Brussels 1

Brussels

Brussels•• Bruxelles•• Brussel

—  Region of Belgium  —

•• Brussels-Capital Region•• Région de Bruxelles-Capitale•• Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest

A collage with several views of Brussels, Top: View of the Northern Quarter business district, 2nd left: Floral carpet event in the Grand Place, 2ndright: Brussels City Hall and Mont des Arts area, 3rd: Cinquantenaire Park, 4th left: Manneken Pis, 4th middle: St. Michael and St. Gudula

Cathedral, 4th right: Congress Column, Bottom: Royal Palace of Brussels

Flag Emblem

Nickname(s): Capital of Europe[1] Comic city[2][3]

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Location of Brussels(red)– in the European Union(brown & light brown)– in Belgium(brown)

Coordinates: 50°51′0″N 4°21′0″E

Country Belgium

Settled c. 580

Founded 979

Region 18 June 1989

Municipalities

Government

 • Minister-President Charles Picqué (2004–)

 • Governor Jean Clément (acting) (2010–)

 • Parl. President Eric Tomas

Area

 • Region 161.38 km2 (62.2 sq mi)

Elevation 13 m (43 ft)

Population (1 January 2011)[4]

 • Region 1,119,088

• Density 7,025/km2 (16,857/sq mi)

• Metro 1,830,000

Time zone CET (UTC+1)

 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)

ISO 3166 BE-BRU

Website www.brussels.irisnet.be [5]

Brussels (French: Bruxelles, [bʁysɛl] ( listen); Dutch: Brussel, Dutch pronunciation: [ˈbrʏsəɫ] ( listen)), officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region[6][7] (French: Région de Bruxelles-Capitale, [ʁe'ʒjɔ̃ də bʁy'sɛlkapi'tal] ( listen), Dutch: Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, Dutch pronunciation: [ˈbrʏsəɫs ɦoːft'steːdələk xəʋɛst] ( listen)), is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union (EU). It is also the largest

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urban area in Belgium,[8][9] comprising 19 municipalities, including the municipality of the City of Brussels, whichis the de jure capital of Belgium, in addition to the seat of the French Community of Belgium and of the FlemishCommunity.[10]

Brussels has grown from a 10th-century fortress town founded by a descendant of Charlemagne to a sizeable city.[11]

The city has a population of 1.1 million and a metropolitan area with a population of over 1.8 million, both of themthe largest in Belgium.[12][13] Since the end of the Second World War, Brussels has been a main centre forinternational politics. Hosting principal EU institutions[14] and the headquarters of the North Atlantic TreatyOrganization (NATO), the city has become the polyglot home of numerous international organisations, politicians,diplomats and civil servants.[15]

Historically Dutch-speaking, Brussels has seen a major shift to French since Belgian independence in 1830. Todaythe city is officially bilingual. All road signs, street names, and many adverts and services are shown in bothlanguages.[16] Linguistic tensions remain, and the language laws regarding some municipalities surrounding Brusselsare an issue of considerable controversy in Belgium.

History

Charles of Lorraine founded whatwould become Brussels c. 979

The most common theory for the toponymy of Brussels is that it derives fromthe Old Dutch Broeksel or other spelling variants, which means marsh (broek)and home (sel) or "home in the marsh".[17] The origin of the settlement that wasto become Brussels lies in Saint Gaugericus' construction of a chapel on anisland in the river Senne around 580.[18] Saint Vindicianus, the bishop ofCambrai made the first recorded reference to the place "Brosella" in 695[19]

when it was still a hamlet. The official founding of Brussels is usually situatedaround 979, when Duke Charles of Lower Lotharingia transferred the relics ofSaint Gudula from Moorsel to the Saint Gaugericus chapel. Charles wouldconstruct the first permanent fortification in the city, doing so on that sameisland.

Lambert I of Leuven, Count of Leuven gained the County of Brussels around1000 by marrying Charles' daughter. Because of its location on the shores of theSenne on an important trade route between Bruges and Ghent, and Cologne,Brussels grew quite quickly; it became a commercial centre that rapidly

extended towards the upper town (St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral, Coudenberg, Sablon/Zavel area...), where therewas a smaller risk of floods. As it grew to a population of around 30,000, the surrounding marshes were drained toallow for further expansion. The Counts of Leuven became Dukes of Brabant at about this time (1183/1184). In the13th century, the city got its first walls.[20]

Grand Place after the 1695 bombardment by theFrench army

After the construction of the city walls in the early 13th century,Brussels grew significantly. To let the city expand, a second set ofwalls was erected between 1356 and 1383. Today, traces of it can stillbe seen, mostly because the "small ring", a series of roadways indowntown Brussels bounding the historic city centre, follows itsformer course.

In the 15th century, by means of the wedding of heiress Margaret III ofFlanders with Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, a new Duke ofBrabant emerged from the House of Valois (namely Antoine, their

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son), with another line of descent from the Habsburgs (Maximilian of Austria, later Maximilian I, Holy RomanEmperor, married Mary of Burgundy, who was born in Brussels). Brabant had lost its independence, but Brusselsbecame the Princely Capital of the prosperous Low Countries, and flourished.In 1516 Charles V, who had been heir of the Low Countries since 1506, was declared King of Spain in St. Michaeland St. Gudula Cathedral in Brussels. Upon the death of his grandfather, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor in1519, Charles became the new archduke of the Habsburg Empire and thus the Holy Roman Emperor of the Empire"on which the sun does not set". It was in the Palace complex at Coudenberg that Charles V abdicated in 1555. Thisimpressive palace, famous all over Europe, had greatly expanded since it had first become the seat of the Dukes ofBrabant, but it was destroyed by fire in 1731.In 1695, King Louis XIV of France sent troops to bombard Brussels with artillery. Together with the resulting fire, itwas the most destructive event in the entire history of Brussels. The Grand Place was destroyed, along with 4000buildings, a third of those in the city. The reconstruction of the city centre, effected during subsequent years,profoundly changed the appearance of the city and left numerous traces still visible today. The city was captured byFrance in 1746 during the War of the Austrian Succession but was handed back to Austria three years later.Brussels remained with Austria until 1795, when the Southern Netherlands was captured and annexed by France.Brussels became the capital of the department of the Dyle. It remained a part of France until 1815, when it joined theUnited Kingdom of the Netherlands. The former Dyle department became the province of South Brabant, withBrussels as its capital.

Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830,Wappers (1834)

In 1830, the Belgian revolution took place in Brussels after aperformance of Auber's opera La Muette de Portici at the La Monnaietheatre. Brussels became the capital and seat of government of the newnation. South Brabant was renamed simply Brabant, with Brussels asits capital. On 21 July 1831, Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians,ascended the throne, undertaking the destruction of the city walls andthe construction of many buildings. Following independence, the cityunderwent many more changes. The Senne had become a serioushealth hazard, and from 1867 to 1871 its entire course through theurban area was completely covered over. This allowed urban renewaland the construction of modern buildings and boulevards characteristic

of downtown Brussels today.

The 1927 Solvay Conference in Brussels was thefirst world physics conference.

Throughout this time, Brussels remained mostly a Dutch-speaking city,though until 1921 French was the sole language of administration.However, in 1921, Belgium was formally split into three languageregions—Dutch-speaking Flanders, French-speaking Wallonia andbilingual Brussels. During the 20th century the city has hosted variousfairs and conferences, including the fifth Solvay Conference in 1927and two world fairs: the Brussels International Exposition of 1935 andthe Expo '58. During World War I, Brussels was an occupied city, butGerman troops did not incur much damage. In World War II the citywas again occupied, and was spared major damage during itsoccupation by German forces before it was liberated by the BritishGuards Armoured Division. The Brussels Airport dates to the occupation.

After the war, Brussels was modernized for better and for worse. The construction of the North–South connection linking the main railway stations in the city was completed in 1952, while the first Brussels premetro was finished in 1969, and the first line of the Brussels Metro was opened in 1976. Starting from the early 1960s, Brussels became

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the de facto capital of what would become the European Union, and many modern buildings were built.Unfortunately, development was allowed to proceed with little regard to the aesthetics of newer buildings, and manyarchitectural gems were demolished to make way for newer buildings that often clashed with their surroundings, aprocess known as Brusselization.The Brussels-Capital Region was formed on 18 June 1989 after a constitutional reform in 1988. It has bilingualstatus and it is one of the three federal regions of Belgium, along with Flanders and Wallonia.[6][7]

Municipalities

French name Dutch name

Anderlecht Anderlecht I

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

IX

X

XI

XII

XIII

XIV

XV

XVI

XVII

XVIII

XIX

Auderghem Oudergem II

Berchem-Sainte-Agathe Sint-Agatha-Berchem III

Bruxelles-Ville Stad Brussel IV

Etterbeek Etterbeek V

Evere Evere VI

Forest Vorst VII

Ganshoren Ganshoren VIII

Ixelles Elsene IX

Jette Jette X

Koekelberg Koekelberg XI

Molenbeek-Saint-Jean Sint-Jans-Molenbeek XII

Saint-Gilles Sint-Gillis XIII

Saint-Josse-ten-Noode Sint-Joost-ten-Node XIV

Schaerbeek Schaarbeek XV

Uccle Ukkel XVI

Watermael-Boitsfort Watermaal-Bosvoorde XVII

Woluwe-Saint-Lambert Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe XVIII

Woluwe-Saint-Pierre Sint-Pieters-Woluwe XIX

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The 19 municipalities (communes) of the Brussels-Capital Region are political subdivisions with individualresponsibilities for the handling of local level duties, such as law enforcement and the upkeep of schools and roadswithin its borders.[21][22] Municipal administration is also conducted by a mayor, a council, and an executive.[22]

In 1831, Belgium was divided into 2,739 municipalities, including the 19 in the Brussels-Capital Region.[23] Unlikemost of the municipalities in Belgium, the ones located in the Brussels-Capital Region were not merged with othersduring mergers occurring in 1964, 1970, and 1975.[23] However, several municipalities outside of theBrussels-Capital Region have been merged with the City of Brussels throughout its history including Laeken, Haren,and Neder-Over-Heembeek, which were merged into the City of Brussels in 1921.[24]

The largest and most populous of the municipalities is the City of Brussels, covering 32.6 square kilometres(12.6 sq mi) with 145,917 inhabitants. The least populous is Koekelberg with 18,541 inhabitants, while the smallestin area is Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, which is only 1.1 square kilometres (0.4 sq mi). Despite being the smallestmunicipality, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode has the highest population density of the 19 with 20,822 inhabitants per km2.

ClimateUnder the Köppen climate classification Brussels experiences an oceanic climate (Cfb). Brussels' proximity tocoastal areas influences the area's climate by sending marine air masses from the Atlantic Ocean. Nearby wetlandsalso ensure a maritime temperate climate. On average (based on measurements the last 100 years), there areapproximately 200 days of rain per year in the Brussels-Capital Region.[25] Snowfall is rare, generally occurringonce or twice a year.

Climate data for Brussels

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year

Record high°C (°F)

15.3(59.5)

20.0(68)

24.2(75.6)

28.7(83.7)

34.1(93.4)

38.8(101.8)

37.1(98.8)

36.5(97.7)

34.9(94.8)

27.8(82)

20.6(69.1)

16.7(62.1)

38.8(101.8)

Average high°C (°F)

5.7(42.3)

6.6(43.9)

10.4(50.7)

14.2(57.6)

18.1(64.6)

20.6(69.1)

23.0(73.4)

22.6(72.7)

19.0(66.2)

14.7(58.5)

9.5(49.1)

6.1(43)

14.2(57.6)

Daily mean °C(°F)

3.3(37.9)

3.7(38.7)

6.8(44.2)

9.8(49.6)

13.6(56.5)

16.2(61.2)

18.4(65.1)

18.0(64.4)

14.9(58.8)

11.1(52)

6.8(44.2)

3.9(39)

10.54(50.98)

Average low°C (°F)

0.7(33.3)

0.7(33.3)

3.1(37.6)

5.3(41.5)

9.2(48.6)

11.9(53.4)

14.0(57.2)

13.6(56.5)

10.9(51.6)

7.8(46)

4.1(39.4)

1.6(34.9)

6.9(44.4)

Record low °C(°F)

−21.1 −18.3 −13.6(7.5)

−5.7(21.7)

−2.2(28)

0.3(32.5)

4.4(39.9)

3.9(39)

0.0(32)

−6.8(19.8)

−12.8(9)

−17.7(0.1)

−21.1

Precipitationmm (inches)

76.1(2.996)

63.1(2.484)

70.0(2.756)

51.3(2.02)

66.5(2.618)

71.8(2.827)

73.5(2.894)

79.3(3.122)

68.9(2.713)

74.9(2.949)

76.4(3.008)

81.0(3.189)

852.4(33.559)

Avg.precipitation

days

19.2 16.3 17.8 15.9 16.2 15.0 14.3 14.5 15.7 16.6 18.8 19.3 199

Avg. snowydays

5,2 5,9 3,2 2,4 0,4 0 0 0 0 0 2,4 4,6 24,1

% humidity 86.6 82.5 78.5 72.5 73.2 74.1 74.3 75.5 80.9 84.6 88.2 88.8 80

Mean monthlysunshine

hours

59 77 114 159 191 188 201 190 143 113 66 45 1,546

Source: KMI/IRM[26]

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Government

Charles Picqué has since 2004 beenMinister-President of theBrussels-Capital Region.

The Brussels-Capital Region is one of the three Regions of Belgium, while theFrench Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community do exercise, eachfor their part, their cultural competencies on the territory of the Region. Frenchand Dutch are the official languages; most public services are bilingual(exceptions being education and a couple of others). The Capital Region ispredominantly French-speaking—about 60–85%[27][28][29] of the population areFrench-speakers (including migrants and second language speakers), and about10–15%[29][30] are native Dutch-speakers. In January 2006, of its registeredinhabitants, 73.1% are Belgian nationals, 4.1% French nationals, 12.0% other EUnationals (usually expressing themselves in either French or English), 4.0%Moroccan nationals, and 6.8% other non-EU nationals.[31]

Institutions

Because of how the federalisation was handled in Belgium, but also because themunicipalities in the region did not take part in the merger that affectedmunicipalities in the rest of Belgium in the seventies, the public institutions in Brussels offer a bewilderingcomplexity. The complexity is more apparent in the lawbooks than in the facts, since the members of the BrusselsParliament and Government also act in other capacities, for example, as members of the council of the Brusselsagglomeration or the community commissions. One distinguishes:

Parliament

Brussels Parliament building

The region, with a regional parliament of 89 members (72French-speaking, 17 Dutch-speaking, parties are organised on alinguistic basis), plus a regional government, consisting of an officiallylinguistically neutral, but in practice French-speakingminister-president, two French-speaking and two Dutch-speakingministers, one Dutch-speaking secretary of state and twoFrench-speaking secretaries of state. This parliament can enactordinances (French: ordonnances, Dutch: ordonnanties), which haveequal status as a national legislative act.

•• The agglomeration, with a council and a board, with the samemembership as the organs of the Brussels Region. This is a decentralised administrative public body, assumingcompetences that elsewhere in Belgium are exercised by municipalities or provinces (fire brigade, wastedisposal). The by-laws enacted by it do not have the status of a legislative act.

• A bi-communitarian public authority, Common Community Commission (French: Commission communautaire commune, COCOM, Dutch: Gemeenschappelijke Gemeenschapscommissie, GGC), with a United Assembly (i.e. the members of the regional parliament) and a United Board (the ministers—not the secretaries of state—of the region, with the minister-president not having the right to vote). This Commission has two capacities: it is a decentralised administrative public body, responsible for implementing cultural policies of common interest. It can give subsidies and enact by-laws. In another capacity it can also enact ordinances, which have equal status as a national legislative act, in the field of the welfare competencies of the communities: in the Brussels-Capital Region, both the French Community and the Flemish Community can exercise competencies in the field of welfare, but only in regard to institutions that are unilingual (for example, a private French-speaking retirement home or the Dutch-speaking hospital of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel). The Common Community Commission is

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competent for policies aiming directly at private persons or at bilingual institutions (for example, the centra forsocial welfare of the 19 municipalities). Its ordinances have to be enacted with a majority in both linguisticgroups. Failing such a majority, a new vote can be held, where a majority of at least one third in each linguisticgroup is sufficient.

• The Brussels Region is not a province, nor does it belong to one. Within the Region, 99% of the provincialcompetencies are assumed by the Brussels regional institutions. Remaining is only the governor ofBrussels-Capital and some aides.

•• 6 inter-municipal policing zones•• intercommunal societies created freely by the municipalitiesAlso the federal state, the French Community and the Flemish Community exercise competencies on the territory ofthe region. 19 of the 72 French-speaking members of the Brussels Parliament are also members of the Parliament ofthe French Community of Belgium, and until 2004 this was also the case for six Dutch-speaking members, who wereat the same time members of the Flemish Parliament. Now, people voting for a Flemish party have to vote separatelyfor 6 directly elected members of the Flemish Parliament.Due to the multiple capacities of single members of parliament, there are parliamentarians who are at the same timemembers of the Brussels Parliament, members of the Assembly of the Common Community Commission, membersof the Assembly of the French Community Commission, members of the Parliament of the French Community ofBelgium and "community senators" in the Belgian Senate. At the moment, this is the case for Mr. François Roelantsdu Vivier (for the Mouvement Réformateur), Mrs. Amina Derbaki Sbaï (since June 2004 for the Parti Socialiste, butbeforehand, since 2003, for the Mouvement Réformateur) and Mrs Sfia Bouarfa (since 2001 for the Parti Socialiste).

In Belgian politics

The Royal Palace of Brussels

Despite what its name suggests, the Brussels-Capital Region is not thecapital of Belgium in itself. Article 194 of the Belgian Constitutionestablishes that the capital of Belgium is the City of Brussels, a smallermunicipality within the capital region that once was the city's core.[32]

However, although the City of Brussels is the official capital, the fundsallotted by the federation and region for the representative role of thecapital are divided among the 19 municipalities, and some nationalinstitutions are sited in the other 18 municipalities. Thus, while onlythe City of Brussels itself officially carries the title of capital ofBelgium, in practice the entire capital region plays this role, and thenational institutions of the Belgian state are spread loosely around the region.

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Seat of the French Community and Flemish CommunityThe Brussels-Capital Region is one of the three federated regions of Belgium, alongside Wallonia and the FlemishRegion. Geographically and linguistically, it is a bilingual enclave in the unilingual Flemish Region. Regions are onecomponent of Belgium's institutions, the three communities being the other component: Brussels' inhabitants dealwith either the French (speaking) Community or the Flemish Community for matters such as culture andeducation.[33]

Brussels is also the capital of both the French Community of Belgium (Communauté française de Belgique inFrench) and of Flanders (Vlaanderen); all Flemish capital institutions are established here: Flemish Parliament,Flemish Government and its administration.[34]

• 2 community-specific public authorities, French Community Commission (French: Commission communautairefrançaise or COCOF) and the Flemish Community Commission (Dutch: Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie,VGC) for the Flemings in Brussels, with an assembly (i.e. the members of parliament of the linguistic group) anda board (the ministers and secretaries of state of the linguistic group). These commissions implement policies ofthe French Community and the Flemish Community in the Brussels-Capital Region.[33]

• The French Community Commission has also another capacity: some legislative competencies of the FrenchCommunity have been devolved to the Walloon Region (for the French language area of Belgium) and to theFrench Community Commission (for the bilingual language area).[35] The Flemish Community, however, did theopposite; it merged the Flemish Region into the Flemish Community.[36] This is related to different conceptionsin the two communities, one focusing more on the Communities and the other more on the Regions, causing anasymmetrical federalism. Because of this devolution, the French Community Commission can enact decrees,which are legislative acts.

In international politicsBrussels has since World War II become the administrative centre of many international organizations. Notably theEuropean Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) have their main institutions in the city,along with many other international organisations such as the World Customs Organization and EUROCONTROLas well as international corporations. Brussels is third in the number of international conferences it hosts[37] alsobecoming one of the largest convention centres in the world.[38] The presence of the EU and the other internationalbodies has for example led to there being more ambassadors and journalists in Brussels than in Washington D.C.[39]

International schools have also been established to serve this presence.[38] The "international community" in Brusselsnumbers at least 70,000 people.[40] In 2009, there were an estimated 286 lobbying consultancies known to work inBrussels.[41]

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European Union

Aerial view of the European Quarter.

Brussels serves as capital of the EuropeanUnion, hosting the major politicalinstitutions of the Union.[9] The EU has notdeclared a capital formally, though theTreaty of Amsterdam formally givesBrussels the seat of the EuropeanCommission (the executive/governmentbranch) and the Council of the EuropeanUnion (a legislative institution made upfrom executives of member states).[42][43] Itlocates the formal seat of EuropeanParliament in the French city of Strasbourg,where votes take place with the Council onthe proposals made by the Commission.However meetings of political groups andcommittee groups are formally given toBrussels along with a set number of plenarysessions. Three quarters of Parliament nowtakes place at its Brussels hemicycle.[44]

Between 2002 and 2004, the EuropeanCouncil also fixed its seat in the city.[45]

Brussels, along with Luxembourg and Strasbourg, began to host institutions in 1957, soon becoming the centre ofactivities as the Commission and Council based their activities in what has become the "European Quarter".[42] Earlybuilding in Brussels was sporadic and uncontrolled with little planning, the current major buildings are theBerlaymont building of the Commission, symbolic of the quarter as a whole, the Justus Lipsius building of theCouncil and the Espace Léopold of Parliament.[43] Today the presence has increased considerably with theCommission alone occupying 865,000 m2 within the "European Quarter" in the east of the city (a quarter of the totaloffice space in Brussels[9]). The concentration and density has caused concern that the presence of the institutionshas caused a "ghetto effect" in that part of the city.[46] However the presence has contributed significantly to theimportance of Brussels as an international centre.[39]

Demographics

NationalitiesBrussels is home to a large number of foreign people. At the last Belgian census in 1991, there were 63.7%inhabitants in Brussels-Capital Region who answered they were Belgian citizens, born as such in Belgium. However,there have been numerous individual or familial migrations towards Brussels since the end of the 18th century,including political refugees (Karl Marx, Victor Hugo, Pierre Joseph Proudhon, Léon Daudet for example,) fromneighbouring or more distanced countries as well as labour migrants, former foreign students or expatriates, andmany Belgian families in Brussels can claim at least one foreign grandparent. And even among the Belgians, manybecame Belgian only recently.In general the population of Brussels is younger and the gap between rich and poor is wider.[47] Brussels has a largeconcentration of migrants from non-Western countries, mostly of Turkish and Moroccan ancestry, together withFrench-speaking black Africans from Congo, DRC, Rwanda and Burundi.

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People of foreign origin make up nearly 70%[48] of the population of Brussels, most of whom have been naturalizedfollowing the great 1991 reform of the naturalization process. 32% of the inhabitants are of European origin, and36% are of a non-Western background mostly from Morocco,Turkey and Sub-Saharan Africa. Among all majormigrant groups from outside the EU, a majority of the permanent residents have acquired Belgian nationality.[49]

ReligionsAlthough historically (since the Counter-Reformation persecution and expulsion of Protestants by the Spanish in the16th century) Roman Catholic, most people in Brussels are non-practising. About 10% of the population regularlyattends church services. Among the religions, historically dominant Roman Catholicism prevailing mostly in arelaxed way, one finds large minorities of Muslims, atheists, agnosticists, and of the philosophical school ofhumanism, the latter mainly as laïcité-vrijzinnig (an approximate translation would be secularists or free thinkers) orpracticing Humanism as a life stance—Brussels houses several key organisations for both kinds. Other (recognised)religions (Protestantism, Anglicanism, Orthodoxy and Judaism) are practised by much smaller groups in Brussels.Recognised religions and Laïcité enjoy public funding and school courses: every pupil in an official school from 6years old to 18 must choose 2 hours per week of compulsory religion—or Laïcité—inspired morals.Brussels also has a large concentration of Muslims, mostly of Turkish and Moroccan ancestry, and mainlyFrench-speaking black Africans. Belgium does not collect statistics by ethnic background, so exact figures areunknown. It is estimated people of Muslim background account for 25.5% of Brussels.[50]

Regions of Belgium[50]

(1 January 2005) Total population People of Muslim origin % of Muslims

Belgium 10,445,852 628,751 6.0%

Brussels-Capital Region 1,006,749 256,220 25.5%

Wallonia 3,395,942 136,596 4.0%

Flanders 6,043,161 235,935 3.9%

LanguagesEstimate of languages spoken at home (Capital Region, 2006)[51]

  French only (57%)  French & Dutch (9%)  French & non-Dutch language (11%)  Dutch only (7%)  Neither French nor Dutch (16%)Since the founding of the Kingdom of Belgium in 1830, Brussels has transformed from being almost entirelyDutch-speaking (Brabantian dialect to be exact), to being a multilingual city with French (specifically BelgianFrench) as the majority language and lingua franca. This language shift, the Frenchification of Brussels, is rooted inthe 18th century and accelerated after Belgium became independent and Brussels expanded past its originalboundaries.[52][53]

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Manneken Pis is a well-known publicsculpture in Brussels.

French-speaking immigration contributed to the Frenchification of Brussels;both Walloons and expatriates from other countries, mainly France, came toBrussels in great numbers. A still more important cause for the Frenchificationwas the language change over several generations from Dutch to French thatwas performed in Brussels by the Flemish people themselves. The main reasonfor this was the political, administrative and social pressure, partly based on thelow social prestige of the Dutch language in Belgium at the time; this madeFrench the only language of administration, law, politics and education inBelgium and thus necessary for social mobility.[54] From 1880 on, faced withthe necessity of using French in dealing with such institutions, more and moreDutch-speakers became bilingual, and a rise in the number of monolingualFrench-speakers was seen after 1910. Halfway through the 20th century thenumber of monolingual French-speakers surpassed the number of mostlybilingual Flemish inhabitants.[55]

Only since the 1960s, after the fixation of the Belgian language border, andafter the socio-economic development of Flanders was in full effect, could

Dutch stem the tide of increasing French use.[56] Through immigration, a further number of formerly Dutch-speakingmunicipalities in surrounding Flanders became majority French-speaking in the second half of the 20thcentury.[57][58][59] This phenomenon is, together with the future of Brussels, one of the most controversial topics inall of Belgian politics.[60][61]

Given its Dutch-speaking origins and the role that Brussels plays as the capital city in a bilingual country, theadministration of the entire Brussels-Capital Region is in theory fully bilingual, including its subdivisions and publicservices. Nevertheless, some communautarian issues remain. Flemish political parties demand that the Flemish partof Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde arrondissement be separated from the Brussels Region. The French-speaking populationregards the language border as artificial[62] and demands the extension of the bilingual region to at least all sixmunicipalities with language facilities in the surroundings of Brussels.[63] Flemish politicians have strongly rejectedthese proposals.[64][65][66]

In recent decades, owing to migration and the city's international role, Brussels is home to a growing number offoreign language speakers.The original Dutch dialect of Brussels (Brussels) is a form of Brabantic (the variant of Dutch spoken in the ancientDuchy of Brabant) with a significant number of loanwords from French, and still survives among a minority ofinhabitants called Brusseleers, many of them quite bi- and multilingual, or educated in French and not writing theDutch language. Brussels and its suburbs evolved from a Dutch-dialect–speaking town to a mainly French-speakingtown. The ethnic and national self-identification of the inhabitants is quite different along ethnic lines.For their French-speaking Bruxellois, it can vary from Belgian, Francophone Belgian, Bruxellois (like theMemellanders in interwar ethnic censuses in Memel), Walloon (for people who migrated from the Wallonia Regionat an adult age); for Flemings living in Brussels it is mainly either Flemish or Brusselaar (Dutch for an inhabitant)and often both. For the Brusseleers, many simply consider themselves as belonging to Brussels. For the many ratherrecent immigrants from other countries, the identification also includes all the national origins: people tend to callthemselves Moroccans or Turks rather than an American-style hyphenated version.The two largest foreign groups come from two francophone countries: France and Morocco.[31] The first language ofroughly half of the inhabitants is not an official one of the Capital Region.[67] Nevertheless, about three out of fourresidents are Belgian nationals.[68][69][70]

Both immigration and the status of Brussels status as the "capital" of the EU mark its status as a cosmopolitan world city. The migrant communities, as well as rapidly growing communities of EU-nationals from other EU-member

Brussels 13

states, speak many languages like French, Turkish, Arabic, Berber, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, German, and(increasingly) English. The degree of linguistic integration varies widely within each migrant group.

Culture

Architecture

Guildhalls on the Grand Place

The architecture in Brussels is diverse, and spans from the medievalconstructions on the Grand Place to the postmodern buildings of theEU institutions.

Main attractions include the Grand Place, since 1988 a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site, with the Gothic town hall in the old centre, the St.Michael and Gudula Cathedral and the Laken Castle with its largegreenhouses. Another famous landmark is the Royal Palace.

The Atomium is a symbolic 103-metre (338 ft) tall structure that wasbuilt for the 1958 World’s Fair. It consists of nine steel spheresconnected by tubes, and forms a model of an iron crystal (specifically,a unit cell). The architect A. Waterkeyn devoted the building to science. Next to the Atomium is the Mini-Europepark with 1:25 scale maquettes of famous buildings from across Europe.

The Manneken Pis, a fountain containing a bronze sculpture of a urinating youth, is a tourist attraction and symbol ofthe city.Other landmarks include the Cinquantenaire park with its triumphal arch and nearby museums, the Basilica of theSacred Heart, Brussels Stock Exchange, the Palace of Justice and the buildings of EU institutions in the EuropeanQuarter.

Cinquantenaire triumphal arch

Cultural facilities include the Brussels Theatre and the La MonnaieTheatre and opera house. There is a wide array of museums, from theRoyal Museums of Fine Arts to the Museum of the Army and theComic Museum. Brussels also has a lively music scene, witheverything from opera houses and concert halls to music bars andtechno clubs.

The city centre is notable for its Flemish town houses. Alsoparticularly striking are the buildings in the Art Nouveau style by theBrussels architect Victor Horta. Some of Brussels' districts weredeveloped during the heyday of Art Nouveau, and many buildings are

in this style. Good examples include Schaerbeek, Etterbeek, Ixelles, and Saint-Gilles. Another example of BrusselsArt Nouveau is the Stoclet Palace, by the Viennese architect Josef Hoffmann. The modern buildings of EspaceLeopold complete the picture.

ArtsThe city has had a renowned artist scene for many years. The famous Belgian surrealist René Magritte, for instance, studied in Brussels. The city was also home of Impressionist painters like Anna Boch from the Artist Group Les XX. The city is also a capital of the comic strip;[2] some treasured Belgian characters are Lucky Luke, Tintin, Cubitus, Gaston Lagaffe and Marsupilami. Throughout the city, walls are painted with large motifs of comic book characters. The totality of all these mural paintings is known as the Brussels' Comic Book Route. Also, the interiors of some Metro stations are designed by artists. The Belgian Comics Museum combines two artistic leitmotifs of Brussels, being a museum devoted to Belgian comic strips, housed in the former Waucquez department store, designed by

Brussels 14

Victor Horta in the Art Nouveau style.Brussels contains over 80 museums,[71] including the Museum of Modern Art,[72] and the Royal Museums of FineArts of Belgium. The museum has an extensive collection of various painters, such as the Flemish painters likeBruegel, Rogier van der Weyden, Robert Campin, Anthony van Dyck, and Jacob Jordaens. The Magritte Museumhouses the world's largest collection of the works of the surrealist René Magritte. The BELvue Museum is dedicatedto the national history of Belgium.The King Baudouin Stadium is a concert and competition facility with a 50,000 seat capacity, the largest in Belgium.The site was formerly occupied by the Heysel Stadium.Brussels is well known for its performing arts scene, with the Kunstenfestivaldesarts, the Kaaitheater and LaMonnaie among the most notable institutions.

Gastronomy

Brussels is known for its local waffle (pictured)and chocolate.

Brussels is known for its local waffle, its chocolate, its French fries andits numerous types of beers. The Brussels sprout has long been popularin Brussels, and may have originated there.[73]

The gastronomic offer includes approximately 1,800 restaurants, and anumber of high quality bars. Belgian cuisine is known amongconnoisseurs as one of the best in Europe. In addition to the traditionalrestaurants, there is a large number of cafés, bistros, and the usualrange of international fast food chains. The cafés are similar to bars,and offer beer and light dishes; coffee houses are called the Salons deThé. Also widespread are brasseries, which usually offer a largenumber of beers and typical national dishes.

Belgian cuisine is characterised by the combination of French cuisinewith the more hearty Flemish fare. Notable specialities includeBrussels waffles (gaufres) and mussels (usually as "moules frites",served with fries). The city is a stronghold of chocolate and pralinesmanufacturers with renowned companies like Neuhaus, Leonidas andGodiva. Numerous friteries are spread throughout the city, and intourist areas, fresh, hot, waffles are also sold on the street.

In addition to the regular selection of Belgian beer, the famous lambicstyle of beer is only brewed in and around Brussels, and the yeasts have their origin in the Senne valley. In mildcontrast to the other versions, Kriek (cherry beer) enjoys outstanding popularity, as it does in the rest of Belgium.Kriek is available in almost every bar or restaurant.

Brussels 15

Sports• R.S.C. Anderlecht, a football team based in the Anderlecht municipality, is the most successful Belgian football

team in European competition as well as in the Belgian First Division.• F.C. Molenbeek Brussels Strombeek, often referred to as FC Brussels, is based in the Sint-Jans-Molenbeek

municipality and plays in the Belgian Second Division.

Economy

The Brussels Stock Exchange

Serving as the centre of administration for Europe, Brussels' economyis largely service-oriented. It is dominated by regional and worldheadquarters of multinationals, by European institutions, by variousadministrations, and by related services, though it does have a numberof notable craft industries, such as the Cantillon Brewery, a lambicbrewery founded in 1900. As of July 2012, the unemployment inBrussels is 20.6%.[74]

Education

The Université Libre de Bruxelles

There are several universities in Brussels. The two main universities are theUniversité Libre de Bruxelles, a French-speaking university with about 20,000students in three campuses in the city (and two others outside),[75] and the VrijeUniversiteit Brussel, a Dutch-speaking university with about 10,000 students.[76]

Both universities originate from a single ancestor university founded in 1834,namely the Free University of Brussels, which was split in 1970 at about thesame time the Flemish and French Communities gained legislative power overthe organisation of higher education.

Other universities include the Facultés Universitaires Saint-Louis with 2,000students,[77] the Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel, the Royal Military Academy, amilitary college established in 1834 by a French colonel[78] and two dramaschools founded in 1982: the French-speaking Conservatoire Royal and theDutch-speaking Koninklijk Conservatorium.[79][80]

Still other universities have campuses in Brussels, such as the Université Catholique de Louvain that has had itsmedical faculty in the city since 1973.[81] In addition, the University of Kent's Brussels School of InternationalStudies is a specialised postgraduate school offering advanced international studies and Boston University Brusselswas established in 1972 and offers masters degrees in business administration and international relations. Due to thepost-war international presence in the city, there are also a number of international schools, including theInternational School of Brussels with 1,450 pupils between 2½ and 18,[82] the British School of Brussels, and thefour European Schools, which provide free education for the children of those working in the EU institutions. Thecombined student population of the four European Schools in Brussels is currently around 10 000.[83]

Brussels 16

Transport

Brussels-South railway station

Waiting room for passengers at Brussels-Southrailway station

High-speed rail networks connect Brussels withother European cities (ICE train in the North

station pictured)

Air

Brussels is served by Brussels Airport, located in the nearby Flemishmunicipality of Zaventem, and by the smaller Brussels South CharleroiAirport, located near Charleroi (Wallonia), some 50 km (30 mi) fromBrussels.

Water

Brussels also has its own port on the Brussels-Scheldt Maritime Canallocated in the northwest of the city. The Brussels-Charleroi Canalconnects Brussels with the industrial areas of Wallonia.

Train

The City of Brussels has three main train stations: Brussels South,Central and North, which are amongst the busiest of the country.Brussels South is also served by direct high-speed rail links: to Londonby the Eurostar train via the Channel Tunnel (1hr 51 min); toAmsterdam by the Fyra; to Amsterdam, Paris (1hr 25 min) andCologne by the Thalys; and to Cologne and Frankfurt by the GermanICE.

The City has minor railway stations at Bockstael, Brussels-Chapel,Brussels-Congres, Brussels-Luxembourg, Brussels-Schuman,Brussels-West, Haren, Haren-South, Simonis.

In the Brussels Region there are also railways stations atBerchem-Sainte-Agathe, Boitsfort, Boondael (Auderghem), Bordet(Evere), Etterbeek, Evere, Forest-East, Forest-South, Jette, Meiser(Schaarbeek), Moensberg (Uccle), Saint-Job (Uccle), Schaarbeek,Uccle-Calevoet, Uccle-Stalle, Vivier d'Oie-Diesdelle (Uccle) andWatermael.

City public transport

The Brussels Metro dates back to 1976, but underground lines known as premetro have been serviced by tramwayssince 1968. A comprehensive bus and tram network also covers the city.

An interticketing system means that a MIVB/STIB ticket holder can use the train or long-distance buses inside thecity. The commuter services operated by De Lijn, TEC and NMBS/SNCB will in the next few years be augmentedby the Brussels RER/GEN network which will connect the capital and surrounding towns.

Since 2003 Brussels has had a car-sharing service operated by the Bremen company Cambio in partnership with theMIVB/STIB and local ridesharing company Taxi Stop. In 2006 shared bicycles were introduced, the scheme wassubsequently being taken over by Villo!. In 2012 the Zen Car electric car-sharing scheme was launched in theuniversity and European areas.

Brussels 17

Road network

Rue de la Loi is one of the city's main streets

In medieval times Brussels stood at the intersection of routes runningnorth-south (the modern Rue Haute/Hoogstraat) and east-west(Chaussée de Gand/Gentsesteenweg-Rue du Marché auxHerbes/Grasmarkt-Rue de Namur/Naamsestraat). The ancient patternof streets radiating from the Grote Markt/Grand Place in large partremains, but has been overlaid by boulevards built over the RiverSenne, over the city walls and over the railway connection between theNorth and South Stations.

As one expects of a capital city, Brussels is the hub of the fan of oldnational roads, the principal ones being clockwise the N1 (N to Breda),N2 (E to Maastricht), N3 (E to Aachen), N4 (SE to Luxembourg) N5(S to Rheims), N6 (SW to Maubeuge), N8 (W to Koksijde) and N9(NW to Ostend).[84] Usually named chaussées/steenwegen, thesehighways normally run in a straight line, but on occasion losethemselves in a maze of narrow shopping streets.

The town is skirted by the European route E19 (N-S) and the E40(E-W), while the E411 leads away to the SE. Brussels has an orbital motorway, numbered R0 (R-zero) andcommonly referred to as the "ring" (French: ring Dutch: grote ring). It is pear-shaped as the southern side was neverbuilt as originally conceived, owing to residents' objections.

The city centre, sometimes known as "the pentagon", is surrounded by an inner ring road, the "small ring" (French:petite ceinture, Dutch: kleine ring ), a sequence of boulevards formally numbered R20. These were built upon thesite of the second set of city walls following their demolition. Metro line 2 runs under much of these.On the eastern side of the city, the R21 (French: grande ceinture, grote ring in Dutch) is formed by a string ofboulevards that curves round from Laeken (Laken) to Uccle (Ukkel). Some premetro stations (see Brussels Metro)were built on that route. A little further out, a stretch numbered R22 leads from Zaventem to Saint-Job.

The Sonian Forest at the outskirts of Brussels

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

Brussels is twinned with the following cities:

Brussels 18

• Akhisar, Turkey • Macau, China• Atlanta, United States

•  Madrid, Spain[85]

• Beijing, China (since 1994)[86]•  Montreal, Canada

•  Berlin, Germany •  Moscow, Russia[87]

•  Breda, Netherlands •  Prague, Czech Republic[88]

•  Kiev, Ukraine •  Sofia, Bulgaria•  Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

•  Tirana, Albania[89]

•  Ljubljana, Slovenia • Washington, D.C., United States[90]

• Macclesfield, United Kingdom

References[1] "Brussels" (http:/ / www. city-data. com/ world-cities/ Brussels-Introduction. html). City-Data.com. . Retrieved 10 January 2008.[2] Herbez, Ariel (30 May 2009). "Bruxelles, capitale de la BD" (http:/ / www. letemps. ch/ Page/ Uuid/

73a8ca52-4c90-11de-8192-71ce8207b7fa) (in French). Le Temps (Switzerland). . Retrieved 28 May 2010. "Plus que jamais, Bruxelles mériteson statut de capitale de la bande dessinée."

[3] "Cheap flights to Brussels" (http:/ / www. easyjet. com/ en/ cheap-flights/ brussels). Easyjet. . Retrieved 1 June 2010.[4] Population per municipality on 1 January 2011 (http:/ / statbel. fgov. be/ fr/ binaries/ Wettelijke bevolking 2009-2011_tcm326-109882. xls)

(XLS; 322 KB)[5] http:/ / www. brussels. irisnet. be/[6] "The Belgian Constitution (English version)" (http:/ / www. dekamer. be/ kvvcr/ pdf_sections/ publications/ constitution/ grondwetEN. pdf)

(PDF). Belgian House of Representatives. January 2009. . Retrieved 5 June 2009. "Article 3: Belgium comprises three Regions: the FlemishRegion, the Walloon Region and the Brussels Region. Article 4: Belgium comprises four linguistic regions: the Dutch-speaking region, theFrench speaking region, the bilingual region of Brussels-Capital and the German-speaking region."

[7] "Brussels-Capital Region: Creation" (http:/ / www. bruxelles. irisnet. be/ en/ region/ region_de_bruxelles-capitale/ creation. shtml). Centred'Informatique pour la Région Bruxelloise (Brussels Regional Informatics Center). 2009. . Retrieved 5 June 2009. "Since 18 June 1989, thedate of the first regional elections, the Brussels-Capital Region has been an autonomous region comparable to the Flemish and WalloonRegions." (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.)

[8] It is the de facto EU capital as it hosts all major political institutions—though Parliament formally votes in Strasbourg, most political work iscarried out in Brussels—and as such is considered the capital by definition. However, it should be noted that it is not formally declared in thatlanguage, though its position is spelled out in the Treaty of Amsterdam. See the section dedicated to this issue.

[9] Demey, Thierry (2007). Brussels, capital of Europe. S. Strange (trans.). Brussels: Badeaux. ISBN 2-9600414-2-9.[10] "Welcome to Brussels" (http:/ / www. brussels. org/ ). Brussels.org. . Retrieved 5 July 2009.[11] "History of Brussels" (http:/ / www. brussels. org/ history/ ). Brussels.org. . Retrieved 29 June 2010.[12] Statistics Belgium; Population de droit par commune au 1 janvier 2008 (excel-file) (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20080917020854/ http:/

/ www. statbel. fgov. be/ downloads/ pop200801com. xls) Population of all municipalities in Belgium, as of 1 January 2008. Retrieved on 18October 2008.

[13] Statistics Belgium; De Belgische Stadsgewesten 2001 (pdf-file) (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20081029020131/ http:/ / www. statbel.fgov. be/ pub/ d0/ p009n014_nl. pdfpdf) Definitions of metropolitan areas in Belgium. The metropolitan area of Brussels is divided into threelevels. First, the central agglomeration (geoperationaliseerde agglomeratie) with 1,451,047 inhabitants (2008-01-01, adjusted to municipalborders). Adding the closest surroundings (banlieue) gives a total of 1,831,496. And, including the outer commuter zone (forensenwoonzone)the population is 2,676,701. Retrieved on 18 October 2008.

[14] "Protocol (No 6) on the location of the seats of the institutions and of certain bodies, offices, agencies and departments of the EuropeanUnion, Consolidated version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, OJ C 83, 30.3.2010, p. 265–265" (http:/ / eur-lex.europa. eu/ JOHtml. do?uri=OJ:C:2010:083:SOM:EN:HTML). EUR-Lex. 30 March 2010. . Retrieved 3 August 2010.

[15] "Europe | Country profiles | Country profile: Belgium" (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ europe/ country_profiles/ 999709. stm). BBC News.14 June 2010. . Retrieved 29 June 2010.

[16] Hughes, Dominic (15 July 2008). "Europe | Analysis: Where now for Belgium?" (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ europe/ 7507506. stm).BBC News. . Retrieved 29 June 2010.

[17] Geert van Istendael Arm Brussel, uitgeverij Atlas, ISBN 90-450-0853-X[18] "Brussels History" (http:/ / www. city-data. com/ world-cities/ Brussels-History. html). City-data.com. . Retrieved 5 July 2009.

Brussels 19

[19] (French) Jean Baptiste D'Hane, François Huet, P.A. Lenz, H.G. Moke (1837). Nouvelles archives historiques, philosophiques, etlittéraires (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=0c4aAAAAYAAJ& pg=PA405& lpg=PA405& dq=anciens+ noms+ de+ bruxelles+ brosella& q).1. Gent: C. Annoot- Braeckman. p. 405. . Retrieved 11 September 2010.

[20] (Dutch) Zo ontstond Brussel (http:/ / www. bop. vgc. be/ didmat/ ogenblikken/ achtergrond/ ontstaan. html) VlaamseGemeenschapscommissie – Commission of the Flemish Community in Brussels

[21] "Communes" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20040606023552/ http:/ / www. bruxelles. irisnet. be/ en/ region/region_de_bruxelles-capitale/ communes. shtml). Centre d'Informatique pour la Région Bruxelloise. 2004. Archived from the original (http:/ /www. bruxelles. irisnet. be/ en/ region/ region_de_bruxelles-capitale/ communes. shtml) on June 6, 2004. . Retrieved 4 August 2008.

[22] "Managing across levels of government" (http:/ / www. oecd. org/ dataoecd/ 10/ 43/ 1902434. pdf) (PDF). OECD. 1997. pp. 107, 110. .Retrieved 5 August 2008.

[23] Picavet, Georges (29 April 2003). "Municipalities (1795-now)" (http:/ / belgium. rootsweb. ancestry. com/ bel/ _places/ bel_places. html).Georges Picavet. . Retrieved 4 August 2008.

[24] "Brussels Capital-Region" (http:/ / belgium. rootsweb. ancestry. com/ bel/ 2bru/ index. html). Georges Picavet. 4 June 2005. . Retrieved 4August 2008.

[25] "Site de l'institut météorologique belge" (http:/ / www. meteo. be/ meteo/ view/ fr/ 360361-Parametres. html#ppt_757427). Meteo.be. .Retrieved 29 June 2010.

[26] "Monthly normals for Uccle, Brussels" (http:/ / www. meteo. be/ meteo/ view/ fr/ 360361-Parametres. html). KMI/IRM. . Retrieved 11 June2012.

[27] (French) Personal website Lexilogos located in the [[Provence (http:/ / www. lexilogos. com/ bruxelles_plan. htm)], on EuropeanLanguages (English, French, German, Dutch, and so on) – French-speakers in Brussels are estimated at about 90% (estimation, not an 'official'number because there are no linguistic census in Belgium)]

[28] (French) Langues majoritaires, langues minoritaires, dialectes et NTIC by Simon Petermann, Professor at the University of Liège,Wallonia, Belgium (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20070303005845/ http:/ / www. initiatives. refer. org/ _notes/ sess604. htm#_ftnref9)

[29] Flemish Academic E. Corijn, at a Colloquium regarding Brussels, on 5 December 2001, states that in Brussels there is 91% of the populationspeaking French at home, either alone or with another language, and there is about 20% speaking Dutch at home, either alone (9%) or withFrench (11%) – After ponderation, the repartition can be estimated at between 85 and 90% French-speaking, and the remaining areDutch-speaking, corresponding to the estimations based on languages chosen in Brussels by citizens for their official documents (ID, drivinglicenses, weddings, birth, death, and so on) ; all these statistics on language are also available at Belgian Department of Justice (for weddings,birth, death), Department of Transport (for Driving licenses), Department of Interior (for IDs), because there are no means to know preciselythe proportions since Belgium has abolished 'official' linguistic censuses, thus official documents on language choices can only be estimations.

[30] (French) Personal website Lexilogos located in the [[Provence (http:/ / www. lexilogos. com/ belgique_carte. htm)], on EuropeanLanguages (English, French, German, Dutch, and so on) – Dutch-speakers in Brussels are estimated at about 10% (estimation, not an 'official'number because there are no linguistic census in Belgium)]

[31] IS 2007 – Population (Tableaux) (http:/ / www. bruxelles. irisnet. be/ brussels?set_language=en&uri=ff80818115f323cb0115f659b6880039)

[32] "Title VII" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 19980525055113/ http:/ / www. fed-parl. be/ gwuk0015. htm). Fed-parl.be. Archived from theoriginal (http:/ / www. fed-parl. be/ gwuk0015. htm#E11E15) on May 25, 1998. . Retrieved 5 July 2009.

[33] (Dutch) VGC (http:/ / www. vgc. be/ ) (French) COCOF (http:/ / www. cocof. irisnet. be/ site/ fr/ organisation/ competences_htm)[34] "Brussels, the capital of Flanders" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20110610162638/ http:/ / www. flanders. be/ servlet/ Satellite?c=Page&

cid=1166590837731& context=1166590833692--EN& p=1166590837731& pagename=flanders_site/ View). Flemish Department of ForeignAffairs. Archived from the original (http:/ / www. flanders. be/ servlet/ Satellite?c=Page& cid=1166590837731&context=1166590833692--EN& p=1166590837731& pagename=flanders_site/ View) on June 10, 2011. . Retrieved 6 November 2009.

[35][35] Procedure contained in art. 138 of the Belgian Constitution[36][36] Procedure in art. 137 of the Belgian Constitution[37] Brussels, an international city and European capital (http:/ / www. ulb. ac. be/ docs/ ulb-prestige/ bxluk. html) Université Libre de Bruxelles[38] Brussels: home to international organisations (http:/ / www. diplomatie. be/ EN/ belgium/ belgiumdetail. asp?TEXTID=1754) diplomatie.be[39] E!Sharp magazine, January–February 2007 issue: Article "A tale of two cities".[40] Andrew Rettman. "Euobserver.com" (http:/ / euobserver. com/ 9/ 29622). Euobserver.com. . Retrieved 29 June 2010.[41] Leigh Phillips. "Euobserver.com" (http:/ / euobserver. com/ 9/ 29658). Euobserver.com. . Retrieved 29 June 2010.[42] European Navigator (http:/ / www. ena. lu?lang=2& doc=3102) Seat of the European Commission[43] European Commission publication: Europe in Brussels 2007[44] Wheatley, Paul (2 October 2006). "The two-seat parliament farce must end" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20070610174433/ http:/ / www.

cafebabel. com/ en/ article. asp?T=A& Id=2047). Café Babel. Archived from the original (http:/ / www. cafebabel. com/ en/ article.asp?T=A& Id=2047) on 10 June 2007. . Retrieved 16 July 2007.

[45] Stark, Christine. "Evolution of the European Council: The implications of a permanent seat" (http:/ / www. dragoman. org/ ec/ belfast-2002.pdf) (PDF). Dragoman.org. . Retrieved 12 July 2007.

[46] Vucheva, Elitsa (5 September 2007). "EU quarter in Brussels set to grow" (http:/ / euobserver. com/ 9/ 24707). EU Observer. . Retrieved 27September 2007.

[47] http:/ / www. lalibre. be/ actu/ bruxelles/ article/ 616278/ tres-riches-et-tres-pauvres. html

Brussels 20

[48] http:/ / www. npdata. be/ Data/ Vreemdelingen/ Vreemde-afkomst/ 1990-2008/ tabellen/ Portaal/ index. html[49] http:/ / www. npdata. be/ BuG/ 155-Vreemde-afkomst/ Vreemde-afkomst. htm[50] "In België wonen 628.751 moslims(*), 6,0% van de bevolking. In Brussel is dit 25,5%, in Wallonië 4,0%, in Vlaanderen 3,9%," (http:/ /

www. npdata. be/ BuG/ 100/ ) BuG 100 - Bericht uit het Gewisse - 11 September 2008, www.npdata.be, (*)Berekend aantal - indicatief cijfer,zie methodologie hieronder

[51] (Dutch) ”Taalgebruik in Brussel en de plaats van het Nederlands. Enkele recente bevindingen” (http:/ / www. brusselsstudies. be/ PDF/NL_51_BruS13NL. pdf), Rudi Janssens, Brussels Studies, Nummer 13, 7 January 2008 (see page 4).

[52] "Wallonie – Bruxelles, Le Service de la langue française" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20070105023238/ http:/ / www. cfwb. be/ franca/services/ pg027. htm) (in French). 19 May 1997. Archived from the original (http:/ / www2. cfwb. be/ franca/ services/ pg027. htm) on 5January 2007. .

[53] "Villes, identités et médias francophones: regards croisés Belgique, Suisse, Canada" (http:/ / www. ulaval. ca/ afi/ colloques/ colloque2001/actes/ textes/ tourret. htm) (in French). University of Laval, Quebec. . Retrieved 22 July 2009.

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[55] (Dutch) "Thuis in gescheiden werelden" – De migratoire en sociale aspecten van verfransing te Brussel in het midden van de 19e eeuw"(http:/ / www. briobrussel. be/ assets/ andere publicaties/ btng-rbhc, 21, 1990, 3-4, pp 383-412. pdf), BTNG-RBHC, XXI, 1990, 3–4, pp.383–412, Machteld de Metsenaere, Eerst aanwezend assistent en docent Vrije Universiteit Brussel

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External links• Brussels-Capital Region (http:/ / www. bruxelles. irisnet. be/ en/ region. shtml)• GIS Brussels-Capital Region (http:/ / www. brugis. irisnet. be/ brugis/ )• Interactive map (http:/ / www. ilotsacre. be/ site/ en/ default_en. htm)• Flower Carpet in Brussels 2012 (http:/ / www. brusselscity. net/ the-flower-carpet/ )• 360° Interactive Virtual Tour of Brussels with Google Maps (http:/ / www. 360cities. net/ area/ brussels-belgium)• Brussels photo gallery (http:/ / www. itravelnet. com/ photography/ europe/ belgium/ brusselsphotogallery. html)

Article Sources and Contributors 22

Article Sources and ContributorsBrussels  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=536428257  Contributors: .:Ajvol:., 1652186, 16@r, 1exec1, 203.109.250.xxx, 2D, 2T, 334a, 4-409r-0, 52 Pickup, A-LEX, Aaker,Aaorn22, Aaronbrick, Abhijitsathe, Achowat, Acm, Addshore, Aecis, Aembleton, Aeusoes1, Ahoerstemeier, Alan Flynn, Alan Liefting, Alan.ca, Alansohn, Alba Pa, Alborzagros, Alexchris,AlexiusHoratius, Alison, Allens, Alsandro, Alwetendheid alom, Amahoney, An13sa, AnadX, Anaxial, Andre Engels, Andrew Dalby, Androl, Andrwsc, Andrée H99, Andy Marchbanks, Angr,Angtitimo, Anlace, AnthonyUK, Anton88be, Aresceo, Arolión Yolenda, Arthena, Arthur Holland, Artistresearch, Athinaios, Atlant, Atob, Averette, AwamerT, Aytharn, BKP, BRG, Baronnet,Bdesham, Beaukarpo, Bejnar, Belection06, Bentley4, Bermuda-Russian lover556, Bestofmed, Betterusername, Bgwhite, Bhludzin, BigGuns, Biltereyst, Binand, Blanchardb, Bleaney, Blisco,Blurpeace, Bobbyb373, BokicaK, Boris Barowski, Bradipus, Braisim, 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Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsFile:TE-Collage Brussels.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:TE-Collage_Brussels.png  License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0  Contributors: Apalsola,CebuanoFan, Foroa, The Emirr, 1 anonymous editsFile:Flag Belgium brussels.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Flag_Belgium_brussels.svg  License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0  Contributors: SsolbergjFile:Belgium brussels iris.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Belgium_brussels_iris.svg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Contributors: Denniss, Donarreiskoffer, JLogan, Juiced lemon, La pinte, Manuelt15, Ssolbergj, Sven, Wikiborg, 1 anonymous editsFile:Brussels in Belgium and the European Union.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Brussels_in_Belgium_and_the_European_Union.svg  License: Public Domain Contributors: SsolbergjFile:Speaker Icon.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Speaker_Icon.svg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Blast, G.Hagedorn, Mobius, Tehdog, 2 anonymous editsFile:Charles de France fondateur de Bruxelles 976 MOD.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Charles_de_France_fondateur_de_Bruxelles_976_MOD.jpg  License:Public Domain  Contributors: Charles_de_France_fondateur_de_Bruxelles_976.jpg: scannage personnel derivative work: Ssolbergj (talk)File:Grand- Place BXL1695 -01.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Grand-_Place_BXL1695_-01.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: User:Ben2File:Wappers - Episodes from September Days 1830 on the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville in Brussels.JPG  Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Wappers_-_Episodes_from_September_Days_1830_on_the_Place_de_l’Hôtel_de_Ville_in_Brussels.JPG  License: Public Domain  Contributors:BrightRaven, Bukk, DenghiùComm, Dinsdagskind, Favonian, Jappalang, Look2See1, SomeHuman, Szilas, Vincent Steenberg, 3 anonymous editsFile:Solvay conference 1927.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Solvay_conference_1927.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Benjamin Couprie, InstitutInternational de Physique de SolvayFile:Anderlecht.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Anderlecht.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Cicero, Cwbm (commons), EugeneZelenko, FSII, Junglie, Kevinv,Magul, 1 anonymous editsFile:Brussels-Capital Region blank.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Brussels-Capital_Region_blank.svg  License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0  Contributors:SsolbergjFile:Auderghem.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Auderghem.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Abxbay, AtonX, BrightRaven, Cicero, Darwinius, FSII,Rabagasch, Skipjack, WstFile:Blason Berchem-Sainte-Agathe.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Blason_Berchem-Sainte-Agathe.svg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5 Contributors: Mortadelo2005File:Coat of Arms of Brussels.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Brussels.svg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike  Contributors:SsolbergjFile:Coat of arms of Etterbeek.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Coat_of_arms_of_Etterbeek.svg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: SsolbergjFile:Evere-Blason-1828.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Evere-Blason-1828.png  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: User:OmondiFile:Armoiries Forest.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Armoiries_Forest.png  License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported  Contributors:Caranorn

Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors 23

File:Ganshorenwapen.gif  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Ganshorenwapen.gif  License: unknown  Contributors: Original uploader was Zonneschijn at nl.wikipediaFile:Coat of arms of Ixelles.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Coat_of_arms_of_Ixelles.svg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors:SsolbergjFile:Armoiries Jette.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Armoiries_Jette.png  License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported  Contributors: CaranornFile:Coat of arms of Koekelberg (escutcheon).svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Coat_of_arms_of_Koekelberg_(escutcheon).svg  License: Creative CommonsAttribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: User:SsolbergjFile:Coat of arms of Saint-Gilles.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Coat_of_arms_of_Saint-Gilles.svg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: User:SsolbergjFile:Coat of arm Municipality be Saint-Josse-ten-Noode.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Coat_of_arm_Municipality_be_Saint-Josse-ten-Noode.svg  License: PublicDomain  Contributors: Blason_Vide_Moderne_3D.svg: Henrysalome, 18 july 2007 Truttikon-blazon.svg: Gerhard Bräunlich, 24 january 2009 This work: La pinte, 27 december 2009File:Schaarbeekwapen.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Schaarbeekwapen.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Cycn, Junglie, Knorrepoes, NkFile:Uccle Blason.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Uccle_Blason.png  License: Public Domain  Contributors: TargemanFile:Watermaalbosvoordewapen.gif  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Watermaalbosvoordewapen.gif  License: unknown  Contributors: Original uploader wasZonneschijn at nl.wikipediaFile:Coat of arms of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Coat_of_arms_of_Woluwe-Saint-Pierre.svg  License: Creative CommonsAttribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: User:SsolbergjFile:Charles Picqué.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Charles_Picqué.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 Generic  Contributors:Ludovic_GlucksmanFile:Parlement Région Bruxelles.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Parlement_Région_Bruxelles.JPG  License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0Unported  Contributors: User:Ben2File:Palace of Brussels.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Palace_of_Brussels.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0  Contributors: Jaume MenesesFile:Quartier européen Bruxelles 2011-06 CROP.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Quartier_européen_Bruxelles_2011-06_CROP.jpg  License: Creative CommonsAttribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: Quartier_européen_Bruxelles_2011-06.JPG: Zinneke derivative work: Ssolbergj (talk)File:Bruxelles Manneken Pis.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Bruxelles_Manneken_Pis.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors:User:MyrabellaFile:Maisons Grand-Place BXL 01.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Maisons_Grand-Place_BXL_01.JPG  License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0Unported  Contributors: Ben2File:Cinquantenaire.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Cinquantenaire.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0  Contributors:http://www.flickr.com/photos/fjm-zoom2zoom/File:Brussels waffle.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Brussels_waffle.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0  Contributors: [cipher]File:Bourse Bxl 01.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Bourse_Bxl_01.JPG  License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported  Contributors: User:Ben2File:ULB 20050712.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:ULB_20050712.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0  Contributors: RobyFile:Gare de Bruxelles-Midi Station Brussel-Zuid176.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gare_de_Bruxelles-Midi_Station_Brussel-Zuid176.jpg  License: GNU FreeDocumentation License  Contributors: Saber68File:Gare de Bruxelles-Midi Station Brussel-Zuid.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gare_de_Bruxelles-Midi_Station_Brussel-Zuid.jpg  License: GNU FreeDocumentation License  Contributors: Saber68File:Ice bruxelles.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Ice_bruxelles.JPG  License: Public Domain  Contributors: ClicgaucheFile:Wetstraat.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Wetstraat.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.5  Contributors: Orland0File:Brussels Zonienwoud.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Brussels_Zonienwoud.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Contributors: DonarreiskofferFile:Blason de Madrid.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Blason_de_Madrid.svg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike  Contributors: SanchoPanzaXXIFile:Blason ville ca Montreal (Quebec).svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Blason_ville_ca_Montreal_(Quebec).svg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: SyryatsuFile:Country symbol of Berlin color.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Country_symbol_of_Berlin_color.svg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Wappenentwurf:diese Datei: JwnabdFile:Coat of Arms of Moscow.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Moscow.svg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Original Author:Vector-Images.com Converted to SVG by: Oren neu dagFile:Breda Wappen klein.PNG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Breda_Wappen_klein.PNG  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Breda_Wappen.PNG: Beckstetderivative work: Beckstet (talk)File:Praha CoA CZ small.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Praha_CoA_CZ_small.svg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Petr DlouhýFile:Coat of arms of Kiev.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Coat_of_arms_of_Kiev.svg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Maxim ()File:Coat of arms of Sofia.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Coat_of_arms_of_Sofia.svg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors:SsolbergjFile:Wappen Tirana.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Wappen_Tirana.svg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported  Contributors:Wappen_Tirana.gif: Joonasl derivative work: Malyszkz (talk)File:Blason ville si Ljubljana (Slovénie).svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Blason_ville_si_Ljubljana_(Slovénie).svg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike  Contributors: User:DancingPhilosopher

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