| Page Views: 613 Last Visit to Brussels: July, 2008 I Used To Live Here | Beautiful Brussels, the capital of Belgium by Ann75 - last update: Aug 14, 2008 |
| The Grand Place in Brussels |
See Brussels in one or two days This page is not so much an in depth Brussels page, but more for the tourists who only have one or two days to spend in this beautiful city. I am originally from Belgium (the province of Limburg) and have been to Brussels a few times when I was younger. I do have to admit that I don't really remember all that much of it anymore as I wasn't as interested in all this sightseeing as I am now. We went for a trip back to Belgium to visit my family and friends and wanted to go at least one day to Brussels. We went together with some friends of mine who lived in Brussels for 4 years, so they know their way around quite well.
We went on a Sunday as this is a good day to drive to Brussels, there are no traffic jams on the highways and the parking in most areas of Brussels is free. For us it was about 1 hour driving from where my mother lives. The first thing we did was a visit to the Atomium which is a monument built for Expo '58, the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. It was designed by André Waterkeyn and standing at a height of 102m/335 ft. There are nine steel spheres that are connected so that the whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal that has been magnified 165 billion times. Read more about this in my tips.
After that we parked the car near a metro station so after our walk across Brussels we would be able to take the metro back again. First we walked towards the Royal Palace as it was open to the public in the summer. Sadly enough we were not allowed to take photos inside, but the entrance to the Royal Palace is free. After our visit to the Royal Palace we walked towards the centre of Brussels and passed by a nice view over a small park, the Statue of King Albert I and the skyline of the city. We continued towards a beautiful church called the Sint-Michiels Cathedral also called the Sint-Goedele Church. The King and Queen got married in this church and it's a beautiful church.
After our visit to this beautiful church we walked through the Royal St. Hubert Galleries which is a covered gallery built in Italian Renaissance style. We continued on to the Comic Strip Museum because my husband wanted to see where TinTin comes from. He is always been a fan of these comics. Finally we made our way the beautiful Grand Place in the heart of Brussels from where we wandered through some touristy streets with tons of chocolate and beer stores and of course we went to see Manneke Pis as well. After that we were getting hungry and had dinner at a place where you can get really old fashioned Belgian dishes. That was different but really tasty! This was about our day in Brussels.
I hope my tips will be helpful to people that only have a short time in this wonderful city. Make sure you put some good walking shoes on! |
| The Royal Palace in Brussels |
Some on Brussels and Belgian history Belgium is connected to the southern part of the Netherlands of which it once was a part of. Since Belgium declared independence in 1830 this is no longer the case. Until the 15th Century Belgium was owned by Celtic tribes. The country as we know it now was then devided among the French and the German Empire and the Schelde river devided the two parts.
Through the reign of the Habsburger family the northern part became part of the Netherlands. After Napoleon’s defeat the country became part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and was a bufferzon against the French, but that only lasted from 1815 through 1830 when Belgium declared their own independence. Still a large part of the Belgians speak Dutch (Flemish), but Belgium is a nation with three languages: French, Flemish and German. The language is a sensitive subject in many parts of Belgium.
This little country had a long previous history, with periods under foreign rule by Spain, Austria and France respectively. In 1831 Leopold I of Saxony-Coburg-Saalfeld became the first "King of the Belgians". King Albert II reigns over the country these days. Belgium played a key part in founding the European Union. The capital of Brussels is known widely as the heart of Europe as it also is the capital of the European union. Furthermore, Brussels is the seat of the NATO.
A few facts about Belgium:
*There are about 10,400,000 Belgians.
*Belgium has 3 official languages: 60% of the population speaks Dutch (Flemish), nearly 40% of the population is French speaking and less than 1% of the population speaks German. It is important to know that msny Belgians also speak fluent English.
*Population growth rate: 0.4%
*Life expectancy: 78.62 years
*Religions: 75% Roman Catholic, 25% Protestant or other
*Flag: three equally-sized vertical bands of black on the hoist side, yellow and red
*Currency: euro - EUR - €
*Weights and measures: the metric system
*Driving is on the right side of the road |
Brussels main attractions Brussels has such a variety of things to see and do that it can sometimes be overwhelming. There are more than 75 museums dedicated to just about every special interest under the sun, in addition to impressive public buildings, leafy parks, and interesting squares. History is just around every corner. Fortunately, numerous sidewalk cafes offer some good rest for weary feet, and there's good public transportation to those attractions beyond walking distance of the compact city center, which contains many of Brussels's most popular attractions.
Your very first stop should be at the Brussels International Tourism office in the Town Hall in Grand-Place to pick up its comprehensive guidebook and city map. The helpful guide is a great source of information regarding both tourist sights and other practical info for your stay in the city. If your visit is a short one, you may want to engage one of its multilingual guides, available at very reasonable rates, to make the best use of your time.
Here are some attractions to consider:
Bruparck: Built on the site of the 1958 Brussels World's Fair, this park is home to the Atomium and Mini-Europe.
The Grand Place: Ornamental gables, medieval banners, gilded facades, sunlight flashing off gold-filigreed rooftop sculptures, a general impression of harmony and timelessness -- there's a lot to take in all at once when you first enter the Grand-Place, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. You could translate this into English as "Big Square" or "Main Square" or something similar, but to do so would seem to remove all class from the name of what is beyond a doubt one of Europe's most handsome city squares. Today its elegant grace survives its role as the center of Brussels's tourist circuit. Once the pride of the Habsburg Empire, the Grand-Place (Grote Markt in Flemish) has always been the very heart of Brussels. Top honors go to the Gothic Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall) and the neo-Gothic Maison du Roi (King's House).
The Royal Palace (in summer only): The King's Palace, which overlooks the Parc de Bruxelles, was begun in 1820 and had a grandiose Louis XVI-style face-lift in 1904. The older side wings date from the 18th century and are flanked by two pavilions, one of which sheltered numerous notables during the 1800s. Today the palace is used for state receptions. It also contains the offices of King Albert II, though he and Queen Paola do not live there. When the national flag flies, it means the sovereign is in Belgium. You can visit the palace inside during the summer months only.
Manneken Pis: A fountain in the shape a urinating child, the famous small bronze sculpture on the corner of rue du Chêne and rue de l'Etuve (Métro: Gare Centrale), 2 blocks south of the Grand-Place, is Brussels's favorite character, gleefully doing what a little boy's gotta do. More often than not he's watched by a throng of admirers snapping pictures. Children especially seem to enjoy his bravura performance.
The European District: Home to the European Commission, European Parliament, Council of Ministers, and related institutions. To tour the heartland of European Union governance, take the Métro to Schuman station. Your first sight is the X-shaped Palais de Berlaymont (Berlaymont Palace), the Commission's headquarters, at place Schuman. |
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| Pros: | "Beautiful city with amazing architecture and buildings, a very charming place" | | Cons: | "Quite full of tourists in the summer, fairly expensive" | | In A Nutshell: | "Great old city with lots of history and all the conveniences of a modern city" |
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