in Brussels and in the 60s Brussels became the base for the EEC and NATO.

More or less in the same period of time many multinationals established their offices in Brussels. Up until the present day Brussels with its one million residents, capital of Europe, is where you run into people come from all the world. A new Europe without borders and trade restrictions between member states was formed in 1992. It is called the European Union.

This small land, divided into different languages, customs and governments is really not so divided. In the north of the country and in the north of Brussels the Flemish people speak Dutch and in the south one finds the Wallonian French-speaking people. After the first world war Belgium received a small portion of Germany as compensation. There the offical language is German.

In Brussels Dutch and French are both the official languages, as so you find everything in the city is bi-lingual. In the European Union there are 13 official languages there for you hear many different languages spoken in Brussels.

Things to see in Brussel :

Brussels, the capital of Belgium and of the European Union, is the second international city in the world, as measured by the number of headquarters of international organizations. About a third of its 1 million of inhabitants are foreigners, most of which are either Islamic immigrants or civil servants, expat business people and diplomats working for the European Union, NATO, or one of the many other multinational institutions or firms that are located there. The city is officially bilingual (all official announcements and street names are in French and in Dutch), but almost everybody understands and speaks English, and you will hear many more different languages when strolling through the city center.
With its more than 1000 years of history the city offers many fascinating sights to visit. It boasts the most beautiful historic market square and the highest concentration of restaurants in the world.

The "Petite Rue des Bouchers" (street of the butchers) in the medieval center of Brussels is famous for the fact that every house in the street is a restaurant. The street is closed for traffic (anyway it is too narrow to let cars pass), and this allows the restaurants to exhibit some of their products (especially sea-food and fish) in a rather spectacular fashion in front of the passers-by. In some of the wider parts of the street it is also possible to eat and drink outside, watching the crowd strolling between the quaint, narrow houses.

The "Rue des Bouchers" is just a few minutes walking from the Grand' Place, the central market square of Brussels, which is said to be the most beautiful in the world. The square is dominated by the magnificent 15th century Town Hall, with its hundreds of little statues. The most beautiful part of the Town Hall, the elegant tower, has recently undergone a much needed renovation. The splendid 17th century buildings, with their golden inlays, surrounding the square, will certainly enchant you.

Not far from that magnificent Grand'Place in the medieval center, you can also find the tourist attractions of Manneken Pis (a not very impressive but quite funny statue of a pissing boy) and the cathedral of Saint Michel, part of which is being renovated. Other interesting places to visit include the Atomium, the imposing Palais de Justice, and for the nature lovers the many parcs, especially the splendid Bois de la Cambre, which is not far from the university, and the beautiful forest to which it once belonged: the Forêt de Soignes, with its centuries-old beech trees. The border of the forest, near the abbey of Rouge Cloître, is at walking distance from the Hermann-Debroux metro terminal.

The Atomium, an enormous steel construction representing an iron atom with 9 spheres connected by corridors, is situated in the parc of the Heysel, north-west from the center, which can be reached directly by metro. Here you will also find the Bruparck amusement park, which offers among other things Mini-Europe, a permanent outdoor exhibition of small scale (1/25) precision-made replicas of Europe's most famous architectural sights, such as the British Houses of Parliament, the Brussels Grand' Place, the Palace of the Dogues in Venice, the Eifel tower, the Greek Parthenon, and many others.

The "European quarter" around the Schumann metro station is also worth strolling through. It is possible to visit some of the buildings in this area, which house the European Parliament, Council of Ministers, European Commission (the "government" of the European Union) and its administration. Perhaps most impressive is the recently erected European Parliament building, towering over the pretty parc that also houses the Natural History museum.

Brussels offers numerous musea. Special mention deserve the (integrated) Royal Musea of Ancient and Modern Art (with a special section on the well-known Belgian surrealist Magritte), the museum of natural history with its collection of dinosaur skeletons, the museum of Art and History, near the impressive Cinquantenaire arc, Autoworld, which boasts the largest collection of old and new cars in the world, and the Museum of Comic Strips in a beautiful Art Nouveau building.

The most characteristic feature of Brussels is perhaps the rather anarchistically distributed architecture, sometimes splendid, sometimes ugly, but never boring, with medieval houses next to futuristic constructions, and with different houses of different heights, widths and styles, fraternally the one next to the other in any street. The endless variety and surprise you encounter when strolling through the diverse quarters will make you understand why Brussels was a fertile ground for the Surrealist movement (see Belgian Art).

The most well-known style is the Art Nouveau, represented especially by the famous architect Victor Horta. The city can be roughly divided into the "High Town" (the south-east part), which is the richest with many splendid villa's and parcs, and the "Low Town" (the zone around the canal), where the buildings are often in a rather bad shape, but which contains the oldest and most picturesque parts of town. The best way to appreciate all this is just to walk or drive around in any quarter of the town.