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Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or
Brussels-Capital Region , is the de facto capital
city of the European Union (EU) and the largest
urban area in Belgium. It comprises 19
municipalities, including the City of Brussels
proper, which is the capital of Belgium, Flanders
and the French Community of Belgium.
Brussels has grown from a 10th-century fortress town
founded by a descendant of Charlemagne into a
metropolis of more than one million inhabitants. The
metropolitan area has a population of over 1.8
million, making it the largest in Belgium.
Since the end of the Second World War, Brussels has
been an important centre for international politics.
The presence of the main EU institutions as well as
the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) has made the city a polyglot
home of many international organisations,
politicians, diplomats and civil servants.
Although historically Dutch-speaking, Brussels
became more and more French-speaking over the 19th
and 20th centuries. Today a majority of inhabitants
are native French-speakers, although both languages
have official status.[11] Linguistic tensions
remain, and the language laws of the municipalities
surrounding Brussels are an issue of much
controversy in Belgium.
Municipalities
The 19 municipalities (communes) of the
Brussels-Capital Region are political subdivisions
with individual responsibilities for the handling of
local level duties, such as law enforcement and the
upkeep of schools and roads within its borders.
Municipal administration is also conducted by a
mayor, a council, and an executive.
In 1831, Belgium was divided into 2,739
municipalities, including the 19 in the
Brussels-Capital Region. Unlike most of the
municipalities in Belgium, the ones located in the
Brussels-Capital Region were not merged with others
during mergers occurring in 1964, 1970, and 1975.
However, several municipalities outside of the
Brussels-Capital Region have been merged with the
City of Brussels throughout its history including
Laeken, Haren, and Neder-Over-Heembeek, which were
merged into the City of Brussels in 1921.
The largest and most populous of the municipalities
is the City of Brussels, covering 32.6 square
kilometres (12.6 sq mi) with 145,917 inhabitants.
The least populous is Koekelberg with 18,541
inhabitants, while the smallest in area is
Saint-Josse-ten-Noode which is only 1.1 square
kilometres (0.4 sq mi). Despite being the smallest
municipality, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode has the highest
population density of the 19 with 20,822 inhabitants
per km².
Architecture
The architecture in Brussels is diverse, and spans
from the mediaeval constructions on the Grand Place
to the postmodern buildings of the EU institutions.
Main attractions include the Grand Place, since 1988
a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the Gothic town
hall in the old centre, the St. Michael and Gudula
Cathedral and the Laken Castle with its large
greenhouses. Another famous landmark is the Royal
Palace.
The Atomium is a symbolic 103-metre (338 ft) tall
structure that was built for the 1958 World’s Fair.
It consists of nine steel spheres connected by
tubes, and forms a model of an iron crystal
(specifically, a unit cell). The architect A.
Waterkeyn devoted the building to science. Next to
the Atomium is the Mini-Europe park with 1:25 scale
maquettes of famous buildings from across Europe.
The Manneken Pis, a bronze fountain of a small
peeing boy is a famous tourist attraction and symbol
of the city.
The Statue of Europe Unity in Peace (French sculptor
Bernard Romain):This monumental work dedicated to
Europe carries a universal symbol of
brotherhood,tolerance and hope.Etterbeek Van
Maerlant street
Other landmarks include the Cinquantenaire park with
its triumphal arch and nearby museums, the Basilica
of the Sacred Heart, Brussels Stock Exchange, the
Palace of Justice and the buildings of EU
institutions in the European Quarter.
Cultural facilities include the Brussels Theatre and
the La Monnaie Theatre and opera house. There is a
wide array of museums, from the Royal Museum of Fine
Art to the Museum of the Army and the Comic Museum.
Brussels also has a lively music scene, with
everything from opera houses and concert halls to
music bars and techno clubs.
The city centre is notable for its Flemish town
houses. Also particularly striking are the buildings
in the Art Nouveau style by the Brussels architect
Victor Horta. Some of Brussels' districts were
developed during the heyday of Art Nouveau, and many
buildings are in this style. Good examples include
Schaerbeek, Etterbeek, Ixelles, and Saint-Gilles.
Another example of Brussels Art Nouveau is the
Stoclet Palace, by the Viennese architect Josef
Hoffmann. The modern buildings of Espace Leopold
complete the picture.
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