"Brussel - Bruxelles - Brussels " a Brussels Travel Page by speed4turtles

Before we start " Welcome ".
Let me remind you that my normal tongue is Dutch and at the time i was going to school we must learn French as second language.
So please, If i do or write something wrong, forgive me

Officially, Brussels was founded in the year 979. But legends and non-confirmed stories let us suppose that the origin of the city has to be situated at the end of the 6th century. It was then that the Preacher Saint Gorik built a little chapel on a small island formed by two arms of the Zenne, the river that still is part of Brussels. First written confirmation of the existence of Brussels is given in the year 977, when the German emperor Otto 2nd gives Low-Lorraine to Carl of France. In those days the island was known as the Island of Saint-Gorik. Carl of France decides to build a castrum (= a sort of fortress) on the island: Brussels is born. At the end of the 10th century, after the death of Carl, Low-Lorraine is taken over by Lambert of Leuven. In the middle of the 11th century Lambert 2nd Baldric decides to build a new castrum at Brussels. He also starts building the first city walls

When standing on one of the hills surrounding the center of Brussels, one can always see the dome of the Basilica in Western direction.

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart (situated in the Suburb of Koekelberg) is labeled "the national Basilica of Belgium". It was built to remember the 75th anniversary of the Belgian independence.

In 1905 king Leopold II laid the first stone. According to the plans of architect LANGEROCK it was to become a gigantic neo-gothic church. The initial plans were stopped at the beginning of World War I. Only in 1919 the construction would continue. However, by then the developers had changed their plans and architect. A new architect, called VAN NUFFEL, was asked to construct a modern prayerhouse. To the people of Brussels and Belgium it seemed that the Basilica would never be finished. Moreover, the construction of the church depended entirely on donations made by believers and these donations did not always yield the expected funds. The church was eventually finished in the late 1960's with the construction of a dome and dedicated to the war victories of 1918 and 1944.

"One of the most beautiful town squares in Europe, if not in the world", is a phrase often heard when visitors in Brussels try to describe the beauty of the central market square. French-speakers refer to it as the 'Grand-Place', whereas in Dutch it is called 'de grote Markt'. The tourists of the 20th century are not alone in their admiration . Archduchess Isabella, daughter of Filip II of Spain wrote about the square during her visit to Brussels on September the 5th 1599: " Never have I seen something so beautiful and exquisite as the town square of the city where the town hall rises up into the sky. The decoration of the houses is most remarkable ".