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Brussel-Centraal Station

Brussel-Centraal (Fr. Bruxelles-Central; Eng. Brussels Central) is a metro and railway station in Brussels, the capital city of Belgium. It is the busiest train station in Belgium and one of three principal train stations in Brussels, but handles primarily domestic traffic. First completed in 1952 after protracted delays caused by economic difficulties and war, it is the newest of Brussels' main rail hubs. For a long time Gare du Nord and Gare du Midi were the primary railway stations in Brussels (Brussels North slowly supplanted the original Allee Verte Station near the same site). However, they were linked only by an inadequate iron track that ran along the current inner ring road from 1841-1870. Many proposals were put forward to link the two stations, but it was not until just before the First World War that a law was passed mandating a direct connection. The Putterie district was razed to make way for the connection, and work was then halted by the war. Financial constraints limited work after the war, and in 1927 the government suspended the project altogether. In 1935 a new office dedicated to the project was set up and work resumed. The Central Station was planned as a hub in the connection. However, the Second World War slowed construction again. The interruptions and delays to construction left large areas filled with debris and craters for decades. The station was finally completed in October 1952 based on a modified design by Victor Horta. (Extracted from the site of "Wikipedia")

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(Sunday 17 July) Brussel-Centraal (Fr. Bruxelles-Central; Eng. Brussels Central)

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(Thursday 21 July) Brussel-Centraal (Fr. Bruxelles-Central; Eng. Brussels Central

Place d'Espagne

Place d'Espagne, Brussels, located west of Brussel-Centraal station in the center of Brussels, is a bustling hub of shopping for tourists and locals. In the summer, a series of jazz concerts is held here.

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(Sunday 17 July) Place d'Espagne, Brussels

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(Sunday 17 July) Place d'Espagne, Brussels

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(Sunday 17 July) Place d'Espagne, Brussels

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(Sunday 17 July) Place d'Espagne, Brussels

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(Sunday 17 July) Place d'Espagne, Brussels

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(Sunday 17 July) Place d'Espagne, Brussels

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(Sunday 17 July) Place d'Espagne, Brussels

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(Sunday 17 July) Place d'Espagne, Brussels

Galeries Royals St. Hubert

Galeries Royals St. Hubert (built 1847) is faced northeast of Place d'Espagne, Brussels. It is divided into three galeries: Galerie de la Reine, du Roi and des Princes.

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(Sunday 17 July) Entrance to the Galerie de la Reine of Galeries Royals St. Hubert

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(Sunday 17 July) Galerie de la Reine of Galeries Royals St. Hubert

Grand-Place

The Grand Place or Grote Markt is the central square of Brussels. It is surrounded by guildhalls, the city's Town Hall, and the Breadhouse (French: Maison du Roi, Dutch: Broodhuis). The square is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in Brussels, along with the Atomium and Manneken Pis. It measures 68 by 110 metres (223 by 360 ft), and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the 10th century, Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine constructed a fort on Saint-Gery Island, the point at which the Senne river became navigable. This was the seed of what would become Brussels. By the end of the 11th century, an open-air marketplace was set up on a dried-up marsh near the fort that was surrounded by sandbanks. The market was called the Nedermerckt, or Lower Market. The market likely developed around the same time as the commercial development of Brussels. A document from 1174 mentions a lower market (Latin: forum inferius) not far from the port on the Senne river. The market was well situated along the Steenweg (Dutch: Causeway), an important commercial road which connected the prosperous regions of the Rhineland and the County of Flanders. At the beginning of the 13th century, three indoor markets were built on the northern edge of the Grand Place; a meat market, a bread market and a cloth market. These buildings, which belonged to the Duke of Brabant, allowed the wares to be showcased even in bad weather, but also allowed the Dukes to keep track of the storage and sale of goods, in order to collect taxes. Other buildings, made of wood or stone, enclosed the Grand Place. Improvements to the Grand Place from the 14th century onwards would mark the rise in importance of local merchants and tradesmen relative to the nobility. Short on money, the Duke transferred control of mills and commerce to the local authorities. The city of Brussels, as with the neighbouring cities of Mechelen and Leuven constructed a large indoor cloth market to the south of the square. At this point, the square was still haphazardly laid out, and the buildings along the edges had a motley tangle of gardens and irregular additions. The city expropriated and demolished a number of buildings that clogged the Grand Place, and formally defined the edges of the square. The Brussels City Hall was built on the south side of the square in stages between 1401 and 1455, and made the Grand Place the seat of municipal power. It towers 96 metres (315 ft) high, and is capped by a 3 metre (12 ft) statue of Saint Michael slaying a demon. To counter this symbol of municipal power, from 1504 to 1536 the Duke of Brabant built a large building across from the city hall as symbol of ducal power. It was built on the site of the first cloth and bread markets, which were no longer in use, and it became known as the King's House (Middle Dutch: 's Conincxhuys), although no king has ever lived there. It is currently known as the Maison du roi (King's House) in French, though in Dutch it continues to be called the Broodhuis (Breadhouse), after the market whose place it took. Wealthy merchants and the increasingly powerful guilds of Brussels built houses around the edge of the square. On August 13, 1695, a 70,000-strong French army under Marshal Francois de Neufville, duc de Villeroi began a bombardment of Brussels in an effort to draw the League of Augsburg's forces away from their siege on French-held Namur in what is now southern Belgium. The French launched a massive bombardment of the mostly defenseless city centre with cannons and mortars, setting it on fire and flattening the majority of the Grand Place and the surrounding city. Only the stone shell of the town hall and a few fragments of other buildings remained standing. That the town hall survived at all is ironic, as it was the principal target of the artillery fire. The square was rebuilt in the following four years by the city's guilds. Their efforts were regulated by the city councillors and the Governor of Brussels, who required that their plans be submitted to the authorities for their approval. This helped to deliver a remarkably harmonious layout for the rebuilt Grand Place, despite the ostensibly clashing combination of Gothic, Baroque and Louis XIV styles. In the late 18th century, revolutionaries sacked the Grand Place, destroying statues of nobility and symbols of Christianity. The guildhalls were seized by the state and sold. The buildings were neglected and left in poor condition, with their facades painted, stuccoed and damaged by pollution. In the late 19th century, mayor Charles Buls had the Grand Place returned to its former splendour, with buildings being reconstructed or restored. The Grand Place continued to serve as a market until November 19, 1959, and it is still called the Grote Markt or Great Market in Dutch. Neighbouring streets still reflect the area's origins, named after the sellers of butter, cheese, herring, coal and so on. The Grand Place was named by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1998. One of the houses was owned by the brewers' guild, and is now the home of a brewers' museum. Brussels Grand-Place has recently been voted the most beautiful square in Europe. A survey by a Dutch website (stedentripper.com) asked its users to rate different squares across Europe. Moscow's Red Square and the Place Stanislas in Nancy, France, took second and third place. In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, the protagonist, Marlow, refers to the Grand Place as a "white sepulchre." (Extracted from the site of "Wikipedia")

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(Sunday 17 July) Hotel de Ville (Dutch: Stadhuis; English: The Town Hall), Brussels Grand-Place

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(Sunday 17 July) Hotel de Ville (Dutch: Stadhuis; English: The Town Hall), Brussels Grand-Place

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(Sunday 17 July) La Maison des Ducs de Brabant ((the House of the Dukes of Brabant), Brussels Grand-Place

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(Sunday 17 July) Brussels Grand-Place

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(Sunday 17 July) The Maison du Roi (King's House), or Broodhuis (Breadhouse).Brussels Grand-Place

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(Wednesday 20 July) The Maison du Roi (King's House), or Broodhuis (Breadhouse).Brussels Grand-Place

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(Sunday 17 July) Everard 't Serclaes, Brussels Grand-Place. Everard 't Serclaes (c. 1320 - 31 March 1388), lord of Cruyckembourg (Ternat), a citizen of Brussels, was made famous by his recovery of that city from the Flemish. At the death of John III of Brabant on 5 December 1355, his daughter Joanna and her husband, Wenceslaus, succeeded to the Brabantine throne, but this was disputed by the count of Flanders, Louis de Male. Louis invaded Brabant and quickly seized Brussels. During the night of 24 October 1356, Everard scaled the city walls at the head of a group of patriots and drove the Flemings from the city. This enabled Joanna and Wenceslaus to make their Joyous Entry into the city. Everard was later made schepen (alderman) of the city five times. He was assassinated for having defended the city's rights against the lord of Gaasbeek. Everard is commemorated by a monument carved by artist Julien Dillens (1849–1904). The monument is located on Charles Buls street, just off the Grand Place. It is said among locals that the statue of Everard 't Serclaes brings luck and grants the wishes of all who touch it. Many tourists touch (or rather rub) the statue, and this constant polishing keeps the body depicted in the statue in a shining color compared to the rest of the sculpture. Other parts are also touched frequently by the tourists such as the face of an angel, a dog, and one of the shields. (Extracted from the site of "Wikipedia")

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(Sunday 17 July) Everard 't Serclaes, Brussels Grand-Place

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(Sunday 17 July) Everard 't Serclaes, Brussels Grand-Place

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(Wednesday 20 July) Brussels Grand-Place: (from left to right) Myung-Hye Huh (Korea University, Korea) and her husband Youngmin Kim (Dongguk University Seoul, Korea) and Prof. Huh's sister (enamel artist)

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(Wednesday 20 July) Brussels Grand-Place: Eishiro Ito (Iwate Prefectural University, Japan) (left) and Prof. Youngmin Kim (Dongguk University Seoul, Korea) (right)

Place Royale

The Place Royale (French), Koningsplein (Dutch), or Royal Square (English), is a historic square near the center of Brussels, Belgium. The square itself is built on the former site of the Balienplein, which was the main market square adjacent to the former palace of Coudenberg. The palace burned down, however, during a fire that took much of the original royal complex on the night of February 3, 1731. Construction of the new buildings around the square took from 1773 to 1780, using the design of French architect Barnabe Guimard, who received that commission in 1769. The square is almost an exact replica of the Place Royale in Reims. The principal building on the square is the Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg, consecrated in 1787, and designed by Barre and Guimard. On the western side of the square is the main building of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. The Palace of Justice are south of the square, and Brussels' town hall is west of the square. At the center of Place Royale is a statue of Godfrey of Bouillon, the leader of the first crusade in 1096, riding on horseback. This statue was sculpted by Eugene Simonis in 1848 to replace the statue of Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine that had been melted down for the metal during the French Revolution. (Extracted from the site of "Wikipedia")

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(Sunday 17 July) The Place Royale with the statue of Godfrey of Bouillon in the foreground, and the Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg (Dutch: Sint-Jacob-op-Koudenberg) in the background

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(Sunday 17 July) The Place Royale with the statue of Godfrey of Bouillon in the foreground, and the Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg (Dutch: Sint-Jacob-op-Koudenberg) in the background

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(Sunday 17 July) The Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg (Dutch: Sint-Jacob-op-Koudenberg)

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(Sunday 17 July) Interior of the Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg (Dutch: Sint-Jacob-op-Koudenberg)

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(Sunday 17 July) Interior of the Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg (Dutch: Sint-Jacob-op-Koudenberg)

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(Sunday 17 July) Interior of the Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg (Dutch: Sint-Jacob-op-Koudenberg)

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(Sunday 17 July) Interior of the Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg (Dutch: Sint-Jacob-op-Koudenberg)

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(Sunday 17 July) Interior of the Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg (Dutch: Sint-Jacob-op-Koudenberg)

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(Sunday 17 July) Interior of the Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg (Dutch: Sint-Jacob-op-Koudenberg)

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(Sunday 17 July) Interior of the Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg (Dutch: Sint-Jacob-op-Koudenberg)

Palais Royal de Bruxelles

The Royal Palace of Brussels (Dutch: Koninklijk Paleis van Brussel; French: Palais Royal de Bruxelles; German: Konigliche Palast von Brussel) is the official palace of the King of the Belgians in the centre of the nation's capital Brussels. However it is not used as a royal residence, as the king and his family live in the Royal Castle of Laeken on the outskirts of Brussels. The website of the Belgian Monarchy describes the function of the palace as follows: "The Palace is where His Majesty the King exercises his prerogatives as Head of State, grants audiences and deals with affairs of state. Apart from the offices of the King and the Queen, the Royal Palace houses the services of the Grand Marshal of the Court, the King's Head of Cabinet, the Head of the King's Military Household and the Intendant of the King's Civil List. The Palace also includes the State Rooms where large receptions are held, as well as the apartments provided for foreign Heads of State during official visits." The palace is situated in front of Brussels Park. A long square called the Paleizenplein/Place des Palais separates the palace from the park. The middle axis of the park marks both the middle peristyle of the palace and the middle of the facing building on the other side of the park, which is the Palace of the Nation (the Belgian Federal Parliament building). The two facing buildings are said to symbolize Belgium's system of government: a constitutional monarchy. The facade we see today was only built after 1900 on the initiative of King Leopold II. The first nucleus of the present-day building dates from the end of the 18th century. However, the grounds on which the palace stands were once part of a very old palatial complex that dated back to the Middle Ages. (Extracted from the site of "Wikipedia")

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(Sunday 17 July) The Royal Palace of Brussels (Dutch: Koninklijk Paleis van Brussel; French: Palais Royal de Bruxelles; German: Konigliche Palast von Brussel)

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(Sunday 17 July) The Royal Palace of Brussels (Dutch: Koninklijk Paleis van Brussel; French: Palais Royal de Bruxelles; German: Konigliche Palast von Brussel)

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(Sunday 17 July) The national flag of Belgium at the top of The Royal Palace of Brussels indicating the presence of His Majesty, Albert II of Belgium.

Corne 1932

Corne 1932 is a chocolate [waffle] shop located at Koningsgalerij 24-26 1000 Brussels: On the way to Manneken Pis from Grand Place.

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(Sunday 17 July) Corne 1932, Koningsgalerij 24-26 1000 Brussels

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(Sunday 17 July) Corne 1932, Koningsgalerij 24-26 1000 Brussels

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(Sunday 17 July) My waffle at Corne 1932, Koningsgalerij 24-26 1000 Brussels

Manneken Pis

Manneken Pis (literally Little Man Pee in Marols, a Dutch dialect spoken in Brussels, also known in French as le Petit Julien), is a famous Brussels landmark. It is a small bronze fountain sculpture depicting a naked little boy urinating into the fountain's basin. It was designed by Jerome Duquesnoy and put in place in 1618 or 1619. It bears a similar cultural significance as Copenhagen's Little Mermaid. The famous statue is located at the junction of Rue de l'Etuve/Stoofstraat and Rue du Chene/Eikstraat. To find it, one takes the left lane next to the Brussels Town Hall from the famous Grand Place and walks a few hundred meters to arrive at the spot. The statue will be on the left corner. The statue is dressed in costume several times each week, according to a published schedule which is posted on the railings around the fountain. His wardrobe consists of several hundred different costumes, many of which may be viewed in a permanent exhibition inside the City Museum, located in the Grand Place, immediately opposite the Town Hall. The costumes are managed by the non-profit association The Friends of Manneken-Pis, who review hundreds of designs submitted each year, and select a small number to be produced and used. The statue has been stolen seven times, the last time being the 20th century by students from the village of Broxeele, a town with the same etymology as Brussels. There is also a statue of Manneken Pis in Tokushima, Japan, which was a present from the Belgian embassy (Tokushima being twinned with Brussels). Since 1987, the Manneken has had a female equivalent, Jeanneke Pis, located on the east side of the Impasse de la Fidelite/Getrouwheidsgang. (Extracted from the site of "Wikipedia")

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(Sunday 17 July) Information board of Manneken Pis at the junction of Rue de l'Etuve/Stoofstraat and Rue du Chene/Eikstraat

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(Sunday 17 July) Manneken Pis at the junction of Rue de l'Etuve/Stoofstraat and Rue du Chene/Eikstraat

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(Sunday 17 July) Manneken Pis at the junction of Rue de l'Etuve/Stoofstraat and Rue du Chene/Eikstraat

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(Sunday 17 July) Manneken Pis at the junction of Rue de l'Etuve/Stoofstraat and Rue du Chene/Eikstraat

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(Sunday 17 July) Manneken Pis at the junction of Rue de l'Etuve/Stoofstraat and Rue du Chene/Eikstraat

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(Sunday 17 July) Manneken Pis at the junction of Rue de l'Etuve/Stoofstraat and Rue du Chene/Eikstraat

Jeanneke Pis

Jeanneke Pis is a modern fountain and statue in Brussels, which forms a counterpoint in gender terms to the city's trademark Manneken Pis at the Grand Place (Grote Markt). It was made by Denis-Adrien Debouvrie in 1985 and erected in 1987 and endowed with its own instant legend, the better to amuse strollers. This half-metre-high statue of blue-grey limestone depicts a little girl with her hair in short pigtails, squatting and urinating, apparently very contentedly. It is located on the east side of the Impasse de la Fidelite/ Getrouwheidsgang (Fidelity Alley), a narrow cul-de-sac some 30 metres long leading northwards off the restaurant-packed Rue des Bouchers/ Beenhouwersstraat. It is unsurprisingly much less well known than its male counterpart, being a new addition instead of a centuries-old symbol of the city. (Extracted from the site of "Wikipedia")

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(Sunday 17 July) Information board of Jeanneke Pis on the east side of the Impasse de la Fidelite/Getrouwheidsgang (Fidelity Alley), a narrow cul-de-sac some 30 metres long leading northwards off the restaurant-packed Rue des Bouchers/ Beenhouwersstraat

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(Sunday 17 July) Jeanneke Pis on the east side of the Impasse de la Fidelite/Getrouwheidsgang (Fidelity Alley), a narrow cul-de-sac some 30 metres long leading northwards off the restaurant-packed Rue des Bouchers/Beenhouwersstraat

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(Sunday 17 July) Jeanneke Pis on the east side of the Impasse de la Fidelite/Getrouwheidsgang (Fidelity Alley), a narrow cul-de-sac some 30 metres long leading northwards off the restaurant-packed Rue des Bouchers/Beenhouwersstraat

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(Sunday 17 July) Jeanneke Pis on the east side of the Impasse de la Fidelite/Getrouwheidsgang (Fidelity Alley), a narrow cul-de-sac some 30 metres long leading northwards off the restaurant-packed Rue des Bouchers/Beenhouwersstraat

Art Nouveau Brussels

Some examples of Art Nouveau Brussels near Brussel-Centraal Station

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(Wednesday 20 July) An Art Nouveau building near Brussel-Centraal Station

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(Wednesday 20 July) Inside of the above Art Nouveau building near Brussel-Centraal Station

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(Wednesday 20 July) An Art Nouveau building near Brussel-Centraal Station

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(Wednesday 20 July) An Art Nouveau building near Brussel-Centraal Station

La Fleur en Papier Dore

La Fleur en Papier Dore (Dutch: Het Goudblommeke in Papier) was originally a convent of the sisters of Saint-Vincentius dating from the mid-18th century. However, since it was owned by Geert Van Bruaene (nicknamed le petit Gerard) it became a famous meeting place of surrealistic artists including Paul Rouge, Rene Magritte, Louis Scutenaire, Marcel Lecomte, Charles Plisnier, Paul Marien, ELT Mesens and Georges Remi (Herge). It is famous that Rene Magritte, organized in this pub his first exhibition of drawings and paintings in this pub before he became famous. It is located at Rue Alexiens 55 Brussels: Just round the corner from the Manneken Pis.

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(Wednesday 20 July) La Fleur en Papier Dore, Rue Alexiens 55 Brussels

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(Wednesday 20 July) La Fleur en Papier Dore, Rue Alexiens 55 Brussels

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(Wednesday 20 July) Interior of La Fleur en Papier Dore, Rue Alexiens 55 Brussels

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(Wednesday 20 July) Interior of La Fleur en Papier Dore, Rue Alexiens 55 Brussels

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(Wednesday 20 July) Interior of La Fleur en Papier Dore, Rue Alexiens 55 Brussels

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(Wednesday 20 July) Interior of La Fleur en Papier Dore, Rue Alexiens 55 Brussels

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(Wednesday 20 July) Interior of La Fleur en Papier Dore, Rue Alexiens 55 Brussels

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(Wednesday 20 July) Interior of La Fleur en Papier Dore, Rue Alexiens 55 Brussels

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(Wednesday 20 July) Interior of La Fleur en Papier Dore, Rue Alexiens 55 Brussels

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(Wednesday 20 July) The famous picture of the surrealistic artists at La Fleur en Papier Dore, Rue Alexiens 55 Brussels

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(Wednesday 20 July) My coffee at La Fleur en Papier Dore, Rue Alexiens 55 Brussels

Commission europeenne

La Commission europeenne (the European Commission) is located at Rue de la Loi 200, 1049 Bruxelles: in front of Schuman metro station. The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union. The Commission operates as a cabinet government, with 27 Commissioners. There is one Commissioner per member state, though Commissioners are bound to represent the interests of the EU as a whole rather than their home state. One of the 27 is the Commission President (currently Jose Manuel Durao Barroso) appointed by the European Council. The Council then appoints the other 26 Commissioners in agreement with the nominated President, and then the 27 Commissioners as a single body are subject to a vote of approval by the European Parliament. The first Barroso Commission took office in late 2004 and its successor, under the same President, took office in 2010. The term "Commission" can mean either the 27 Commissioners themselves (known as the College of Commissioners or College), or the larger institution that also includes the administrative body of about 25,000 European civil servants who are split into departments called Directorates-General and Services. The internal working languages are English, French and German. The Commissioners and their immediate teams are based in the Berlaymont building of Brussels. (Extracted from the site of "Wikipedia")

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(Thursday 21 July) La Commission europeenne, Rue de la Loi 200, 1049 Bruxelles

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(Thursday 21 July) La Commission europeenne, Rue de la Loi 200, 1049 Bruxelles

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(Thursday 21 July) La Commission europeenne, Rue de la Loi 200, 1049 Bruxelles

La Fontaine

La Fontaine's Lounge & Wine Bar is located at Rue Archimede 6, 8 1000 Bruxelles (near La Commission europeenne). I took lunch twice since the James Joyce Pub (Rue Archimede 34; see below) was closed in lunchtime. Not bad.

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(Thursday 21 July) La Fontaine's Lounge & Wine Bar, Rue Archimede 6, 8 1000 Bruxelles

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(Thursday 21 July) La Fontaine's Lounge & Wine Bar, Rue Archimede 6, 8 1000 Bruxelles

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(Thursday 21 July) La Fontaine's Lounge & Wine Bar, Rue Archimede 6, 8 1000 Bruxelles

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(Thursday 21 July) La Fontaine's Lounge & Wine Bar, Rue Archimede 6, 8 1000 Bruxelles

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(Thursday 21 July) Hoegaarden Wit Bier at La Fontaine's Lounge & Wine Bar, Rue Archimede 6, 8 1000 Bruxelles

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(Thursday 21 July) Seafood Tagliatelle with Avocado at La Fontaine's Lounge & Wine Bar, Rue Archimede 6, 8 1000 Bruxelles

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(Friday 22 July) Leffe brune 33cl and Tagliatelle au saumon fume at La Fontaine's Lounge & Wine Bar, Rue Archimede 6, 8 1000 Bruxelles

James Joyce Irish Pub, Brussels

James Joyce Irish Pub, Brussels is located at Rue Archimede 34 1000 Bruxelles (7 minutes' walk from Schuman metro station). I visited here twice in lunch time of the week day, although it was always closed in daytime.

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(Thursday 21 July) Plaque of Rue Archimede

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(Thursday 21 July) James Joyce Irish Pub, Brussels, Rue Archimede 34 1000 Bruxelles

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(Thursday 21 July) James Joyce Irish Pub, Brussels, Rue Archimede 34 1000 Bruxelles

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(Thursday 21 July) James Joyce Irish Pub, Brussels, Rue Archimede 34 1000 Bruxelles

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(Thursday 21 July) James Joyce Irish Pub, Brussels, Rue Archimede 34 1000 Bruxelles

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(Thursday 21 July) James Joyce Irish Pub, Brussels, Rue Archimede 34 1000 Bruxelles

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(Thursday 21 July) James Joyce Irish Pub, Brussels, Rue Archimede 34 1000 Bruxelles

Belgium's National Day

Belgium's National Day celebration at Place Royale on 21st July

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(Thursday 21 July) Belgium's National Day celebration at Place Royale

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(Thursday 21 July) Belgium's National Day celebration at Place Royale

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(Thursday 21 July) Belgium's National Day celebration at Place Royale

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(Thursday 21 July) Belgium's National Day celebration at Place Royale

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(Thursday 21 July) Belgium's National Day celebration at Place Royale

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(Thursday 21 July) Belgium's National Day celebration at Place Royale

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(Thursday 21 July) Belgium's National Day celebration at Place Royale

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(Thursday 21 July) Belgium's National Day celebration at Place Royale

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(Thursday 21 July) Belgium's National Day celebration at Place Royale

Parc du Cinquantenaire

Parc du Cinquantenaire (French for "Park of the Fiftieth Anniversary") or Jubelpark (Dutch for "Jubilee Park") is a large public, urban park (30 hectares) in the easternmost part of the European Quarter in Brussels, Belgium. Most buildings of the U-shaped complex which dominate the park were commissioned by King Leopold II and built for the 1880 National Exhibition commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Belgian independence. The centrepiece triumphal arch was designed by the French architect Charles Girault and erected in 1905. The structures were built in iron, glass and stone, symbolising the economic and industrial performance of Belgium. The surrounding 30 hectare park esplanade was full of picturesque gardens, ponds and waterfalls. It housed several trade fairs, exhibitions and festivals at the beginning of the century. This settled however in 1930 when it was decided that Cinquantenaire would become a leisure park. The Royal Military Museum has been the sole tenant of the northern half of the complex since 1880. The southern half is currently occupied by the Cinquantenaire Art Museum and the AutoWorld Museum. The Temple of Human Passions, a remainder from 1886, and the Great Mosque of Brussels from 1978 are located in the north-western corner of the park. The nearest metro stations are Schuman to the west of the park, and Merode immediately to the east. (Extracted from the site of "Wikipedia")

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(Friday 22 July) Bust of Robert Schuman (1886-1963) with the background of the Arc de Triomphe, Parc du Cinquantenaire

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(Friday 22 July) Arc de Triomphe, Parc du Cinquantenaire

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(Friday 22 July) Arc de Triomphe, Parc du Cinquantenaire

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(Friday 22 July) Arc de Triomphe, Parc du Cinquantenaire

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(Friday 22 July) Le Musee royal de l'Armee et d'Histoire militaire, Parc du Cinquantenaire

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(Friday 22 July) Autoworld and Musee du Cinquantenaire, Parc du Cinquantenaire

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(Friday 22 July) Arc de Triomphe, Parc du Cinquantenaire

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(Friday 22 July) Arc de Triomphe, Parc du Cinquantenaire

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(Friday 22 July) Arc de Triomphe, Parc du Cinquantenaire

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(Friday 22 July) Arc de Triomphe, Parc du Cinquantenaire

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(Friday 22 July) Arc de Triomphe, Parc du Cinquantenaire

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(Friday 22 July) Arc de Triomphe, Parc du Cinquantenaire

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(Friday 22 July) Arc de Triomphe, Parc du Cinquantenaire

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(Friday 22 July) Arc de Triomphe, Parc du Cinquantenaire

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(Friday 22 July) Arc de Triomphe, Parc du Cinquantenaire

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(Friday 22 July) Arc de Triomphe, Parc du Cinquantenaire