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121-592: Bound for Flanders from Chania on Crete in 1431, the merchant ship Querina encountered a fierce storm at the western approach to the English Channel . The storm pushed the ship north, off course, and in succession destroyed its steering equipment and its sail. The ship drifted on the Gulf Stream far across the North Sea . After having lost its ability to manoeuvre, Querini gave the order to abandon ship. One part of

242-670: A French attempt at annexation (1300–1302), finally defeating the French in the Battle of the Golden Spurs (11 July 1302), near Kortrijk . Two years later, the uprising was defeated and Flanders indirectly remained part of the French Crown. Flemish prosperity waned in the following century, due to widespread European population decline following the Black Death of 1348, the disruption of trade during

363-533: A bigger territory, and this is critical to the evolution of modern terminology. Once the Counts of Flanders (who were also Dukes of Burgundy) expanded their regional power to create the bigger entity, now referred to by historians as the Burgundian Netherlands , "Flanders", along with Latin "Belgium", were the first two common names to describe this regional block. With the breakaway of the northern Netherlands in

484-648: A coalition of his party (N-VA) with Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams (CD&V) and Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten (Open VLD). The area of the Flemish Community is represented on the maps above, including the area of the Brussels-Capital Region (hatched on the relevant map). Roughly, the Flemish Community exercises competences originally oriented towards the individuals of the Community's language: culture (including audiovisual media), education , and

605-724: A devout Catholic and self-proclaimed protector of the Counter-Reformation , suppressed Calvinism in Flanders, Brabant and Holland (what is now approximately Belgian Limburg was part of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège and was Catholic de facto ). In 1566, the wave of iconoclasm known as the Beeldenstorm was a prelude to religious war between Catholics and Protestants, especially the Anabaptists. The Beeldenstorm started in what

726-593: 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

847-508: 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

968-566: A printed version in a collection of travels between 1550 and 1559. Ramusio however altered the text substantially, left out some of the more horrifying parts and added moralising paragraphs. Querini has also been, dubiously, credited with the introduction of Norwegian stockfish in Italian cooking. The lyric opera based on the dramatic story about Pietro Querini was performed for the first time in Røst in 2012, and then again in 2014 and 2018. In October 2023

1089-496: A series of state reforms . In practice, the Flemish Community and Region together form a single body, with its own parliament and government , as the Community legally absorbed the competences of the Region. The parliament is a directly elected legislative body composed of 124 representatives. The government consists of up to 11 members and is presided by a Minister-President , currently Geert Bourgeois ( New Flemish Alliance ) leading

1210-546: A term for the language Dutch, and during the 19th and 20th centuries, it became increasingly common to refer exclusively to the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium as "Flanders". Belgium divided itself into official French- and Dutch-speaking parts starting in the early '60s. Today Flanders extends over the northern part of Belgium, including not only the Dutch-speaking Belgian parts of the medieval Duchy of Brabant , which

1331-425: A trip to the island searching for some lost cattle. Only eleven men, of a crew that totalled 68, survived. Eventually they spent more than three months together with the Røst inhabitants. Two separate accounts of these events have survived. One was written by Querini himself, another by two officers who served on board the ship and also survived, Cristoforo Fioravante and Nicolò de Michiel. Manuscript copies survive in

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1452-608: Is Dutch. The area of today's Flanders has figured prominently in European history since the Middle Ages . The original County of Flanders stretched around AD 900 from the Strait of Dover to the Scheldt estuary and expanded from there. This county also still corresponds roughly with the modern-day Belgian provinces of West Flanders and East Flanders, along with neighbouring parts of France and

1573-535: Is an officially bilingual enclave within the Flemish Region. Flanders also has exclaves of its own: Voeren in the east is between Wallonia and the Netherlands and Baarle-Hertog in the north consists of 22 exclaves surrounded by the Netherlands. Not including Brussels, there are five present-day Flemish provinces : Antwerp , East Flanders , Flemish Brabant , Limburg and West Flanders . The official language

1694-405: 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

1815-414: 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

1936-401: 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

2057-604: Is now French Flanders , with open-air sermons ( Dutch : hagepreken ) that spread through the Low Countries, first to Antwerp and Ghent, and from there further east and north. Subsequently, Philip II of Spain sent the Duke of Alba to the Provinces to repress the revolt. Alba recaptured the southern part of the Provinces, who signed the Union of Atrecht , which meant that they would accept

2178-717: Is remembered by Flemish organizations during the yearly Yser pilgrimage in Diksmuide at the monument of the Yser Tower . During the interbellum and World War II , several right-wing fascist and/or national-socialistic parties emerged in Belgium. Since these parties were promised more rights for the Flemings by the German government during World War II, many of them collaborated with the Nazi regime. After

2299-567: 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

2420-632: 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

2541-1093: 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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2662-413: Is the Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium . However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, language, politics, and history, and sometimes involving neighbouring countries. The demonym associated with Flanders is Fleming , while the corresponding adjective is Flemish , which can also refer to

2783-563: 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

2904-529: 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

3025-776: The Alps by 1560. Antwerp was the richest city in Europe at this time. According to Luc-Normand Tellier "It is estimated that the port of Antwerp was earning the Spanish crown seven times more revenues than the Americas ." Meanwhile, Protestantism had reached the Low Countries. Among the wealthy traders of Antwerp, the Lutheran beliefs of the German Hanseatic traders found appeal, perhaps partly for economic reasons. The spread of Protestantism in this city

3146-519: 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

3267-737: 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

3388-501: 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 the City. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it

3509-818: 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

3630-609: The Catholic University of Leuven . As a result, several state reforms took place in the second half of the 20th century, which transformed the unitary Belgium into a federal state with communities, regions and language areas . This resulted also in the establishment of a Flemish Parliament and Government . During the 1970s, all major political parties split into a Dutch and French-speaking party. Several Flemish parties still advocate for more Flemish autonomy, some even for Flemish independence (see Partition of Belgium ), whereas

3751-528: 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 the north, as well as the Avenue Louise/Louizalaan and

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3872-503: 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

3993-896: 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

4114-525: 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

4235-416: 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

4356-403: The Provisional Government (Dutch: Voorlopig Bewind ) proclaimed its independence, which was later confirmed by the National Congress that issued a new Liberal Constitution and declared the new state a Constitutional Monarchy , under the House of Saxe-Coburg . Flanders now became part of the Kingdom of Belgium, which was recognized by the major European Powers on 20 January 1831. The cessation

4477-440: 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"),

4598-438: The Roman empire the whole of Gallia Belgica became an administrative province. The future counties of Flanders and Brabant remained part of this province connected to what is now France, but in the east modern Limburg became part of the Rhine frontier province of Germania Inferior connected to what is now the Netherlands and Germany. Gallia Belgica and Germania Inferior were the two most northerly continental provinces of

4719-508: The Roman empire . In the future county of Flanders, the main Belgic tribe in early Roman times was the Menapii , but also on the coast were the Marsacii and Morini . In the central part of modern Belgium were the Nervii , whose territory corresponded to medieval Brabant as well as French-speaking Hainaut. In the east was the large district of the Tungri which covered both French- and Dutch-speaking parts of eastern Belgium. The Tungri were understood to have links to Germanic tribes east of

4840-459: 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),

4961-426: 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 )

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5082-436: 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

5203-438: 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

5324-432: 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

5445-418: 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 ,

5566-415: The Vatican Library in Rome and the Biblioteca Marciana in Venice. The accounts may originally have been written as a kind of report to the Venetian authorities, though this is uncertain. A reference to Querini's shipwreck and his stay at Lofoten was included in the Fra Mauro map , made in the 1450s, however. The story was also translated into Tuscan dialect and published by Giovanni Battista Ramusio in

5687-402: The Westerscheldt river delta, was left with the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which was allowed to levy a toll on all traffic to Antwerp harbour until 1863. In 1873, Dutch became an official language in public secondary schools. In 1898, Dutch and French were declared equal languages in laws and Royal orders. In 1930, the first Flemish university was opened. The first official translation of

5808-401: The early modern period , the term Flanders continued to be associated with the whole southern part of the Low Countries —the Southern , Spanish or Austrian Netherlands , which were the successors of the Burgundian state, and also predecessors of modern Belgium. The restriction of the term Flanders to the Germanic speaking part of the population occurred later. The term "Flemish" came to be

5929-467: The wool of neighbouring lands into cloth for both domestic use and export. As a consequence, a sophisticated culture developed, with impressive art and architecture, rivaling those of northern Italy. Ghent, Bruges, Ypres and the Franc of Bruges formed the Four Members , a form of parliament that exercised considerable power in Flanders. Increasingly powerful from the 12th century, the territory's autonomous urban communes were instrumental in defeating

6050-492: 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

6171-480: The Anglo-French Hundred Years' War (1337–1453), and increased English cloth production. Flemish weavers had gone over to Worstead and North Walsham in Norfolk in the 12th century and established the woolen industry. The County of Flanders started to take control of the neighbouring County of Brabant during the life of Louis II, Count of Flanders (1330–1384), who fought his sister-in-law Joanna, Duchess of Brabant for control of it. The entire area, straddling

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6292-402: The Belgian constitution in Dutch was not published until 1967. Flanders (and Belgium as a whole) saw some of the greatest loss of life on the Western Front of the First World War , in particular from the three battles of Ypres . The war strengthened Flemish identity and consciousness. The occupying German authorities took several Flemish-friendly measures. The resulting suffering of the war

6413-401: The Brussels Region for economics affairs and by the Flemish Community for educational and cultural issues. 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 is separate ) and Belgium . The City of Brussels is also the administrative centre of

6534-417: 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

6655-419: 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,

6776-412: 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 ,

6897-415: 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

7018-504: 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

7139-403: The Dutch-speaking community in the Brussels Region, grey on the map for it is not a part of the Flemish Region). Roughly, the Flemish Region is responsible for territorial issues in a broad sense, including economy, employment, agriculture, water policy, housing, public works, energy, transport, the environment, town and country planning, nature conservation, credit, and foreign trade. It supervises

7260-426: The Flemish Region does not. The term "Flanders" has several main modern meanings: The name originally applied to the ancien régime territory called the County of Flanders , that existed from the 8th century (Latin Flandria ) until its absorption by the French First Republic . Until the 1600s, this county also extended over parts of what are now France and the Netherlands. However, the term came to be used for

7381-408: The Flemish Region must be mainly in the Dutch language. In Brussels, teaching is also done in French. When Julius Caesar conquered the area he described it as the less economically developed and more warlike part of Gallia Belgica . His informants told him that especially in the east, the tribes claimed ancestral connections and kinship with the "Germanic" peoples then east of the Rhine . Under

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7502-418: The French speaking majority. This ultimately gave way to a rising feeling of cultural autonomy and even a sense of a nationalism. After World War II, the differences between Dutch-speaking and French-speaking Belgians became clear in a number of conflicts, such as the Royal Question , the question whether King Leopold III should return (which most Flemings supported but Walloons did not) and the use of Dutch in

7623-461: The French-speakers would like to keep the current state as it is. Recent governments (such as Verhofstadt I Government ) have transferred certain federal competences to the regional governments. On 13 December 2006, a spoof news broadcast by the Belgian Francophone public broadcasting station RTBF announced that Flanders had decided to declare independence from Belgium. The 2007 federal elections showed more support for Flemish autonomy, marking

7744-499: 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

7865-440: 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

7986-424: The Low Countries as the Seventeen Provinces (or Spanish Netherlands in its broad sense) as an entity separate from the Holy Roman Empire and from France. In 1556 Charles V abdicated due to ill health (he suffered from crippling gout ). Spain and the Seventeen Provinces went to his son, Philip II of Spain . Over the first half of the 16th century Antwerp grew to become the second-largest European city north of

8107-403: The Netherlands. In this period, cities such as Ghent and Bruges of the historic County of Flanders, and later Antwerp of the Duchy of Brabant made it one of the richest and most urbanised parts of Europe, trading, and weaving the wool of neighbouring lands into cloth for both domestic use and export. As a consequence, a very sophisticated culture developed, with impressive achievements in

8228-473: The Querini Opera will play in Arsenal Nord in Venice . The production has been well received by critics, including by the Financial Times . The music is composed by Norwegian musician and composer Henning Sommerro . The author of the libretto is Ragnar Olsen. Flanders Flanders ( / ˈ f l ɑː n d ər z / FLAHN -dərz or / ˈ f l æ n d ər z / FLAN -dərz ; Dutch : Vlaanderen [ˈvlaːndərə(n)] )

8349-399: The Rhine. Another notable group were the Toxandrians who appear to have lived in the Kempen region, in the northern parts of both the Nervian and Tungrian districts, probably stretching into the modern Netherlands. The Roman administrative districts ( civitates ) of the Menapii, Nervii and Tungri therefore corresponded roughly with the medieval counties of Flanders, Brabant and Loon , and

8470-473: The Roman populations of northern France and the Frankish populations beyond the forest areas. The County of Flanders was a feudal fief in West Francia . The first certain Count in the comital family, Baldwin I of Flanders , is first reported in a document of 862, when he eloped with a daughter of his king Charles the Bald . The region developed as a medieval economic power with a large degree of political autonomy. While its trading cities remained strong, it

8591-402: 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

8712-677: The Silva Carbonaria, and eventually pushed through it under Chlodio . They had kings in each Roman district ( civitas ). In the meantime, the Franks contributed to the Roman military. The first Merovingian king Childeric I was king of the Franks within the military of Gaul. He became leader of the administration of Belgica Secunda , which included the civitas of the Menapii (the future county of Flanders). From there, his son Clovis I managed to conquer both

8833-534: The Southern Netherlands since King Philip II of Spain left them in 1559. In 1794, the French Republican Army started using Antwerp as the northernmost naval port of France. The following year, France officially annexed Flanders as the départements of Lys , Escaut , Deux-Nèthes , Meuse-Inférieure and Dyle . Obligatory (French) army service for all men aged 16–25 years was a main reason for

8954-540: The Spanish government on condition of more freedom. But the northern part of the provinces signed the Union of Utrecht and settled in 1581 the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands . Spanish troops quickly started fighting the rebels, and the Spanish armies conquered the important trading cities of Bruges and Ghent. Antwerp, which was then the most important port in the world, also had to be conquered. But before

9075-619: The United Kingdom of the Netherlands . William I started rapid industrialisation of the southern parts of the Kingdom. But the political system failed to forge a true union between the north and south. Most of the southern bourgeoisie was Roman Catholic and French-speaking, while the north was mainly Protestant and Dutch-speaking. In 1815, the Dutch Senate was reinstated (Dutch: Eerste Kamer der Staaten Generaal ). The nobility, mainly coming from

9196-830: The ancient boundary of France and the Holy Roman Empire, later passed to Philip the Bold in 1384, the Duke of Burgundy , with his capital in Brussels . The titles were eventually more clearly united under his grandson Philip the Good (1396 – 1467). This large Duchy passed in 1477 to the Habsburg dynasty, and in 1556 to the kings of Spain. Western and southern districts of Flanders were confirmed under French rule under successive treaties of 1659 (Artois), 1668 and 1678 . The County of Loon, approximately

9317-481: The arts and architecture, rivaling those of northern Italy . Belgium was one of the centres of the 19th-century Industrial Revolution , but this occurred mainly in French-speaking Wallonia. In the second half of the 20th century, and due to massive national investments in port infrastructure, Flanders' economy modernised rapidly, and today Flanders and Brussels are much wealthier than Wallonia, being among

9438-525: 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

9559-420: 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

9680-479: The clear winners in Flanders, and N-VA became even the largest party in Flanders and Belgium during the 2010 federal elections , followed by the longest-ever government formation after which the Di Rupo I Government was formed excluding N-VA. Eight parties agreed on a sixth state reform which aim to solve the disputes between Flemings and French-speakers. However, the 2012 provincial and municipal elections continued

9801-554: The collective of Dutch dialects spoken in that area, or more generally the Belgian variant of Standard Dutch. Most Flemings live within the Flemish Region , which is a federal state within Belgium with its own elected government. However, like Belgium itself, the official capital of Flanders is the City of Brussels , which lies within the Brussels-Capital Region , not the Flemish Region, and

9922-421: 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

10043-485: The corresponding official institution, the Flemish Community ), or the geographical area, one of the three institutional regions in Belgium, namely the Flemish Region . In the history of art and other fields, the adjectives Flemish and Netherlandish are commonly used to designate all the artistic production in this area before about 1580, after which it refers specifically to the southern Netherlands. For example,

10164-591: 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

10285-465: The crew, including Querini, went into the ship's smaller launch , while another left the ship in a somewhat larger secondary vessel. The two lost contact almost immediately and only the smaller launch reached shore. Facing a winter storm and cold for weeks, and lacking food and water, several more men died of starvation and fatigue. Just after New Year, in January 1432, the survivors stranded on an island amid

10406-654: The effects of industrial stagnation and Spanish-Dutch and Franco-Austrian conflict. The Southern Netherlands suffered severely under the Franco-Dutch War , Nine Years' War and War of the Spanish Succession . But under the reign of Empress Maria-Theresia, these lands again flourished economically. Influenced by the Enlightenment , the Austrian Emperor Joseph II was the first sovereign who had been in

10527-559: 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

10648-420: 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

10769-616: The majority of residents there are French speaking. The powers of the Flemish Government in Brussels are limited mainly to Flemish culture and education. Geographically, Flanders is mainly flat, and incorporates the whole coast of Belgium on the North Sea . It borders the French department of Nord to the south-west near the coast, the Dutch provinces of Zeeland , North Brabant and Limburg to

10890-732: The modern Flemish province of Limburg, remained independent of France, forming a part of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège until the French Revolution, but surrounded by the Burgundians, and under their influence. In 1500, Charles V was born in Ghent . He inherited the Seventeen Provinces (1506), Spain (1516) with its colonies and in 1519 was elected Holy Roman Emperor . Charles V issued the Pragmatic Sanction of 1549 , which established

11011-569: The modern Flemish provinces of East and West Flanders (Menapii), Brabant and Antwerp (the northern Nervii), and Belgian Limburg (part of the Tungri). Brabant appears to have been separated from the Tungri by a relatively unpopulated forest area, the Silva Carbonaria , forming a natural boundary between northeast and southwest Belgium. Linguistically, the tribes in this area were under Celtic influence in

11132-465: 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

11253-448: The north and east, and the Walloon provinces of Hainaut , Walloon Brabant and Liège to the south. Despite accounting for only 45% of Belgium's territory, more than half the population lives there – 6,821,770 (or 58%) out of 11,763,650 Belgian inhabitants, as of January 2024. Much of Flanders is agriculturally fertile and densely populated at 501/km (1,300/sq mi). The Brussels Region

11374-722: 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 ,

11495-748: The provinces, municipalities, and intercommunal utility companies. The number of Dutch-speaking Flemish people in the Capital Region is estimated to be between 11% and 15% (official figures do not exist as there is no language census and no official subnationality). According to a survey conducted by the University of Louvain (UCLouvain) in Louvain-la-Neuve and published in June 2006, 51% of respondents from Brussels claimed to be bilingual, even if they do not have Dutch as their first language. They are governed by

11616-526: 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

11737-578: The revolt was defeated, a war between Spain and England broke out, forcing Spanish troops to halt their advance. On 17 August 1585, Antwerp fell. This ended the Eighty Years' War for the (from now on) Southern Netherlands . The United Provinces (the Northern Netherlands) fought on until 1648 – the Peace of Westphalia . During the war with England, the rebels from the north, strengthened by refugees from

11858-442: 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:

11979-544: The river Scheldt , effectively cutting Antwerp off from its trade routes. The fall of Antwerp to the Spanish and the closing of the Scheldt caused considerable emigration. Many Calvinist merchants of Antwerp and other Flemish cities left Flanders and migrated north. Many of them settled in Amsterdam , which was a smaller port, important only in the Baltic trade . The Flemish exiles helped to rapidly transform Amsterdam into one of

12100-525: 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

12221-456: The skerries near Røst in Lofoten . The small island was uninhabited, though the survivors discovered a small hut, built to be used in summertime when villagers would bring their cattle to the island for grazing, where they found shelter. They stayed there for over a month, surviving off scallops and a stranded whale. Eventually, they were discovered by chance by a fisherman and his sons, who had made

12342-475: The south, and Germanic influence in the east, but there is disagreement about what languages were spoken locally (apart from Vulgar Latin ), and there may even have been an intermediate " Nordwestblock " language related to both. By the first century AD, Germanic languages appear to have become prevalent in the area of the Tungri. As Roman influence waned, Frankish populations settled in the Tungiran area east of

12463-606: The south, became more and more estranged from their northern colleagues. Resentment grew between the Roman Catholics from the south and the Protestants from the north, and also between the powerful liberal bourgeoisie from the south and their more moderate colleagues from the north. On 25 August 1830 (after the showing of the opera ' La Muette de Portici ' of Daniel Auber in Brussels) the Belgian Revolution sparked. On 4 October 1830,

12584-616: The south, started a campaign to reclaim areas lost to Philip II 's Spanish troops. They conquered a considerable part of Brabant (the later North Brabant of the Netherlands), and the south bank of the Scheldt estuary ( Zeelandic Flanders ), before being stopped by Spanish troops. The front at the end of this war stabilized and became the border between present-day Belgium and the Netherlands. The Dutch (as they later became known) had managed to reclaim enough of Spanish-controlled Flanders to close off

12705-601: 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

12826-496: The start of the 2007–2011 Belgian political crisis . All the political parties that advocated a significant increase of Flemish autonomy gained votes as well as seats in the Belgian federal parliament . This was especially the case for Christian Democratic and Flemish and New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) (who had participated on a shared electoral list ). The trend continued during the 2009 regional elections , where CD&V and N-VA were

12947-797: The term "Flemish Primitives", now outdated in English but used in French, Dutch and other languages, is a synonym for " Early Netherlandish painting ", and it is not uncommon to see Mosan art categorized as Flemish art. In music the Franco-Flemish School is also known as the Dutch School . Within this Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, French has never ceased to be spoken by some citizens, and Jewish groups have been speaking Yiddish in Antwerp for centuries. Regardless of nationality or linguistic background, according to Belgian Law education in schools located in

13068-481: The trend of N-VA becoming the biggest party in Flanders. However, sociological studies show no parallel between the rise of nationalist parties and popular support for their agenda. Instead, a recent study revealed a majority in favour of returning regional competences to the federal level. Both the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region are constitutional institutions of the Kingdom of Belgium, exercising certain powers within their jurisdiction, granted following

13189-863: The uprising against the French in 1798, known as the Boerenkrijg ( Peasants' War ), with the heaviest fighting in the Campine area. After the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Brabant , the Congress of Vienna (1815) gave sovereignty over the Austrian Netherlands – Belgium minus the East Cantons and Luxembourg – to the United Netherlands (Dutch: Verenigde Nederlanden ) under Prince William I of Orange Nassau, making him William I of

13310-405: The use of the language. Extensions to personal matters less directly associated with language comprise sports, health policy (curative and preventive medicine), and assistance to individuals (protection of youth, social welfare, aid to families, immigrant assistance services, etc.) The area of the Flemish Region is represented on the maps above. It has a population of more than 6 million (excluding

13431-430: The war, collaborators (or people who were Zwart , "Black" during the war) were prosecuted and punished, among them many Flemish nationalists whose main political goal had been the emancipation of Flanders. As a result, until today Flemish nationalism is often associated with right-wing. Flemish nationalism is however a direct consequence of the events of the years prior to the first World War, in which many were oppressed by

13552-403: The wealthiest regions in Europe and the world. In accordance with late 20th century Belgian state reforms , Flanders was made into two political entities: the Flemish Region (Dutch: Vlaams Gewest ) and the Flemish Community (Dutch: Vlaamse Gemeenschap ). These entities were merged, although geographically the Flemish Community, which has a broader cultural mandate, covers Brussels, whereas

13673-821: The world's most important ports. This is why the exodus is sometimes described as " creating a new Antwerp ". Flanders and Brabant, went into a period of relative decline from the time of the Thirty Years' War . In the Northern Netherlands, the mass emigration from Flanders and Brabant became an important driving force behind the Dutch Golden Age . Although arts remained relatively impressive for another century with Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) and Anthony van Dyck , Flanders lost its former economic and intellectual power under Spanish, Austrian, and French rule. Heavy taxation and rigid imperial political control compounded

13794-537: Was aided by the presence of an Augustinian cloister (founded 1514) in the St. Andries quarter. Luther, an Augustinian himself, had taught some of the monks, and his works were in print by 1518. The first Lutheran martyrs came from Antwerp. The Reformation resulted in consecutive but overlapping waves of reform: a Lutheran, followed by a militant Anabaptist , then a Mennonite , and finally a Calvinistic movement. These movements existed independently of each other. Philip II ,

13915-637: 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

14036-500: 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

14157-511: 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

14278-631: Was recognized by the United Kingdom of the Netherlands on 19 April 1839. In 1830, the Belgian Revolution led to the splitting up of the two countries. Belgium was confirmed as an independent state by the Treaty of London of 1839, but deprived of the eastern half of Limburg (now Dutch Limburg), and the Eastern half of Luxembourg (now the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg). Sovereignty over Zeelandic Flanders , south of

14399-498: 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,

14520-453: Was united with Flanders since the Middle Ages, but also Belgian Limburg , which corresponds closely to the medieval County of Loon , and was never under Burgundian control. The ambiguity between this wider cultural area and that of the county or province still remains in discussions about the region. In most present-day contexts however, the term Flanders is taken to refer to either the political, social, cultural, and linguistic community (and

14641-409: Was weakened and divided when districts fell under direct French royal rule in the late 12th century. The remaining parts of Flanders came under the rule of the counts of neighbouring imperial Hainaut under Baldwin V of Hainaut in 1191. During the late Middle Ages , Flanders's trading towns (notably Ghent , Bruges and Ypres ) made it one of the richest and most urbanized parts of Europe, weaving

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