Brussel

Brussel¹, Belgium² has 2.1 million metropolitan residents, with just over a million in the city proper. It is on a canalized triburary of the Escault³. The 15th century Gothic Hotel de Ville⁴, topped by a gold statue, is the center piece of the Grande-Place, a World Heritage Site. Another World Heritage Site is the Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta, a pioneer of the Art Nouveau.⁵ Another architectural World Heritage Site is the Stoclet House, designed by Josef Hoffman and an influence on Art Deco and the Modern Movement. Other sights of note include the Atomium, in the shape of a super-magnified iron molecule; the Gothic cathedral, sited atop a Romanesque predecessor; and the Berlaymont building, named for a displaced Augustine monastery, and housing the European Commission. The tallest building is the 38 story Tour du Midi (Zuidertoren).⁶

In the metropolitan area are parts of two World Heritage sites: the belfries of Roeselare and Leuven and the Béguinage in Leuven.

External references

Stoclet House

Historical maps

Footnotes

1. Brussel is the name in the Flemish dialect of Dutch. The French name is Bruxelles. It is called Brussels in English.
2. België or Belgique officially.
3. Schelde in Dutch; Scheldt in English.
4. Stadhuis in the Flemish dialect of Dutch.
5. They are the Hôtel Tassel, the Hôtel Solvay, the Hôtel van Eetvelde, the Maison Horta and the Atelier Horta.
6. Emporis.com, accessed 11/23/2010.