Gosselies ( Walloon : Gochliye ) is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Charleroi , located in the province of Hainaut , Belgium .
74-557: Located in the north of Charleroi, it was a city and a municipality of its own before the merger of the municipalities in 1977. Gosselies was the home of the headquarters of Caterpillar Belgium, as well as Solar Turbines Europe. The Brussels South Charleroi Airport (BSCA) is located in Gosselies too. On the pre-metro line M3 , opened in June 2013, there are nine stations located in Gosselies. Since this date, Gosselies has been re-connected with
148-593: A few neighbouring municipalities have been merged into the City of Brussels, including Haren , Laeken and Neder-Over-Heembeek in 1921. These comprise the northern bulge in the municipality. To the south-east is the above-mentioned strip of land along the Avenue Louise that was annexed from Ixelles. Part of the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)'s Solbosch campus is also part of the City of Brussels, partially accounting for
222-508: A member of PS , who is in coalition on the municipal council with Ecolo - Groen , DéFI and Forward . Brussels is ranked sixth in the index of cities which are becoming greener fastest as for the year 2022, even though in the past it had a reputation of a "traffic-choked city of high rises and concrete". The authorities released a plan composed of seven steps on how to make the city even more sustainable . Those include introducing "a use-based, circular and low-carbon economy " and making
296-704: A policy declaration by the Eyskens III Government in November 1958 encouraged small communes to merge. This led to the Unitary Law of 14 February 1961, which introduced new provisions to facilitate mergers of communes by giving the government the right to carry out such regroupings for a period of ten years. These new provisions led to an initial reduction in the number of communes. In 1964, Belgium had 2,585 communes, 110 of which were grouped into 37 new entities. Belgium had come to have 2,379 communes by 1970, and 2,359
370-512: A six-year reprieve, in the course of 1982, two decrees and two laws regulated the details of the merger of the communes of Antwerp , Berchem , Borgerhout , Deurne , Ekeren , Hoboken , Merksem and Wilrijk for 1 January 1983. On 1 January 1983, Belgium comprised 589 communes, as stipulated by the law of 30 December 1975: 308 in the Flemish Region , 262 in the Walloon Region and 19 in
444-560: Is separate ) and Belgium . The City of Brussels is also the administrative centre of the European Union , as it hosts a number of principal EU institutions in its European Quarter . Besides the central historic town located within the Pentagon , the City of Brussels covers some of the city's immediate outskirts within the greater Brussels-Capital Region, namely the former municipalities of Haren , Laeken , and Neder-Over-Heembeek to
518-405: Is attracting a younger, more well-off, and mostly Dutch-speaking population. This new situation, which has resulted in rising rents, is not without problems for the neighbourhood's less fortunate inhabitants. The Quays Quarter (French: Quartier des Quais , Dutch: Kaaienwijk ) is that of the old Port of Brussels , which for a long time played the role of "belly" of the city. Boats coming from
592-414: Is granted to many of Brussels' museums. Below is a non-exhaustive list of museums in the City of Brussels: Brussels is well known for its food. Brussels sprouts were named after the city. Like most of Belgium, moules-frites , waffles (gaufres), chocolate , French fries , and beer are common there. It is home to one 2-starred and four 1-starred Michelin restaurants. Among the recipients of
666-567: Is separated from the rest of Laeken by the Royal Domain and is the site of the Museums of the Far East . The district also extends a little into the neighbouring Flemish municipalities of Vilvoorde and Grimbergen . Neder-Over-Heembeek is a former municipality incorporated into the City of Brussels in 1921, at the same time as Laeken and Haren. It has the distinction of having the oldest place name in
740-632: Is so named because it houses, on the one hand, the Place Royale/Koningsplein ("Royal Square" or "King's Square"), built under Charles-Alexander of Lorraine on the Coudenberg hill, on the site of the former Palace of the Dukes of Brabant , of which certain levels of foundation still exist, and on the other hand, the Royal Palace of Brussels , which faces Brussels Park , on the other side of which
814-1093: Is the Belgian House of Parliament ( Palace of the Nation ). Below the Royal District is the Central Station and the Mont des Arts/Kunstberg , home to the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR), the Royal Belgian Film Archive ( Cinematek ), the Brussels Centre for Fine Arts , the Museum of Cinema, the Musical Instruments Museum (MIM), the BELvue Museum , and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium . From
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#1732858916232888-563: Is to restore the neighbourhood's social mix by redeveloping former office buildings into housing. Despite the district's long-time grim aspect, the centuries-old Meyboom tradition has been maintained, and the former Art Nouveau Magasins Waucquez by Victor Horta have been preserved to house, since 1993, the Belgian Comic Strip Center . Another preserved islet is the 18th-century neoclassical Place des Martyrs/Martelaarsplein , which has gradually been renovated. The victims of
962-529: Is today, that Brussels' first South Station, the terminus of the South Line, was built in 1839. It was known as Bogards' railway station for the eponymous convent whose site it was built on, and to which the Rue des Bogards / Bogaardenstraat is now the only reference. The former presence of a station at this location also explains the unusual width of the current Avenue de Stalingrad / Stalingradlaan , which goes from
1036-519: The Avenue Louise/Louizalaan was commissioned in 1847 as a monumental avenue bordered by chestnut trees that would allow easy access to the popular recreational area of the Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos . However, fierce resistance to the project was put up by the town of Ixelles —then, as now, a separate municipality (local authority) from the City of Brussels—through whose territory the avenue
1110-737: The Belgian Revolution of 1830 are buried there in an open crypt with a memorial . Nearby is the Rue Neuve, one of Belgium's main shopping streets, with more than 1 km (0.62 mi) of stores on both its sides; the Boulevard Adolphe Max/Adolphe Maxlaan , a traditional 19th-century artery; and the Boulevard Émile Jacqmain/Émile Jacqmainlaan (where the Théâtre national Wallonie-Bruxelles has been installed since 2004), close to
1184-867: The Boulevard Maurice Lemonnier/Maurice Lemonnierlaan , bordered by the Place Fontainas/Fontainasplein and the Place Anneessens/Anneessensplein (former location of the Old Market ), as well as by the Midi Palace. Each Sunday morning, the Midi district hosts the second largest market in Europe. The damp and marshy land around the present-day Rue de la Senne / Zennestraat and Rue des Fabriques / Fabriekstraat
1258-524: The Brussels-Capital Region . The regionalisation of local government organisation slowly renewed the question of municipality merging, especially in Flanders. The Flemish, Walloon and Brussels Regions became responsible for their respective municipalities through the special law of 13 July 2001 transferring various powers to the regions and communities. In their 13 July 2009 coalition agreement for
1332-688: The Court of Cassation confirmed the illegality of the creation of Greater Antwerp, despite the insistence of the occupation authorities. The end of the German occupation put a radical end to these mergers of communes and a return to the pre-war status quo, but the idea was not abandoned. In the aftermath of the Second World War, four communes were abolished between 1945 and 1961. On 1 January 1961, there were 2,663 communes in Belgium. A ministerial circular of 1957 and
1406-503: The Japanese Tower district or De Wand district, Mutsaard (also spelled Mutsaert), is an old hamlet and a historic district located between Laeken and Neder-over-Heembeek and centred around the Place du Mutsaert / Mutsaertplaats or Mutsaardplein . The district was part of the former municipality of Laeken (postcode: 1020), but also a piece of Neder-over-Heembeek, annexed by Laeken in 1897. It
1480-476: The Jemappe , Dyle and Sambre-et-Meuse departments. The Dutch period did not put an end to this process, which continued to a lesser extent, so that by 1830 there were 2,492 communes. With Belgium's independence, the trend was reversed with the creation of new communes, reaching a peak in 1928, when the country counted 2,675 communes, after 153 had been created and 7 abolished over the same period. Thus, in 1896,
1554-947: The Justus Lipsius building and the Europa building (part of the Residence Palace ), serving as the seat of the European Council and the Council of the EU . In Leopold Park , the House of European History (HEH) initiates visitors to the social history of the European continent. There is a visitor centre in the main European Parliament building, known as the Parliamentarium , and another smaller one in
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#17328589162321628-525: The Place Royale/Koningsplein , the Rue de la Régence / Regentschapsstraat crosses the Sablon/Zavel Quarter (French: Quartier des Sablons , Dutch: Zavelwijk ), made of the larger Grand Sablon / Grote Zavel ("Large Sablon") square in the north-west and the smaller Petit Sablon / Kleine Zavel ("Small Sablon") square and garden in the south-east, divided by the Church of Our Blessed Lady of
1702-532: The Place de Brouckère/De Brouckèreplein . The latter, a very busy square, is dominated at its southern end by two block-style towers, but for the rest, it has totally ( Hotel Métropole and its neighbour the Hotel Atlanta) or partially ( UGC cinema ) retained its old facades. The Freedom Quarter (French: Quartier des Libertés , Dutch: Vrijheidswijk ) is situated between the Belgian Parliament and
1776-486: The Quai aux Briques / Baksteenkaai ("Brick Wharf"), the Quai au Bois à Brûler / Brandhoutkaai ("Firewood Wharf"), the Quai aux Pierres de Taille / Arduinkaai ("Quarry Stone Wharf"), the Quai au Foin / Hooikaai ("Hay Wharf"), etc., or references to the neighbourhood's commercial activities: the Rue du Magasin / Pakhuisstraat ("Warehouse Street"), the Rue des Commerçants / Koopliedenstraat ("Traders Street"),
1850-789: The Royal Greenhouses of Laeken , the Church of Our Lady of Laeken (whose crypt contains the tombs of the Belgian royal family ) and Laeken Cemetery , known for its wealth of monuments and sculptures. On the territory of Laeken also lies the Heysel/Heizel Plateau , the site of the World's Fairs of 1935 and 1958 , and which includes the King Baudouin Stadium , Bruparck (with the Atomium , Mini-Europe miniature park and Kinepolis cinema),
1924-551: The Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries ; the Saint-Jacques / Sint-Jacobs district, which welcomed pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela ; as well as the former Brussels Stock Exchange building, erected on the site of a former Franciscan convent whose remains have been unearthed. The Royal Quarter (French: Quartier Royal or Quartier de la Cour , Dutch: Koninklijke Wijk or Koningswijk )
1998-538: The Rue Haute / Hogestraat and the Rue Blaes / Blaestraat , second-hand and popular shops have for some years given way to antique dealers , marking a profound transformation of the district. The Cité Hellemans, a remarkable example of an early 20th-century collective housing complex, was built to replace the neighbourhood's many squalid cul-de-sacs . The Rue Haute, one of the city's longest and oldest streets, follows
2072-836: The Rue Royale/Koningsstraat , not far from the crossroads with the Small Ring. Its focal point is the Congress Column (erected in memory of the National Congress of 1830–31, the founder of democratic liberties in Belgium), under which also lies the tomb of the Unknown Soldier with an eternal flame . Not far from there is the Hotel Astoria , dating from 1911, which is currently being renovated and enlarged, to be reopened in
2146-432: The Rue du Marché aux Porcs / Varkensmarktstraat ("Pig Market Street") and the Quai du Commerce / Handelskaai ("Trade Wharf"). Along the quaysides, numerous bourgeois houses, once belonging to wealthy merchants, have preserved the entrances to the warehouses. On the Boulevard d'Ypres / Ieperlaan , one can still cross food wholesalers, now supplied by trucks that have replaced the boats. The district also includes
2220-772: The Square Marie-Louise / Maria-Louizasquare and the Avenue Palmerston / Palmerstonlaan . The area between the Small Ring and the Square Marie-Louise is sometimes considered to be part of the Leopold Quarter. Laeken is a former municipality in the north of the Brussels-Capital Region, annexed by the City of Brussels in 1921. It is home to, among others, the Royal Domain of Laeken, the Palace of Laeken ,
2294-674: The 13th-century first walls of Brussels , which encompassed the area between the first port on the Senne, the old Romanesque church (later replaced by the Brabantine Gothic Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula ), and the former ducal palace of Coudenberg in today's Royal Quarter. At the centre of this triangle are the Grand-Place/Grote Markt (Brussels' main square); the Îlot Sacré district, which takes its name from its resistance to demolition projects, itself crossed by
Gosselies - Misplaced Pages Continue
2368-526: The Bastogne denomination. A nonbinding referendum on the fusion was held in Bertogne on 20 November 2022, 42% eligible voters took part, 65% voted against the fusion, but the process went on, as announced beforehand. City of Brussels The City of Brussels is the largest municipality and historical centre of the Brussels-Capital Region , as well as the capital of the Flemish Region (from which it
2442-417: The Brussels-Capital Region, as it was mentioned in an ordinance as early as the 7th century. This is where the Queen Astrid Military Hospital, which is the National Burns and Poisons Centre, as well as recruitment services of the Belgian Armed Forces are located. Like Laeken and Neder-Over-Heembeek, the former municipality of Haren was annexed by the municipality (City) of Brussels in 1921, which allowed
2516-431: The Brussels-Capital Region, the PS, Ecolo, cdH, Open Vld, CD&V and Groen agreed to set up a working group on the better distribution of competences between the Region and the communes and on communal borders, which would be made up of regional and communal representatives and would submit its conclusions over two years. On 17 September 2010, the note concluded "Following the debate on the advisability of merging communes,
2590-419: The Centenary Palace, home to the Brussels Exhibition Centre ( Brussels Expo ), and the Port of Brussels , next to which the Monument to Work by Constantin Meunier was erected. On its southern part, it holds the former Tour & Taxis former industrial site, which was annexed by the City of Brussels in 1897, twenty-four years before the rest of the municipality. Sometimes also known as the Pagoda district,
2664-412: The City of Brussels with over 1,000 people as of 1 January 2020: As in every other Belgian municipality, the City of Brussels is headed by a mayor, who should not be confused with the Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region or the Governor of Brussels-Capital . The current city council was elected in the October 2018 elections . The current mayor of the City of Brussels is Philippe Close ,
2738-415: The City of Brussels's population is of non-European origin (predominantly Moroccan, Indian and Congolese), 27.21% is of European origin other than Belgian (mainly French, Romanian, Italian, Spanish, and Polish), while 16.94% is solely of native Belgian ancestry. Among all major migrant groups from outside the EU, a majority of the permanent residents have acquired Belgian nationality. Migrant communities in
2812-463: The City. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally bilingual (French–Dutch). Historically, the City of Brussels was simply defined, being the area within the second walls of Brussels , the modern-day Small Ring (Brussels' inner ring road). As the city grew, the surrounding villages grew as well, eventually growing into a contiguous city, though the local governments retained control of their respective areas. The construction of
2886-504: The Congress Column: Freedom of the Press , Worship , Association and Education . This eclectic urban complex is one of the best preserved in the Pentagon. The European Quarter (French: Quartier Européen , Dutch: Europese Wijk ) is located to the east of the Pentagon, around the Place du Luxembourg/Luxemburgplein and the Robert Schuman Roundabout , and includes the smaller Leopold Quarter (French: Quartier Léopold , Dutch: Leopoldswijk ). The European Parliament
2960-499: The Great Beguinage of Brussels, with the Church of St. John the Baptist and the remarkable Grand Hospice Pachéco . Few of the buildings in the Marais–Jacqmain Quarter (French: Quartier Marais–Jacqmain , Dutch: Jacqmain–Broekwijk ) have escaped 20th-century demolition, from the Boulevard Pachéco / Pachecolaan to the Rue Neuve/Nieuwstraat . They have given way to the State Administrative Centre, press printers, banking facilities, and commercial galleries. The current trend
3034-440: The Justus Lipsius building for the European Council. It is accessible on certain days, by appointment. Many of the attractions in the European Quarter are free to visit. The Squares Quarter (French: Quartier des Squares , Dutch: Squareswijk ) is the northern spur of the European Quarter, located between Saint-Josse-ten-Noode and the Leopold Quarter. The district is bounded by the Chaussée de Louvain / Leuvense Steenweg to
Gosselies - Misplaced Pages Continue
3108-450: The Minister of the Interior, Joseph Michel , of the Tindemans II Government , announced the launch of the remodeling of the communal map, to be completed by the communal elections of October 1976. Several criteria were used to group communes together, such as financial, geographical, linguistic, economic, social or cultural elements, without altering the boundaries of the administrative districts and provinces unless they were justified under
3182-427: The Province of Limburg (Netherlands) and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Since 1830, Belgium had administered the whole of Limburg and Luxembourg. In 1831, the Treaty of the Eighteen Articles had recognized this, but it was never signed by the Netherlands. The corresponding communes were therefore lost in 1839. After the First World War, the communes of the East Cantons were annexed from Germany. Population movements,
3256-407: The Revolution (26 October 1795) led to territorial reorganization, with the commune as the basic territorial unit. In 1800, there were 2,741 communes in what is now Belgium. However, the French authorities wanted to reduce the number of communes in the Belgian départements, and urged the departmental prefects to take measures to that effect. A total of 127 communes were abolished during this period in
3330-402: The Sablon . It is a swanky district, where an antiques market is held, and in which antique and art dealers, as well as other luxury shops, have their businesses. Not far from there stood the Art Nouveau Maison du Peuple/Volkshuis by the famous architect Victor Horta , until its demolition in 1965. The Sablon is also home to the Egmont Palace and the Royal Conservatory of Brussels . In
3404-466: The bulge in the south-eastern end. The origins of Brussels can be traced back to the heart of Saint-Géry/Sint-Goriks Island , formed by the river Senne , on which a first keep was built around 979. Nowadays, the neighbourhood around the Halles Saint-Géry / Sint-Gorikshallen , a former covered market, is one of the capital's trendiest districts. In this Central Quarter (French: Quartier du Centre , Dutch: Centrumwijk ), there are some vestiges of
3478-402: The center of Charleroi and the SNCB Charleroi-South railway station by tram. The tower of the former castle of Bousies family. This Hainaut Province location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Fusion of the Belgian municipalities The fusion of the Belgian municipalities (French: fusion des communes , Dutch: fusie van Belgische gemeenten )
3552-420: The city "proactive". The city should become a " 10-minute city " meaning "making the facilities essential to urban life accessible to every inhabitant in less than 10 minutes". Green spaces should be expanded. The plan includes participation of the population in decision-making and high life level for all. There are many museums in and around Brussels' city centre. On the first Sunday of every month, free entry
3626-421: The coming years. In the 19th century, the district was known as Notre-Dame-aux-Neiges / Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ter-Sneeuw and was predominantly inhabited by working-class people. The authorities' desire to clean up the squalid parts of the city led to the expulsion of the population and the neighbourhood's complete destruction. A new bourgeois district was developed during the last quarter of the century. The choice
3700-408: The course of an old Gallo-Roman road, and runs along Saint Peter's Hospital, built in 1935 on the site of a leprosium , to end at the Halle Gate , the only remaining gate in a series that allowed passage inside the second walls of Brussels . It was in the heart of the Midi–Lemonnier Quarter (French: Quartier Midi–Lemonnier , Dutch: Lemmonier–Zuidwijk ), where the Place Rouppe/Rouppeplein
3774-422: The decision of the population (91% in Ruiselede in April 2022), but in at least one case ( Boortmeerbeek ) a fusion aborted as a consequence of the referendum. The Walloon décret regulating future fusions of communes was published in the Moniteur belge on 17 September 2019. The only fusion approved so far by the Walloon Parliament, due to be effective on 1 January 2025, unites Bastogne and Bertogne under
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#17328589162323848-452: The extension of Schaerbeek railway station north of its territory. But it was above all the presence, south-west of the town, of an airfield, created by the Germans during the First World War , and where the former Belgian national airline Sabena was born, that precipitated the annexation of Haren. For almost fifty years, Haren has been home to NATO's headquarters . It is also the location of many other administrations and companies, such as
3922-494: The following year. At the end of this ten-year period, in 1971, Lucien Harmegnies , Minister of the Interior under the Eyskens IV Government (1968–1972), decided to proceed with the remembrement of the territory and had a new law passed on 23 July 1971. This broadened the scope of the Unitary Law to make it applicable in the case of large conurbations, initially excluded from these provisions. However, no new merger proposals were put forward until June 1974. In September 1974,
3996-569: The future of communes, including the merger of communes. The German occupation of Belgium during World War II overturned the kingdom's municipal structure. The Germans wanted the outlying communes around major conurbations to form a single commune with a single administration and police organization As a result, several communes were grouped together, leading to the birth of seven large communes between 1941 and 1942: Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels, Charleroi, Ghent, La Louvière and Liège. The legal authorities opposed these creations, and on 1 February 1943,
4070-455: The group recommends reviewing communal boundaries crossing obstacles such as railroads or roadways." The Flemish decree of 24 June 2016 on the Voluntary Merging of Municipalities created a regulated procedure, including a financial incentive for municipalities who merge. After decades without any change, some municipalities began seriously considering a fusion. Fifteen Flemish municipalities were merged into seven as of 1 January 2019, reducing
4144-513: The hamlet called La Bretagne separated from Landelies (part of Montigny-le-Tilleul since 1977) to become an autonomous commune under the name Goutroux . Article 3 of the Belgian Constitution as then in force (currently article 7) and the provincial law of 1836 codified the procedures for mergers or the creation of new communes in Belgium. During this period, Belgium underwent two changes to its territorial boundaries. The Treaty of London (1839) led Belgium to cede part of its territory, forming
4218-420: The headquarters of Eurocontrol . The City of Brussels has a large immigrant population, with both the EU and non-European migrant communities outnumbering the native Belgians. Akin to neighbouring Ixelles , Etterbeek and Schaerbeek , the City of Brussels also has a large Muslim population, mainly of North African origin. As of 2023 , taking into account the nationality of birth of the parents, 55.84% of
4292-473: The law of 23 July 1971. After consulting the provinces and communes between September 1974 and January 1975 on merger proposals, a draft merger plan was written and submitted to two regional ministerial committees, one for Wallonia and the other for Flanders. This project resulted in the Royal Decree of 17 September 1975, dividing Belgium into 589 communes by 1 January 1977, but was postponed by six years for Antwerp and seven communes on its outskirts. This
4366-409: The names of the Rue du Houblon / Hopstraat ("Hops Street") and the Rue du Vieux Marché aux Grains / Oude Graanmarktstraat ("Old Grain Market Street"). The Shot Tower ( Tour à Plomb ), which was used to manufacture lead shot for hunting, and the Rue de la Poudrière / Kruitmolenstraat ("Gunpowder Street"), also testify to the neighbourhood's former activities. Long neglected following
4440-446: The north, as well as the Avenue Louise/Louizalaan and the Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos park to the south-east, where it borders municipalities in Flanders . As of 1 January 2023 , the City of Brussels had a population of 194,291 inhabitants. The total area is 33.09 km (12.78 sq mi) which gives a population density of 5,704/km (14,770/sq mi). As of 2007, there were 75,998 registered non-Belgians in
4514-399: The north, the Rue du Noyer / Notelaarsstraat and the Avenue de Cortenbergh / Kortenberglaan to the east, the Rue Joseph II / Jozef II-straat and the Rue Stevin / Stevinstraat to the south, as well as the Small Ring to the west. The toponym refers to the many squares in the area, in particular the Square Ambiorix / Ambiorixsquare , the Square Marguerite / Margaretasquare ,
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#17328589162324588-445: The number of Flemish municipalities from 308 to 300, and the Belgian total from 589 to 581. Several more municipalities are in the process of merging by 1 January 2025: e.g. Gooik , Galmaarden and Herne , Hasselt and Kortessem , Lochristi and Wachtebeke . Most fusions were decided by the municipal councils without – nonbinding – local referenda, and where one was organised, several ( Zwijndrecht , Ruiselede ) went on against
4662-402: The relocation of businesses outside the city centre, the Senne/Zenne Quarter (French: Quartier de la Senne , Dutch: Zennewijk ) has in recent years been the object of renewed interest and is undergoing gentrification due to the many disused industrial premises being converted into lofts . The area around the Rue Antoine Dansaert / Antoine Dansaertstraat has become a trendy district and
4736-442: The river Scheldt penetrated through the former Shore Gate (French: Porte du Rivage , Dutch: Oeverpoort ), on the site of the present-day Place de l'Yser / Ijzerplein , to join one of the canals, whose docks were each reserved for one type of goods. Filled in the late 19th century with the opening of Brussels' new port, these basins were replaced by wide boulevards, whose names on both sides still recall their former function:
4810-434: The rural exodus and the economic upheavals of the 19th and early 20th centuries led to new thinking on the organization of the municipal map, especially in Brussels, where there was a desire to create a "Greater Brussels". On the eve of the First World War, two solutions were put forward: grouping the outlying communes with Brussels, or creating an inter-communal structure to manage certain responsibilities. In 1921, just after
4884-409: The shadow of the gigantic Palace of Justice lies the Marolles/Marollen Quarter (French: Quartier des Marolles , Dutch: Marollenwijk , not to be confused with the Marolle that purists delimit to only seven streets). From the Place de la Chapelle / Kapellemarkt to the Place du Jeu de Balle/Vossenplein , where a daily flea market known as the Old Market has been held since 1873, along
4958-441: The square to the Small Ring , cleared of its train tracks since the inauguration of Brussels-South Station , built outside the Pentagon in 1869. Because of this, the neighbourhood is sometimes called the Stalingrad Quarter (French: Quartier Stalingrad , Dutch: Stalingradwijk ). At the same time, following the covering of the Senne , the district saw the construction of Haussmann -esque grand central boulevards , including
5032-402: The war, the mayor of Brussels, Adolphe Max, proposed the creation of a metropolitan district for the Brussels conurbation. In the same year, the communes of Laeken , Neder-Over-Heembeek and Haren merged with Brussels to form the City of Brussels , without any consultation and consent of the concerned populations. In the interwar period, publications on communal management outlined ideas for
5106-415: Was a Belgian political process that rationalized and reduced the number of municipalities in Belgium between 1964 and 1983. In 1961, there were 2,663 such municipalities; by 1983, these had been re-arranged and combined into 589 larger municipalities. The annexation by France of the Austrian Netherlands , the principalities of Liège and Stavelot and the Duchy of Bouillon on 4 Brumaire of Year IV of
5180-415: Was built near the Place du Luxembourg, on the site of the former Leopold Quarter railway station, and of which only the central building overlooking the square remains, having been replaced by the underground Brussels-Luxembourg railway station . The European Commission , housed in the Berlaymont building , is located on the Schuman Roundabout, not far from the Cinquantenaire Park . Across the street stands
5254-500: Was made to commemorate Belgian independence : the Place de la Liberté / Vrijheidsplein ("Liberty Square"), the Place des Barricades / Barricadenplein ("Barricades' Square"), the Rue de la Révolution / Revolutiestraat ("Revolution Street"), the Rue du Congrès / Congresstraat ("Congress Street"), etc. The four streets leading off the Place de la Liberté bear the names of the four constitutional liberties, symbolised by four allegorical bronze female sculptures surrounding
5328-564: Was occupied by craftsmen since the Middle Ages . An arm of the river crossed the defences of the second walls at the level of the Ninove Gate via the Petite Écluse / Kleine Sluis ("Small Lock"), which served as a maritime gate, an end of which remaining there until the 1960s. Later, small industries and many artisan breweries (now disappeared) established themselves in the area, as evidenced by
5402-429: Was ratified by the law of 30 December 1975. On 1 January 1977, Belgium went from 2,359 to 596 communes. Following the adoption of the law of December 1975, in 1976 a special commission was set up in each province to rectify the administrative boundaries of all 596 communes. After discussions with communes, individuals and private bodies, royal decrees were issued in 1982 to finalize the rectifications. Having obtained
5476-545: Was to run. After years of fruitless negotiations, Brussels finally annexed the narrow band of land needed for the avenue, in addition to the Bois de la Cambre itself, in 1864. That decision accounts for the unusual shape of today's City of Brussels and for the separation of Ixelles into two separate areas. Unlike most of the municipalities in Belgium, the ones now located in the Brussels-Capital Region were not merged with others during mergers occurring in 1964, 1970, and 1975. However,
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