View source for Brussels

{{Short description|Federal region of Belgium including the capital}}
{{About|the Brussels-Capital Region|the municipality within it, which is the de jure national capital|City of Brussels|other places|Brussels (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|Bruxelles|the Canadian community|Bruxelles, Manitoba}}
{{Pp-move}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = Brussels
| official_name           = {{unbulleted list|Brussels-Capital Region|{{native name|fr|Région de Bruxelles-Capitale}}|{{native name|nl|Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest}}}}
| native_name             = {{unbulleted list|{{native name|fr|Bruxelles}}|{{native name|nl|Brussel}} }}
| settlement_type         = [[Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions|Region]]
| image_skyline           = {{multiple image
| border        = infobox
| perrow        = 1/3/2/1
| total_width   = 290
| caption_align = center
| image1        = Grand Place Bruselas 2.jpg
| caption1      = [[Flower Carpet (Brussels)|Flower Carpet]] event at the [[Grand-Place|Grand-Place/Grote Markt]]
| image2        = Bruxelles Manneken Pis cropped.jpg
| caption2      = ''[[Manneken Pis]]''
| image3        = Cathedrale des Saints Michel et Gudule - Bruxelles, Belgium - October 31, 2010 - panoramio.jpg
| caption3      = [[Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula|St. Michael and St. Gudula]]
| image4        = The Atomium during civil twilight (DSCF1135).jpg
| caption4      = [[Atomium]]
| image5        = Basilica of the Sacred Heart-2.jpg
| caption5      = [[Basilica of Koekelberg]]
| image6        = Exterior of the Royal Palace, Brussels 20180629.jpg
| caption6      = [[Royal Palace of Brussels|Royal Palace]]
| image7        = Arcade du Cinquantenaire (DSCF7405).jpg
| caption7      = [[Cinquantenaire|Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark]]
}}
| image_caption           = 
| image_flag              = Flag of the Brussels-Capital Region.svg
| flag_size               = 125px
| flag_link               = Flag of the Brussels-Capital Region
| image_blank_emblem      = Be Brussels logo (full).svg
| blank_emblem_type       = [[Brandmark]]
| nicknames               = Capital of Europe,{{sfn|Demey|2007}}<ref name="Capital" /> Comic City,<ref name="Comic" /> BX(L)
| image_map               = Brussels-Capital Region in Belgium and Europe.svg
| mapsize                 = 230px
| pushpin_map             = Belgium#Europe
| pushpin_map_caption     = Location within Belgium##Location within Europe
| pushpin_relief          = 1
| coordinates             = {{Coord|50|50|48|N|04|21|09|E|region:BE-BR_type:adm1st|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type        = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name        = [[Belgium]]
| subdivision_type2       = [[Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Communities|Community]]
| subdivision_name2       = [[French Community of Belgium|French Community]]<br/>[[Flemish Community]]
| established_title       = Settled
| established_date        = {{circa|580}}
| established_title1      = [[County of Brussels|County]] established
| established_date1       = c. 870
| established_title2      = Founded
| established_date2       = 979
| seat_type               = [[Capital city|Capital]]
| seat                    = [[City of Brussels]]
| parts_type              = [[List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region|Municipalities]]
| parts_style             = coll
| p1                      = [[Anderlecht]]
| leader_title            = Executive
| leader_name             = [[Government of the Brussels-Capital Region]]
| leader_title1           = Governing&nbsp;parties <small>(2026–present)</small>
| leader_name1            = [[Mouvement Réformateur|MR]], [[Parti Socialiste (Belgium)|PS]], [[Les Engagés]], [[Groen (political party)|Groen]], [[Vooruit (political party)|Vooruit]], [[Anders (political party)|Anders]], [[Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams|CD&V]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Chini|first=Maïthé|date=12 February 2026|title=White smoke: Brussels finally has a new government|url=https://www.brusselstimes.com/brussels/1968979/white-smoke-brussels-finally-has-a-new-government-tbtb|work=The Brussels Times|location=Brussels|access-date=29 March 2026}}</ref>
| total_type              = Region/City
| area_magnitude          = 
| area_footnotes          = <ref>{{cite web|title=be.STAT|url=https://statbel.fgov.be/nl/themas/bouwen-wonen/bodembezetting-volgens-het-kadasterregister#figures|access-date=31 July 2024|publisher=bestat.statbel.fgov.be|archive-date=24 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240924183153/https://statbel.fgov.be/nl/themas/bouwen-wonen/bodembezetting-volgens-het-kadasterregister#figures|url-status=live}}</ref>
| area_total_km2          = 162.42
| area_total_sq_mi        = 
| elevation_footnotes     = 
| elevation_m             = 13
| elevation_ft            = 
| population_total        = 1,249,597
| population_as_of        = 1 January 2024
| population_footnotes    = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://ibsa.brussels/mini-bru-en|title=Mini-Bru &#124; IBSA|publisher=ibsa.brussels|access-date=17 March 2021|archive-date=9 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309201511/https://ibsa.brussels/mini-bru-en|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://statbel.fgov.be/nl/themas/bevolking/structuur-van-de-bevolking|title=Structuur van de bevolking &#124; Statbel|website=Statbel.fgov.be|language=nl|access-date=11 January 2020|archive-date=14 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214080009/https://statbel.fgov.be/nl/themas/bevolking/structuur-van-de-bevolking|url-status=live}}</ref>
| population_density_km2  = auto
| population_density_sq_mi = 
| population_urban        = 
| population_metro        = 2,500,000
| population_blank1_title = 
| population_blank1       = 
| population_demonym      = {{unbulleted list|Brusselian, Brusseler|{{small|[[French language|fr]]}}&nbsp;{{lang|fr|Bruxellois(e)}}|{{small|[[Dutch language|nl]]}}&nbsp;{{lang|nl|Brusselaar}}/{{lang|nl|Brusselse}}}}
| demographics_type1      = Demographics
| demographics1_footnotes = 
| demographics1_title1    = Official languages
| demographics1_info1     = [[French language|French]]{{*}}[[Dutch language|Dutch]]
| demographics1_title2    = Ethnic groups
| demographics1_info2     = 22% [[Belgian people|Belgians]]<br/> 78% [[Demographics of Brussels|others]]<br/>• 41.8% non-European<ref>{{cite web |url=https://emnbelgium.be/news/belgiums-population-shows-increasing-diversity-36-having-foreign-background-according-statbel |title=Belgium's population shows increasing diversity, with 36% having foreign background, according to Statbel |author=EMN Belgium |date=2025-06-12 |accessdate=2025-09-02 |website=EMN Belgium |archive-date=30 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251030065232/https://emnbelgium.be/news/belgiums-population-shows-increasing-diversity-36-having-foreign-background-according-statbel |url-status=live }}</ref>
| postal_code_type        = [[ISO 3166-2:BE|ISO 3166]]
| postal2_code_type       = [[Postal code|Postal code(s)]]
| postal2_code            = 42 postal codes
| area_code               = 02
| website                 = {{URL|1=https://be.brussels/brussels?set_language=en|2=be.brussels}}
| footnotes               = 
| p2                      = [[Auderghem / Oudergem]]
| p3                      = [[Berchem-Sainte-Agathe / Sint-Agatha-Berchem]]
| p4                      = [[City of Brussels|Bruxelles-Ville / Brussel-Stad]]
| p5                      = [[Etterbeek]]
| p6                      = [[Evere]]
| p7                      = [[Forest / Vorst]]
| p8                      = [[Ganshoren]]
| p9                      = [[Ixelles / Elsene]]
| p10                     = [[Jette]]
| p11                     = [[Koekelberg]]
| p12                     = [[Molenbeek-Saint-Jean / Sint-Jans-Molenbeek]]
| p13                     = [[Saint-Gilles / Sint-Gillis]]
| p14                     = [[Saint-Josse-ten-Noode / Sint-Joost-ten-Node]]
| p15                     = [[Schaerbeek / Schaarbeek]]
| p16                     = [[Uccle / Ukkel]]
| p17                     = [[Watermael-Boitsfort / Watermaal-Bosvoorde]]
| p18                     = [[Woluwe-Saint-Lambert / Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe]]
| p19                     = [[Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe]]
| leader_title2           = [[Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region|Minister-President]]
| leader_name2            = [[Boris Dilliès]] (MR)
| leader_title3           = Legislature
| leader_name3            = [[Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region]]
| leader_title4           = Speaker
| leader_name4            = Bertin Mampaka Mankamba ([[Reformist Movement|MR]])
| demographics_type2      = GDP
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tgs00003/default/table?lang=en|title=EU regions by GDP, Eurostat|access-date=18 September 2023|archive-date=27 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227213552/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tgs00003/default/table?lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1    = Region/City
| demographics2_info1     = €108.153 billion (2024)<ref name=ec.europa.eu>{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/met_10r_3gdp/default/table?lang=en|title=Gross domestic product (GDP) at current market prices by metropolitan regions|website=ec.europa.eu|access-date=20 February 2024|archive-date=15 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215185052/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/met_10r_3gdp/default/table?lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref>
| demographics2_title2    = Metro<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/met_10r_3gdp/default/table?lang=en|title=Gross domestic product (GDP) at current market prices by metropolitan regions|website=ec.europa.eu|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215185052/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/met_10r_3gdp/default/table?lang=en|archive-date=15 February 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>
| demographics2_info2     = €200.457 billion (2022)
| timezone                = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset              = +1
| timezone_DST            = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST          = +2
| blank_name_sec2         = [[GeoTLD]]
| blank_info_sec2         = [[.brussels]]
| blank1_name_sec2        = [[HDI]] (2021)
| blank1_info_sec2        = 0.953<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{cite web|title=Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab|url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|access-date=2019-08-18|publisher=hdi.globaldatalab.org|archive-date=23 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923120638/https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|url-status=live}}</ref><br />{{color|green|very high}} · [[List of Belgian provinces by Human Development Index|1st of 11]]
| population_est          = 
| pop_est_as_of           = 
| founder                 = [[Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine]]
| established_title4      = [[Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions|Region]] established
| established_date4       = 18 June 1989
| established_title3      = City charter granted
| established_date3       = 10 June 1229
| iso_code                = <code>BE-BRU</code>
| mapframe                = yes
| mapframe-zoom           = 10
| mapframe-point          = none
| mapframe-wikidata       = yes
}}

'''Brussels''',{{efn|name=fn1|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|r|ʌ|s|əl|z}}; {{langx|fr|Bruxelles}} {{IPA|fr|bʁysɛl||Fr-Bruxelles.ogg|}} {{IPA|fr|bʁyksɛl|label=or||Fr-Bruxelles.oga}}; {{langx|nl|Brussel}} {{IPA|nl|ˈbrʏsəl||Nl-Brussel.ogg}}}} officially the '''Brussels-Capital Region''',{{efn|name=fn2|{{langx|fr|link=no|Région de Bruxelles-Capitale}} {{IPA|fr|ʁeʒjɔ̃ də bʁy(k)sɛl kapital||Fr-Région de Bruxelles-Capitale.ogg}}; {{langx|nl|link=no|Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest}} {{IPA|nl|ˈbrʏsəls ˌɦoːftˈsteːdələk xəˈʋɛst||Nl-Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest.ogg}}}}<ref name="Belgian Constitution">{{Cite book|url=http://www.const-court.be/en/basic_text/belgian_constitution.pdf|title=The Belgian Constitution|date=May 2014|publisher=Belgian House of Representatives|location=Brussels|page=5|quote=Article 3: [[Belgium]] comprises three Regions: the Flemish Region, the Walloon Region and the Brussels Region. Article 4: Belgium comprises four linguistic regions: the Dutch-speaking region, the French-speaking region, the bilingual region of Brussels-Capital and the German-speaking region.|access-date=10 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150810142522/http://www.const-court.be/en/basic_text/belgian_constitution.pdf|archive-date=10 August 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="CIRB-creation">{{cite web|year=2009|title=Brussels-Capital Region / Creation|url=http://www.bruxelles.irisnet.be/en/region/region_de_bruxelles-capitale/creation.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429213057/http://www.bruxelles.irisnet.be/en/region/region_de_bruxelles-capitale/creation.shtml|archive-date=29 April 2009|access-date=5 June 2009|publisher=Centre d'Informatique pour la Région Bruxelloise [Brussels Regional Informatics Center]|quote=Since 18 June 1989, the date of the first regional elections, the Brussels-Capital Region has been an autonomous region comparable to the Flemish and Walloon Regions.}} (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.)</ref> is a [[Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions|region]] of [[Belgium]] comprising [[#Municipalities|19 municipalities]], including the [[City of Brussels]], which is the capital of Belgium.<ref name="article 194">{{Cite book|url=http://www.const-court.be/en/basic_text/belgian_constitution.pdf|title=The Belgian Constitution|date=May 2014|publisher=Belgian House of Representatives|location=Brussels, Belgium|page=63|quote=Article 194: The city of Brussels is the capital of Belgium and the seat of the Federal Government.|access-date=10 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150810142522/http://www.const-court.be/en/basic_text/belgian_constitution.pdf|archive-date=10 August 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Brussels-Capital Region is located in the central portion of the country. It is a part of both the [[French Community of Belgium]]<ref name="décret">{{Cite book|url=http://archive.pfwb.be/99180RBEI033858|title=Décret instituant Bruxelles capitale de la Communauté française|date=4 April 1984|publisher=Parliament of the French Community|location=Brussels, Belgium|access-date=11 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015203704/http://archive.pfwb.be/99180RBEI033858|archive-date=15 October 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the [[Flemish Community]],<ref>{{Cite news|date=2011-10-24|title=The Flemish Community|work=Belgium.be|url=https://www.belgium.be/en/about_belgium/government/communities/flemish_community|access-date=2018-04-01|archive-date=1 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401213600/https://www.belgium.be/en/about_belgium/government/communities/flemish_community|url-status=live}}</ref> and is separate from the [[Flemish Region]] (Flanders), within which it forms an [[enclave]], and the [[Walloon Region]] (Wallonia), located less than {{convert|4|km|abbr=on}} south.<ref name="decreet">{{Cite book|url=https://docs.vlaamsparlement.be/docs/stukken/1982-1983/g220-5.pdf|title=Decreet betreffende de keuze van Brussel tot hoofdstad van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap|date=6 March 1984|publisher=Flemish Parliament|location=Brussels, Belgium|access-date=11 September 2015|archive-date=7 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307222122/https://docs.vlaamsparlement.be/docs/stukken/1982-1983/g220-5.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=DE BELGISCHE GRONDWET|url=https://www.senate.be/doc/const_nl.html#const|access-date=24 October 2017|website=senate.be|archive-date=5 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005152606/http://www.senate.be/doc/const_nl.html#const|url-status=live}}</ref>

Brussels grew from a small rural settlement on the river [[Senne (river)|Senne]] to become an important city-region in Europe. Since the end of the [[Second World War]], it has been a major centre for [[international politics]] and home to numerous international organisations, politicians, [[Diplomacy|diplomat]]s and [[civil servant]]s.<ref name="BBC Belgium">{{Cite news|date=14 June 2010|title=Europe &#124; Country profiles &#124; Country profile: Belgium|publisher=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/999709.stm|access-date=29 June 2010|archive-date=1 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701043109/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/999709.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Brussels is the ''[[de facto]]'' capital of the [[European Union]], as it hosts a number of principal [[EU institutions]], including its [[European Commission|administrative-legislative]], [[European Council|executive-political]], and [[European Parliament|legislative]] branches (though the judicial branch is located in [[Luxembourg City|Luxembourg]], and the European Parliament meets for a minority of the year in [[Strasbourg]]).{{sfn|Demey|2007}}<ref name="12010E/PRO/06">{{cite web|date=30 March 2010|title=Protocol (No 6) on the location of the seats of the institutions and of certain bodies, offices, agencies and departments of the European Union, Consolidated version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, OJ C 83, 30.3.2010, p. 265–265|url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/JOHtml.do?uri=OJ:C:2010:083:SOM:EN:HTML|access-date=3 August 2010|publisher=EUR-Lex|archive-date=8 July 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708132633/http://eur-lex.europa.eu/JOHtml.do?uri=OJ:C:2010:083:SOM:EN:HTML|url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|1=Brussels is not [[de jure|formally declared]] capital of the EU, though its position is spelled out in the [[Treaty of Amsterdam]]. See [[#Brussels and the European Union|the section dedicated to this issue]].}} Because of this, its name is sometimes used [[Metonymy|metonymically]] to describe the EU and its institutions.<ref>{{Cite news|date=10 April 2016|title=Spain to ask Brussels for extra year to meet deficit target|work=Reuters|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-spain-economy-idUKKCN0X70F3|access-date=23 June 2017|archive-date=29 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729174258/https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-spain-economy-idUKKCN0X70F3|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Rankin|first=Jennifer|date=13 June 2017|title=Brussels plan could force euro clearing out of UK after Brexit|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jun/13/brussels-euro-uk-brexit-eu-business|access-date=23 June 2017|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=31 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231052637/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jun/13/brussels-euro-uk-brexit-eu-business|url-status=live}}</ref> The secretariat of the [[Benelux]] and the [[NATO Headquarters|headquarters]] of [[NATO]] are also located in Brussels.<ref>{{cite web|title=Secrétariat general|url=http://www.benelux.int/fr/benelux-unie/introduction|website=A propos du Benelux|language=fr|access-date=22 August 2017|archive-date=14 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214094751/https://www.benelux.int/fr/benelux-unie/introduction|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=16 March 2018|title=NATO Headquarters|url=http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49284.htm|website=NATO|access-date=22 August 2017|archive-date=18 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218014349/https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49284.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Brussels is the most densely populated region in Belgium, and although it has the highest [[GDP per capita]],<ref name=":4" /> it has the lowest available income per household.<ref name="statbel">{{Cite book|url=https://statbel.fgov.be/en/themes/households/taxable-income#news|title=Average income in Belgium reached 19,105 euros in 2019|date=26 October 2021|publisher=Belgian Federal Government|access-date=3 October 2022|archive-date=3 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003102258/https://statbel.fgov.be/en/themes/households/taxable-income#news|url-status=live}}</ref> The Brussels Region covers {{cvt|162|km2|sqmi}} and has a population of over 1.2&nbsp;million.<ref name=":8">{{cite web|title=Structuur van de bevolking &#124; Statbel|url=https://statbel.fgov.be/nl/themas/bevolking/structuur-van-de-bevolking|access-date=13 August 2020|website=statbel.fgov.be|archive-date=14 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214080009/https://statbel.fgov.be/nl/themas/bevolking/structuur-van-de-bevolking|url-status=live}}</ref> Its five times larger [[Brussels metropolitan area|metropolitan area]] comprises over 2.5&nbsp;million people, which makes it the [[Metropolitan areas in Belgium|largest in Belgium]].<ref name="BelMun2008">{{cite web|title=Statistics Belgium; ''Population de droit par commune au 1 janvier 2008''|url=http://www.statbel.fgov.be/downloads/pop200801com.xls|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917020854/http://www.statbel.fgov.be/downloads/pop200801com.xls|archive-date=17 September 2008|access-date=17 September 2008|format=excel-file}} Population of all municipalities in Belgium on 1 January 2008. Retrieved on 18 October 2008.</ref><ref name="BelMetr">{{cite web|title=Statistics Belgium; ''De Belgische Stadsgewesten 2001''|url=http://www.statbel.fgov.be/pub/d0/p009n014_nl.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029020131/http://www.statbel.fgov.be/pub/d0/p009n014_nl.pdf|archive-date=29 October 2008|access-date=19 October 2008}} Definitions of metropolitan areas in Belgium. The metropolitan area of Brussels is divided into three levels. First, the central agglomeration (''geoperationaliseerde agglomeratie'') with 1,451,047 inhabitants (2008-01-01, adjusted to municipal borders). Adding the closest surroundings (suburbs, ''banlieue'' or ''buitenwijken'') gives a total of 1,831,496. And, including the outer commuter zone (''forensenwoonzone'') the population is 2,676,701.</ref><ref name=":5">{{cite web|date=April 2017|title=Demographia World Urban Areas|url=http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf|access-date=29 October 2017|archive-date=17 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517065701/http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> It is also part of a large [[Flemish Diamond|diamond-shaped conurbation]], extending towards the cities of [[Ghent]], [[Antwerp]] and [[Leuven]], as well as the province of [[Walloon Brabant]], in total home to over 5&nbsp;million people.{{sfn|Van Meeteren|Boussauw|Derudder|Witlox|2016}} As Belgium's economic capital and a top financial centre in Western Europe with [[Euronext Brussels]], Brussels is classified as an ''Alpha'' [[global city]].<ref>{{cite web|date=24 April 2017|title=The World According to GaWC 2016|url=http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2016t.html|website=GaWC|access-date=22 August 2017|archive-date=10 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131010004859/http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2010t.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is also a national and international hub for rail, road and air traffic,<ref>{{cite web|title=Transportation in Brussels|url=https://www.internations.org/brussels-expats/guide/living-in-brussels-15366/transportation-in-brussels-2|access-date=2018-08-03|website=internations.org|archive-date=4 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804013925/https://www.internations.org/brussels-expats/guide/living-in-brussels-15366/transportation-in-brussels-2|url-status=live}}</ref> and is sometimes considered, together with Belgium, as Europe's geographic, economic and cultural crossroads.<ref>{{cite web|title=Brussels Capital Region|url=https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/belgianchairmanship-brussels|access-date=2021-12-19|website=coe.int|archive-date=19 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211219135106/https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/belgianchairmanship-brussels|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=NATO|title=Belgium and NATO – 1949|url=http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_162358.htm|access-date=2021-12-19|website=NATO|archive-date=19 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211219135106/https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_162358.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Musée Fin-de-Siècle Museum – brusselscard|url=https://visit.brussels/en/sites/brusselscard/place/Musee-Fin-de-Siecle-Museum|access-date=2021-12-19|website=visit.brussels|archive-date=19 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211219135106/https://visit.brussels/en/sites/brusselscard/place/Musee-Fin-de-Siecle-Museum|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Brussels Metro]] is the only [[rapid transit]] system in Belgium. In addition, both [[Brussels Airport|its airport]] and [[List of railway stations in Belgium|railway stations]] are the largest and busiest in the country.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|title=The Brussels Times – Brussels North is Belgium's busiest train station|url=http://www.brusselstimes.com/brussels/11717/brussels-north-is-belgium-s-busiest-train-station|url-status=dead|access-date=2018-08-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502001656/http://www.brusselstimes.com/brussels/11717/brussels-north-is-belgium-s-busiest-train-station|archive-date=2019-05-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Statistics|work=Brussels Airport Website|url=https://www.brusselsairport.be/en/corporate/statistics|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110318052438/http://www.brusselsairport.be/en/corporate/statistics/|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 March 2011|access-date=2018-08-03}}</ref>

Historically Dutch-speaking, Brussels saw a [[Francization of Brussels|language shift to French]] from the late 19th century.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Schaepdrijver|first=Sophie de|title=Elites for the Capital?: Foreign Migration to mid-nineteenth-century Brussels|date=1990|publisher=Thesis Publishers|isbn=9789051700688|location=Amsterdam}}</ref> Since its creation in 1989, the Brussels-Capital Region has been officially bilingual in French and Dutch,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hughes|first=Dominic|date=15 July 2008|title=Europe &#124; Analysis: Where now for Belgium?|publisher=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7507506.stm|access-date=29 June 2010|archive-date=19 July 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719063736/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7507506.stm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Philippe Van Parijs|date=1 March 2016|title=Brussels bilingual? Brussels francophone? Both and neither!|url=http://www.brusselstimes.com/opinion/5148/brussels-bilingual-brussels-francophone-both-and-neither|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502003207/http://www.brusselstimes.com/opinion/5148/brussels-bilingual-brussels-francophone-both-and-neither|archive-date=2 May 2019|website=The Brussels Times}}</ref> although French is the majority language and ''[[lingua franca]]''.<ref name="BruS13EN">{{Cite book|last=Janssens|first=Rudi|url=http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/andere%20publicaties/en_51_brus13en.pdf|title=Language use in Brussels and the position of Dutch. Some recent findings.|publisher=Brussels Studies|year=2008|access-date=24 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923194857/http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/andere%20publicaties/en_51_brus13en.pdf|archive-date=23 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Brussels is also increasingly becoming multilingual. English is spoken widely and many migrants and [[expatriate]]s speak other languages as well.<ref name="BruS13EN" /><ref name=":7">O'Donnell, Paul; Toebosch, AnneMarie. ''Multilingualism in Brussels: "I'd Rather Speak English"''. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2008, v. 29 n. 2 p. 154-169.</ref>

Brussels is known for its cuisine and gastronomic offer (including its [[Waffle#Brussels|local waffle]], its [[Belgian chocolate|chocolate]], its [[French fries]] and its numerous types of [[Beer in Belgium|beer]]s),<ref>{{cite web|title=Gastronomy — Région bruxelloise – Brussels Gewest|url=http://be.brussels/culture-tourism-leisure/brussels-folklore/gastronomy|access-date=2018-08-03|website=be.brussels|archive-date=3 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803194503/http://be.brussels/culture-tourism-leisure/brussels-folklore/gastronomy|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as its historical and architectural landmarks; some of them are registered as [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]s.<ref>{{Cite news|title=UNESCO heritage in Brussels|url=https://visit.brussels/en/article/brussels-unesco-sites|access-date=2018-08-03|archive-date=3 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803194511/https://visit.brussels/en/article/brussels-unesco-sites|url-status=live}}</ref> Principal attractions include its historic [[Grand-Place|Grand-Place/Grote Markt]] (main square), ''[[Manneken Pis]]'', the [[Atomium]], and cultural institutions such as [[La Monnaie/De Munt]] and the [[Royal Museums of Art and History|Museums of Art and History]]. Due to its long tradition of [[Belgian comics]], Brussels is also hailed as a capital of the [[comic strip]].<ref name="Comic" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |title=The walls of the comic strip walk in detail |url=https://visit.brussels/en/article/the-walls-of-the-comic-strip-walk-in-detail |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803194443/https://visit.brussels/en/article/the-walls-of-the-comic-strip-walk-in-detail |archive-date=3 August 2018 |access-date=2018-08-03 |work=Visit Brussels}}</ref>

==Toponymy==
{{See also|Names of European cities in different languages (B)}}

===Etymology===
The most common theory of the origin of the name ''Brussels'' is that it derives from the [[Old Dutch]] {{lang|odt|Bruocsella}}, {{lang|odt|Broekzele}} or {{lang|odt|Broeksel}}, meaning {{gloss|marsh}} ({{lang|odt|bruoc}} / {{lang|odt|broek}}) and {{gloss|home, settlement}} ({{lang|odt|sella}} / {{lang|odt|zele}} / {{lang|odt|sel}}) or {{gloss|settlement in the marsh}}.<ref>[[Geert van Istendael]] ''Arm Brussel'', uitgeverij Atlas, {{ISBN|90-450-0853-X}}</ref><ref name="vgc">{{in lang|nl}} [http://www.bop.vgc.be/didmat/ogenblikken/achtergrond/ontstaan.html Zo ontstond Brussel] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706142428/http://www.bop.vgc.be/didmat/ogenblikken/achtergrond/ontstaan.html |date=2011-07-06 }} Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie – Commission of the Flemish Community in Brussels</ref> Saint [[Vindicianus]], the Bishop of [[Cambrai]], made the first recorded reference to the place {{lang|odt|Brosella}} in 695,<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Jean Baptiste D'Hane|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0c4aAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA405|title=Nouvelles archives historiques, philosophiques, et littéraires|last2=François Huet|last3=P.A. Lenz|last4=H.G. Moke|publisher=C. Annoot- Braeckman|year=1837|volume=1|location=Gent|page=405|language=fr|access-date=3 May 2018|archive-date=19 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819155707/https://books.google.com/books?id=0c4aAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA405|url-status=live}}</ref> when it was still a [[Hamlet (place)|hamlet]]. The names of all the municipalities in the Brussels-Capital Region are also of Dutch origin, except for [[Evere]], which is possibly [[Celtic languages|Celtic]] or [[Old Frankish]].{{sfn|Tribot|Defawe|2006|p=3}}

===Pronunciation===
In French, {{lang|fr|Bruxelles}} is pronounced {{IPA|fr|bʁysɛl||Fr-Bruxelles.ogg|}} (the ''x'' is pronounced {{IPAc-en|s}} and the final ''s'' is silent) and in Dutch, {{lang|nl|Brussel}} is pronounced {{IPA|nl|ˈbrʏsəl||Nl-Brussel.ogg}}. Inhabitants of Brussels are known in French as {{lang|fr|Bruxellois}} (pronounced {{IPA|fr|bʁysɛlwa||Fr-bruxellois.ogg}}) and in Dutch as {{lang|nl|Brusselaars}} (pronounced {{IPA|nl|ˈbrʏsəlaːrs||Sound file=Nl-Brusselaars.ogg}}). In the [[Brabantian dialect]] of Brussels (known as [[Brusselian dialect|Brusselian]], and also sometimes referred to as [[Marollian dialect|Marollian]]),{{sfn|Treffers-Daller|1994|p=25}} they are called ''Brusseleers'' or ''Brusseleirs''.<ref name="evans" />

Originally, the written ''x'' was pronounced {{IPAc-en|k|s}}. In the [[Belgian French]] pronunciation as well as in Dutch, the ''k'' eventually disappeared, as reflected in the current [[Dutch spelling]], whereas in the more conservative [[French orthography|French form]], the spelling remained.<ref>[[Jean d'Osta]], ''Dictionnaire historique des faubourgs de Bruxelles'', édition Le Livre {{ISBN|978-2-930135-10-6}}.</ref> The pronunciation {{IPAc-en|k|s}} in French only dates from the 18th century,{{Contradictory inline|reason=Is it "original" as stated just before, or is it an innovation of the 18th century?|date=February 2026}} but this modification did not affect the traditional Brussels usage. In France, the pronunciations {{IPA|fr|bʁyksɛl||Fr-Bruxelles.oga}} and {{IPA|fr|bʁyksɛlwa|}} (for {{lang|fr|bruxellois}}) are often heard, but are rather rare in Belgium.<ref name="Lerond, 1980 pp. 477">Alain Lerond, ''Dictionnaire de la prononciation'' (1980), Larousse, pp. 477.</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Brussels}}
{{For timeline}}

===Early history===
[[File:Charles de France fondateur de Bruxelles 976 MOD.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine|Charles of Lorraine]], traditionally considered the founder of what would become Brussels, {{circa|979|lk=no}}]]

The history of Brussels is closely linked to that of [[Western Europe]]. Traces of human settlement go back to the [[Stone Age]], with vestiges and place-names related to the civilisation of [[megalith]]s, [[dolmen]]s and [[standing stones]] (Plattesteen near the [[Grand-Place|Grand-Place/Grote Markt]] and [[Tomberg metro station|Tomberg]] in [[Woluwe-Saint-Lambert]], for example). During [[late antiquity]], the region was home to [[Roman Empire|Roman]] occupation, as attested by archaeological evidence discovered on the current site of [[Tour & Taxis]], north-west of the [[Pentagon (Brussels)|Pentagon]] (Brussels' city centre).<ref>{{Cite news|date=6 August 2015|title=Bruxelles: des vestiges romains retrouvés sur le site de Tour et Taxis|language=fr-FR|work=RTBF Info|url=https://www.rtbf.be/info/regions/bruxelles/detail_decouverte-majeure-a-bruxelles-des-vestiges-romains-retrouves-sur-le-site-de-tour-et-taxis?id=9048235|access-date=28 April 2017|archive-date=23 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823022836/https://www.rtbf.be/info/regions/bruxelles/detail_decouverte-majeure-a-bruxelles-des-vestiges-romains-retrouves-sur-le-site-de-tour-et-taxis?id=9048235|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Les Romains de Tour & Taxis — Patrimoine – Erfgoed|url=http://patrimoine.brussels/news/les-romains-de-tour-et-taxis|access-date=28 April 2017|website=patrimoine.brussels|language=fr|archive-date=10 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170410140806/http://patrimoine.brussels/news/les-romains-de-tour-et-taxis|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the decline of the [[Western Roman Empire]], it was incorporated into the [[Frankish Empire]].

According to local legend, the origin of the settlement that was to become Brussels lies in Saint [[Gaugericus]]' construction of a chapel on [[Saint-Géry Island|an island]] in the river [[Senne (river)|Senne]] around 580.{{sfn|State|2004|p=269}} The official founding of Brussels is usually said to be around 979, when [[Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine]], transferred the [[relic]]s of the [[martyr]] Saint [[Gudula]] from [[Moorsel]] (located in today's province of [[East Flanders]]) to Saint Gaugericus' chapel. When [[Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor]], appointed the same Charles to become Duke of [[Lower Lotharingia]] in 977,{{sfn|Riché|1983|p=276}} Charles ordered the construction of the city's first permanent fortification, doing so on that same island.

===Middle Ages===
[[Lambert I, Count of Louvain]], gained the County of Brussels around 1000 by marrying Charles' daughter. Because of its location on the banks of the Senne, on an [[Brabant Road|important trade route]] between the [[County of Flanders|Flemish]] cities of [[Bruges]] and [[Ghent]], and [[Cologne]] in the [[Kingdom of Germany]], Brussels became a commercial centre specialised in the textile trade. The town grew quite rapidly and extended towards the upper town (Treurenberg, [[Coudenberg]], and [[Sablon, Brussels|Sablon/Zavel]] areas), where there was a reduced risk of floods. As the town grew to a population of around 30,000, the surrounding marshes were drained to allow for further expansion. In 1183, the Counts of Leuven became [[Dukes of Brabant]]. Brabant, unlike the county of Flanders, was not fief of the king of France but was incorporated into the [[Holy Roman Empire]].

In the early 13th century, the [[first walls of Brussels]] were built<ref>{{cite web|title=Zo ontstond Brussel|trans-title=This is how Brussels originated|url=http://www.bop.vgc.be/didmat/ogenblikken/achtergrond/ontstaan.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071120140134/http://www.bop.vgc.be/didmat/ogenblikken/achtergrond/ontstaan.html|archive-date=20 November 2007|publisher=Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie [Commission of the Flemish Community in Brussels]|language=nl}}</ref> and after this, the city grew significantly. Around this time, work began on what is now the [[Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula]] (1225), replacing an older [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] church.{{sfn|Brigode|1938|p=185–215}} To let the city expand, [[Second walls of Brussels|a second set of walls]] was erected between 1356 and 1383. Traces of these walls can still be seen; the [[Small Ring, Brussels|Small Ring]], a series of boulevards bounding the historical city centre, follows their former course.

===Early modern===
[[File:Brussel.1610.a.jpg|thumb|left|View of Brussels, {{circa|1610|lk=no}}]]

In the 14th century, the marriage between heiress [[Margaret III, Countess of Flanders]], and [[Philip the Bold]], [[Duke of Burgundy]], produced a new Duke of Brabant of the [[House of Valois]], namely [[Anthony, Duke of Brabant|Anthony]], their son.{{sfn|Blockmans|Prevenier|1999|p=30–31}} In 1477, the Burgundian duke [[Charles the Bold]] perished in the [[Battle of Nancy]].{{sfn|Kirk|1868|p=542}} Through the marriage of his daughter [[Mary of Burgundy]] (who was born in Brussels) to Holy Roman Emperor [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian I]], the [[Low Countries]] fell under [[Habsburg]] sovereignty.{{sfn|Armstrong|1957|p=228}} Brabant was integrated into this composite state, and Brussels flourished as the Princely Capital of the prosperous [[Burgundian Netherlands]], also known as the [[Seventeen Provinces]]. After the death of Mary in 1482, her son [[Philip the Handsome]] succeeded as Duke of Burgundy and Brabant.

Philip died in 1506, and he was succeeded by his son [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] who then also became [[King of Spain]] (crowned in the [[Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula]]) and even Holy Roman Emperor at the death of his grandfather Maximilian I in 1519. Charles was now the ruler of a [[Habsburg Empire]] "on which the sun never sets" with Brussels serving as one of his main capitals.<ref name="Capital">{{cite web|date=21 April 2017|title=How Brussels became the capital of Europe 500 years ago|url=https://www.brusselstimes.com/brussels/42112/how-brussels-became-the-capital-of-europe-500-years-ago/|access-date=13 August 2019|website=The Brussels Times|archive-date=14 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714132914/https://www.brusselstimes.com/brussels/42112/how-brussels-became-the-capital-of-europe-500-years-ago/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Jenkins|first=Everett Jr.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kSYkCQAAQBAJ&q=Charles+V+28+years+in+the+netherlands&pg=PA36|title=The Muslim Diaspora (Volume 2, 1500–1799): A Comprehensive Chronology of the Spread of Islam in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas|date=7 May 2015|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476608891|access-date=13 August 2019|via=Google Books|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414232943/https://books.google.com/books?id=kSYkCQAAQBAJ&q=Charles+V+28+years+in+the+netherlands&pg=PA36|url-status=live}}</ref> It was in the [[Coudenberg Palace]] that Charles V was declared of age in 1515, and it was there in 1555 that he abdicated all of his possessions and passed the [[Habsburg Netherlands]] to King [[Philip II of Spain]].{{sfn|Wasseige|1995|p=4}} This palace, famous all over Europe, had greatly expanded since it had first become the seat of the Dukes of Brabant, but it was destroyed by fire in 1731.{{sfn|Mardaga|1994|p=222}}{{sfn|Wasseige|1995|p=6–7}}

[[File:Grand- Place BXL1695 -01.jpg|thumb|The [[Grand-Place]] after [[Bombardment of Brussels (1695)|the 1695 bombardment]] by the French army]]

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Brussels was a centre for the [[lace]] industry. In addition, [[Brussels tapestry]] hung on the walls of castles throughout Europe.<ref>Souchal, Geneviève (ed.), ''Masterpieces of Tapestry from the Fourteenth to the Sixteenth Century: An Exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art'', p. 108, 1974, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.), Galeries nationales du Grand Palais (France), {{ISBN|0870990861}}, 9780870990861, [https://books.google.com/books?id=e-fZHUt8issC&pg=PA108 google books] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029113006/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=e-fZHUt8issC&pg=PA108 |date=29 October 2021 }}</ref><ref>Campbell, ed. ''Tapestry in the Renaissance: Art and Magnificence'', exhibition catalogue, [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] 2002.</ref> In 1695, during the [[Nine Years' War]], King [[Louis XIV]] of France sent troops to [[Bombardment of Brussels (1695)|bombard Brussels with artillery]]. Together with the resulting fire, it was the most destructive event in the entire history of Brussels. The Grand-Place was destroyed, along with 4,000 buildings—a third of all the buildings in the city. The reconstruction of [[Pentagon (Brussels)|the city centre]], effected during subsequent years, profoundly changed its appearance and left numerous traces still visible today.{{sfn|Culot|Hennaut|Demanet|Mierop|1992}}

During the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] Brussels fell in Anglo-Dutch hands following the [[Battle of Ramillies]] in 1706. In 1708, Brussels again sustained a [[Assault on Brussels (1708)|French attack]], which it repelled. Following the [[Treaty of Utrecht]] in 1713, Spanish sovereignty over the Southern Netherlands was transferred to the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg. This event started the era of the [[Austrian Netherlands]]. Brussels [[Siege of Brussels|was captured]] by France in 1746, during the [[War of the Austrian Succession]],{{sfn|Tucker|2009|p=753}} but was handed back to Austria three years later. It remained with Austria until 1795, when the Southern Netherlands were captured and annexed by France, and the city became the [[Prefectures in France|chef-lieu]] of the [[Dyle (department)|department of the Dyle]].{{sfn|Oudiette|1804|page=XIII}}{{sfn|Duvergier|1835|p=300}} The French rule ended in 1815, with the defeat of [[Napoleon]] on the [[Battle of Waterloo|battlefield of Waterloo]], located south of today's Brussels-Capital Region.{{sfn|Galloy|Hayt|2006|p=86–90}} With the [[Congress of Vienna]], the Southern Netherlands joined the [[United Kingdom of the Netherlands]], under King [[William I of the Netherlands|William I of Orange]]. The former Dyle department became the province of [[Province of Brabant#United Kingdom of the Netherlands|South Brabant]], with Brussels as its capital.

===Late modern===
[[File:Wappers - Episodes from September Days 1830 on the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville in Brussels.JPG|thumb|left|''Episode of the [[Belgian Revolution]] of 1830'', [[Gustaf Wappers]], 1834]]

In 1830, the [[Belgian Revolution]] began in Brussels, after a performance of [[Daniel-Francois-Esprit Auber|Auber's]] opera ''[[La Muette de Portici]]'' at the [[La Monnaie|Royal Theatre of La Monnaie]].{{sfn|Slatin|1979|p=53–54}} The city became the capital and seat of government of the new nation. South Brabant was renamed simply [[Province of Brabant|Brabant]], with Brussels as its administrative centre. On 21 July 1831, [[Leopold I of Belgium|Leopold I]], the first [[King of the Belgians]], ascended the throne,{{sfn|Pirenne|1948|p=30}} undertaking the destruction of the city walls and the construction of many buildings.{{sfn|Demey|2009|p=96}}

Following independence, Brussels underwent many more changes. It became a financial centre, thanks to the dozens of companies launched by the ''[[Société Générale de Belgique]]''. The [[Industrial Revolution]] and the opening of the [[Brussels–Charleroi Canal]] in 1832 brought prosperity to the city through commerce and manufacturing.{{sfn|Charruadas|2005}}{{sfn|Demey|2009|p=96–97}} The [[Free University of Brussels (1834–1969)|Free University of Brussels]] was established in 1834 and [[Saint-Louis University, Brussels|Saint-Louis University]] in 1858. In 1835, the [[History of rail transport in Belgium|first passenger railway]] built outside England linked the municipality of [[Molenbeek-Saint-Jean]] with [[Mechelen]].{{sfn|Wolmar|2010|p=18–20}}

[[File:Bruxelles, Place Royale, -Brussels, Belgium--LCCN2001697909.jpg|thumb|The [[Place Royale, Brussels|Place Royale/Koningsplein]] in the late 19th century]]

During the 19th century, the population of Brussels grew considerably; from about 80,000 to more than 625,000 people for the city and its surroundings. The Senne had become a serious [[health hazard]], and from 1867 to 1871, under the tenure of the [[mayor of the City of Brussels|city's then-mayor]], [[Jules Anspach]], its entire course through the urban area was [[covering of the Senne|completely covered over]].{{sfn|Demey|1990|p=65}} This allowed [[urban renewal]] and the construction of modern buildings of ''[[Haussmann's renovation of Paris|Haussmann]]-esque'' style along grand [[Central Boulevards of Brussels|central boulevards]], characteristic of downtown Brussels today.{{sfn|Eggericx|1997|p=5}} Buildings such as the [[Bourse Palace]] (1873), the [[Palace of Justice, Brussels|Palace of Justice]] (1883) and [[Saint Mary's Royal Church]] (1885) date from this period. This development continued throughout the reign of King [[Leopold II of Belgium|Leopold II]]. The [[Brussels International Exposition (1897)|International Exposition of 1897]] contributed to the promotion of the infrastructure.{{sfn|Schroeder-Gudehus|Rasmussen|1992}} Among other things, the [[Africa Palace|Palace of the Colonies]], today's [[Royal Museum for Central Africa]], in the suburb of [[Tervuren]], was connected to the capital by the construction of [[Avenue de Tervueren|an {{convert|11|km|mi|adj=mid|abbr=on|-long}} grand alley]].

Brussels was one of the major European centres of the [[Art Nouveau in Brussels|Art Nouveau]] style in the 1890s and early 1900s.{{sfn|Culot|Pirlot|2005}} The architects [[Victor Horta]], [[Paul Hankar]], and [[Henry van de Velde]], among others, were known for their designs, many of which survive today.<ref name=":6" />

===20th century===
[[File:Solvay conference 1927.jpg|thumb|left|The 1927 [[Solvay Conference]] in Brussels was the fifth world physics conference.]]

During the 20th century, the city hosted various fairs and conferences, including the [[Solvay Conference]] on Physics and on Chemistry, and three [[world's fair]]s: the [[Brussels International Exposition (1910)|Brussels International Exposition of 1910]], the [[Brussels International Exposition of 1935]] and the 1958 Brussels World's Fair ([[Expo 58]]).{{sfn|Schroeder-Gudehus|Rasmussen|1992}} During [[World War I]], Brussels was [[German occupation of Belgium during World War I|an occupied city]]. It escaped large-scale destruction,<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date=2017 |title=Cahier pédagogique : 14–18. Bruxelles occupée |url=https://www.erfgoedklassen.brussels/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/14_18_Bruxelles_occupee_dossier_peda.pdf |website=Erfgoedklassen |page=49 |access-date=4 October 2025}}</ref> although the [[interwar period]] would still see a significant amount of (re)construction.{{efn|In 2014, 27,36% of the buildings in Brussels dated from this era.}}<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jaumain |first1=Serge |last2=Jourdain |first2=Virginie |display-authors=etal |date=2016 |title=Sur les traces de la Première Guerre mondiale à Bruxelles : Note de synthèse BSI |url=https://journals.openedition.org/brussels/1403 |journal=Brussels Studies |volume=102 |doi=10.4000/brussels.1403 |access-date=4 October 2025}}</ref> In November 1918, after the [[German revolution of 1918–1919|German Revolution]] had broken out, Brussels was embroiled in street battles between revolutionary soldiers who wanted to end the occupation and their imperialist counterparts; additionally, explosives left behind by retreating German troops damaged infrastructure and around 2,300 houses.<ref>{{cite web |last=Realfonzo |first=Ugo |date=11 November 2022 |title=Brussels in 1918: Occupation, revolution and the Armistice |url=https://www.brusselstimes.com/320015/brussels-in-1918-occupation-revolution-and-the-armistice |website=[[The Brussels Times]] |access-date=4 October 2025}}</ref>

During [[World War II]], Brussels was [[German occupation of Belgium during World War II|occupied by German forces]] once again. While it was again spared major damage, a deadly bombing took place on 7 September 1943. It was carried out by the [[United States Air Force|American airforce]], which had tried to aim at [[SABCA]] facilities in [[Haren, Belgium|Haren]], but accidentally struck an area in [[Ixelles]], killing 282 civilians.<ref>{{cite web |last=Difficile |first=Luana |date=18 January 2025 |title=Jouw vraag over Brussel: wat was het grootste bombardement op Brussel? |url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2025/01/09/big-city-wat-was-het-grootste-bombardement-op-brussel |website=[[VRT NWS]] |access-date=4 October 2025 |archive-date=26 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251126043854/https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2025/01/09/big-city-wat-was-het-grootste-bombardement-op-brussel |url-status=live }}</ref> The city was liberated by the British [[Guards Armoured Division]] on 3 September 1944. [[Brussels Airport]], in the suburb of [[Zaventem]], traces its roots to [[Melsbroek Air Base|a German military airport]] that was built in nearby [[Steenokkerzeel|Melsbroek]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Van Parijs |first=Philippe |author-link=Philippe Van Parijs |date=8 July 2016 |title=Brussels City Airport: from curse to blessing? |url=https://www.brusselstimes.com/38203/brussels-city-airport-from-curse-to-blessing |website=[[The Brussels Times]] |access-date=4 October 2025}}</ref>

[[File:Scenes of jubilation as British troops liberate Brussels, 4 September 1944. BU508.jpg|thumb|British tanks [[Liberation of Belgium|arrive in Brussels]] on 4 September 1944, ending the [[German occupation of Belgium during World War II|German occupation]]]]

After World War II, Brussels underwent extensive modernisation. The construction of the [[North–South connection]], linking the main railway stations in the city, was completed in 1952, while the first ''[[Brussels premetro|premetro]]'' (underground tram) service was launched in 1969,<ref name="1960s">{{cite web|year=2013|title=STIB – La STIB de 1960 à 1969|trans-title=STIB – STIB from 1960 to 1969|url=http://www.stib.be/1960-1969.html?l=fr|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221053137/http://www.stib.be/1960-1969.html?l=fr|archive-date=2013-12-21|access-date=2013-09-15|publisher=STIB|language=fr}}</ref> and the first [[Brussels Metro|Metro]] line was opened in 1976.<ref name="1970s">{{cite web|year=2013|title=STIB – Historique de la STIB de 1970 à 1979|trans-title=STIB – History of STIB from 1970 to 1979|url=http://www.stib.be/1970-1979.html?l=fr|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021155415/http://www.stib.be/1970-1979.html?l=fr|archive-date=2013-10-21|access-date=2013-09-15|publisher=STIB|language=fr}}</ref> Starting from the early 1960s, Brussels became the ''de facto'' capital of what would become the [[European Union]] (EU), and many modern offices were built. Development was allowed to proceed with little regard to the aesthetics of newer buildings, and numerous architectural landmarks were demolished to make way for newer buildings that often clashed with their surroundings, giving name to the process of [[Brusselisation]].{{sfn|State|2004|p=51–52}}{{sfn|Stubbs|Makaš|2011|p=121}}

===Contemporary===
The Brussels-Capital Region was formed on 18 June 1989, after a constitutional reform in 1988.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2012-02-01|title=The Brussels-Capital Region|work=Belgium.be|url=https://www.belgium.be/en/about_belgium/government/regions/brussels_capital_region|access-date=2018-11-24|archive-date=24 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124220302/https://www.belgium.be/en/about_belgium/government/regions/brussels_capital_region|url-status=live}}</ref> It is one of the three [[federal regions of Belgium]], along with [[Flanders]] and [[Wallonia]], and has bilingual status.<ref name="Belgian Constitution" /><ref name="CIRB-creation" /> The [[yellow iris]] is the region's emblem (referring to the presence of these flowers on the city's original site) and a stylised version is featured on its official flag.<ref>{{cite web|title=LOI – WET|url=http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_loi/change_lg.pl?language=fr&la=F&nm=1991031159&table_name=titre|access-date=22 April 2017|website=ejustice.just.fgov.be|language=fr|archive-date=1 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301122421/http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_loi/change_lg.pl?language=fr&la=F&nm=1991031159&table_name=titre|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the 21st century, Brussels has become an important venue for international events. In 2000, it was named [[European Capital of Culture]] alongside eight other European cities.<ref>{{cite web|date=17 August 2011|title=Association of European Cities of Culture of the Year 2000|url=http://www.krakow.pl/otwarty_na_swiat_en/international_organisations/8370,artykul,association_of_european_cities_of_culture_of_the_year_2000.html|access-date=24 February 2017|website=Krakow the Open City|archive-date=7 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107104000/http://www.krakow.pl/otwarty_na_swiat_en/international_organisations/8370,artykul,association_of_european_cities_of_culture_of_the_year_2000.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2013, the city was the site of the [[Brussels Agreement (2013)|Brussels Agreement]].<ref>{{cite web|last=srbija.gov.rs|title=Brussels Agreement|url=https://www.srbija.gov.rs/specijal/en/120394|access-date=2021-07-15|website=srbija.gov.rs|archive-date=15 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715172858/https://www.srbija.gov.rs/specijal/en/120394|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, it hosted the [[40th G7 summit]],<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=Brussels G7 summit, Brussels, 04-05/06/2014 – Consilium|url=http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/international-summit/2014/06/04-05/|access-date=6 February 2017|website=European Council|date=7 May 2014 |archive-date=7 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207113117/http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/international-summit/2014/06/04-05/|url-status=live}}</ref> and in 2017, 2018 and 2021 respectively the [[2017 Brussels summit|28th]], [[2018 Brussels summit|29th]] and [[2021 Brussels summit|31st NATO Summits]].<ref>{{cite web|title=NATO Summit 2017|url=https://www.state.gov/p/eur/rt/nato/summit2017/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525125949/https://www.state.gov/p/eur/rt/nato/summit2017/index.htm|archive-date=25 May 2017|access-date=27 July 2017|website=state.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nato.int/cps/ic/natohq/news_147856.htm|title=NATO Secretary General announces dates for 2018 Brussels Summit|date=20 October 2017|website=nato.int|access-date=13 October 2021|archive-date=11 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511205459/https://www.nato.int/cps/ic/natohq/news_147856.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{cite web|url=https://www.nato.int/cps/ic/natohq/news_183196.htm|title=NATO Secretary General announces date of the 2021 Brussels Summit|date=22 April 2021|website=nato.int|access-date=29 April 2021|archive-date=29 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429060646/https://www.nato.int/cps/ic/natohq/news_183196.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[2016 Brussels bombings|On 22 March 2016]], three coordinated [[nail bomb]]ings were detonated by [[ISIL]] in Brussels—two at [[Brussels Airport]] in [[Zaventem]] and one at [[Maalbeek/Maelbeek metro station]]—resulting in 32 victims and three [[suicide bombers]] killed, and 330 people were injured. It was the deadliest act of [[terrorism]] in Belgium.<ref name="independent">{{cite news|last1=Dearden|first1=Lizzie|title=Brussels attacks timeline: How bombings unfolded at airport and Metro station|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/brussels-attacks-timeline-how-bombings-unfolded-at-airport-and-metro-station-a6945781.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/brussels-attacks-timeline-how-bombings-unfolded-at-airport-and-metro-station-a6945781.html|archive-date=1 May 2022|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|access-date=22 March 2016|newspaper=The Independent|date=22 March 2016}}</ref><ref name="BBC35869985">{{cite news|title=Brussels explosions: What we know about airport and metro attacks|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35869985|publisher=BBC News|date=9 April 2016|access-date=21 June 2018|archive-date=2 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180602225244/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35869985|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=BBC35880119>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35880119|title=Victims of the Brussels attacks|date=15 April 2016|publisher=BBC News|access-date=12 March 2023|archive-date=12 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312131723/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35880119|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Guardian220317>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/22/brussels-unveil-terror-victims-memorial-one-year-after-attacks|title=Brussels attacks: 'Let us dare to be tender,' says king on first anniversary|work=The Guardian|date=22 March 2017|access-date=10 March 2023|archive-date=10 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230310120735/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/22/brussels-unveil-terror-victims-memorial-one-year-after-attacks|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Geography==

===Location and topography===
{{Further|Geography of Belgium}}
[[File:Brussels by Sentinel-2, 2020-05-30.jpg|thumb|A 2020 satellite image of the Greater Brussels area]]

Brussels lies in the north-central part of Belgium, about {{cvt|110|km}} from the Belgian coast and about {{cvt|180|km}} from the country's southern tip. It is located in the heartland of the Brabantian Plateau, about {{cvt|45|km}} south of [[Antwerp]] ([[Flanders]]), and {{cvt|50|km}} north of [[Charleroi]] ([[Wallonia]]). Its average [[elevation]] is {{cvt|57|m}} above [[sea level]], varying from a low point in the valley of the almost completely covered [[Senne (river)|Senne]], which cuts the Brussels-Capital Region from east to west, up to high points in the [[Sonian Forest]], on its southeastern side. In addition to the Senne, tributary streams such as the [[Maalbeek|Maelbeek]] and the [[Woluwe]], to the east of the region, account for significant elevation differences. [[Central Boulevards of Brussels|Brussels' central boulevards]] are {{cvt|15|m}} above sea level.<ref>{{cite web|title=Brussels in figures 1|url=https://visit.brussels/en/article/brussels-in-figures|access-date=3 September 2017|website=visit.brussels|archive-date=3 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903204837/https://visit.brussels/en/article/brussels-in-figures|url-status=live}}</ref> Contrary to popular belief, the highest point (at {{cvt|127.5 |m}}) is not near the {{lang|fr|Place de l'Altitude Cent|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Hoogte Honderdplein|italic=no}} in [[Forest, Belgium|Forest]], but at the {{lang|fr|Drève des Deux Montages|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Tweebergendreef|italic=no}} in the Sonian Forest.<ref>{{cite web|date=2019-05-22|title=Le point le plus haut de la région Bruxelloise se trouve en forêt de Soignes|url=https://www.rtbf.be/info/regions/detail_le-point-le-plus-haut-de-la-region-bruxelloise-se-trouve-en-foret-de-soignes?id=10227678|access-date=2021-02-10|website=RTBF Info|language=fr|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414225513/https://www.rtbf.be/info/regions/detail_le-point-le-plus-haut-de-la-region-bruxelloise-se-trouve-en-foret-de-soignes?id=10227678|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Climate===
Brussels experiences an [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Cfb'') with warm summers and cool winters.<ref name="Brussels,+Brussels+Capital,+Belgium&units=|title=Brussels, Belgium Climate Classification Köppen (Weatherbase)">{{cite web|title=Brussels, Belgium Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=15460&cityname=Brussels,+Brussels+Capital,+Belgium&units=|access-date=2019-07-02|website=Weatherbase|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727051223/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=15460&cityname=Brussels,+Brussels+Capital,+Belgium&units=|url-status=live}}</ref> Proximity to coastal areas influences the area's climate by sending marine air masses from the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. Nearby wetlands also ensure a maritime temperate climate. On average (based on measurements in the period 1981–2010), there are approximately 135 days of rain per year in the Brussels-Capital Region. Snowfall is infrequent, averaging 17 days per year. The city also often experiences violent thunderstorms in the summer months.

{{Weather box|location = Uccle (Brussels-Capital Region) 1991–2020
|width=
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 15.3
|Feb record high C = 20.0
|Mar record high C = 24.2
|Apr record high C = 28.7
|May record high C = 34.1
|Jun record high C = 38.8
|Jul record high C = 39.7
|Aug record high C = 36.5
|Sep record high C = 34.9
|Oct record high C = 27.8
|Nov record high C = 20.6
|Dec record high C = 16.7
|year record high C = 39.7
|Jan high C = 6.1
|Feb high C = 7.1
|Mar high C = 10.9
|Apr high C = 15.0
|May high C = 18.4
|Jun high C = 21.2
|Jul high C = 23.2
|Aug high C = 23.0
|Sep high C = 19.5
|Oct high C = 14.9
|Nov high C = 9.9
|Dec high C = 6.6
|year high C = 
|Jan mean C = 3.7
|Feb mean C = 4.2
|Mar mean C = 7.1
|Apr mean C = 10.4
|May mean C = 13.9
|Jun mean C = 16.7
|Jul mean C = 18.7
|Aug mean C = 18.4
|Sep mean C = 15.2
|Oct mean C = 11.3
|Nov mean C = 7.2
|Dec mean C = 4.3
|year mean C = 
|Jan low C = 1.4
|Feb low C = 1.5
|Mar low C = 3.5
|Apr low C = 6.0
|May low C = 9.2
|Jun low C = 12.0
|Jul low C = 14.1
|Aug low C = 13.9
|Sep low C = 11.3
|Oct low C = 8.1
|Nov low C = 4.6
|Dec low C = 2.1
|year low C = 
|Jan record low C = -21.1
|Feb record low C = -18.3
|Mar record low C = -13.6
|Apr record low C = -5.7
|May record low C = -2.2
|Jun record low C = 0.3
|Jul record low C = 4.4
|Aug record low C = 3.9
|Sep record low C = 0.0
|Oct record low C = -6.8
|Nov record low C = -12.8
|Dec record low C = -17.7
|year record low C = -21.1
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 75.5
|Feb precipitation mm = 65.1
|Mar precipitation mm = 59.3
|Apr precipitation mm = 46.7
|May precipitation mm = 59.7
|Jun precipitation mm = 70.8
|Jul precipitation mm = 76.9
|Aug precipitation mm = 86.5
|Sep precipitation mm = 65.3
|Oct precipitation mm = 67.8
|Nov precipitation mm = 76.2
|Dec precipitation mm = 87.4
|year precipitation mm = 
|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 18.9
|Feb precipitation days = 16.9
|Mar precipitation days = 15.7
|Apr precipitation days = 13.1
|May precipitation days = 14.7
|Jun precipitation days = 14.1
|Jul precipitation days = 14.3
|Aug precipitation days = 14.3
|Sep precipitation days = 14.1
|Oct precipitation days = 16.1
|Nov precipitation days = 18.3
|Dec precipitation days = 19.4
|year precipitation days =
|Jan snow days = 3.8
|Feb snow days = 4.9
|Mar snow days = 2.7
|Apr snow days = 0.6
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.1
|Nov snow days = 1.2
|Dec snow days = 3.7
|year snow days = 
|Jan humidity = 84.1
|Feb humidity = 80.6
|Mar humidity = 74.8
|Apr humidity = 69.2
|May humidity = 70.2
|Jun humidity = 71.3
|Jul humidity = 71.5
|Aug humidity = 72.4
|Sep humidity = 76.8
|Oct humidity = 81.5
|Nov humidity = 85.1
|Dec humidity = 86.6
|year humidity = 
|Jan sun = 59.1
|Feb sun = 72.9
|Mar sun = 125.8
|Apr sun = 171.3
|May sun = 198.3
|Jun sun = 199.3
|Jul sun = 203.2
|Aug sun = 192.4
|Sep sun = 154.5
|Oct sun = 112.6
|Nov sun = 65.8
|Dec sun = 48.6
|year sun = 
|Jan uv = 1
|Feb uv = 1
|Mar uv = 3
|Apr uv = 4
|May uv = 6
|Jun uv = 7
|Jul uv = 6
|Aug uv = 6
|Sep uv = 4
|Oct uv = 2
|Nov uv = 1
|Dec uv = 1
|source 1 = [[Royal Meteorological Institute]]<ref name="eather1">{{cite web|title=Normales climatiques à Uccle|url=https://www.meteo.be/fr/climat/climatologie-generale/normales-climatiques-a-uccle/temperature/temperature-moyenne|language=fr|access-date=5 March 2021|publisher=Royal Meteorological Institute|archive-date=3 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203022242/https://www.meteo.be/fr/climat/climatologie-generale/normales-climatiques-a-uccle/temperature/temperature-moyenne|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=monthlyrecords>{{cite web|title=Le climat de la Belgique|url=https://www.meteo.be/fr/climat/atlas-climatique/mois-apres-mois/janvier|publisher=Royal Meteorological Institute|language=fr|access-date=5 March 2021|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414225811/https://www.meteo.be/fr/climat/atlas-climatique/mois-apres-mois/janvier|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|source 2 = Weather Atlas;<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Yu Media Group|title=Brussels, Belgium – Detailed climate information and monthly weather forecast|url=https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/belgium/brussels-climate|access-date=2019-07-02|website=Weather Atlas|archive-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702201857/https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/belgium/brussels-climate|url-status=live}}</ref> 2019 July record high from [[Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie|VRT Nieuws]]<ref>{{Cite news|author1=Kristien Bonneure|author2=Johan Droessaert|author3=Gianni Paelinck|author4=Denny Baert|date=25 July 2019|title=Herlees onze Hitteblog: warmste dag ooit eindigt met chaos door propvolle treinen die terugkeren van de kust|publisher=VRT Nieuws|url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2019/07/25/hitteblog-op-weg-naar-de-warmste-dag-ooit-in-belgie/|access-date=26 July 2019|archive-date=3 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903110857/https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2019/07/25/hitteblog-op-weg-naar-de-warmste-dag-ooit-in-belgie/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|date=June 2012
}}

==As a capital==
Despite its name, the Brussels-Capital Region is not the capital of [[Belgium]]. Article 194 of the [[Belgian Constitution]] establishes that the capital of Belgium is the [[City of Brussels]], the municipality in the region that is the city's core.<ref name="article 194" />

The City of Brussels is home to many national institutions. The [[Royal Palace of Brussels]], where the [[King of the Belgians]] exercises his prerogatives as head of state,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Palais Royal – Inventaire du patrimoine architectural |url=https://monument.heritage.brussels/fr/buildings/30402 |access-date=2024-10-23 |website=monument.heritage.brussels |language=fr |archive-date=14 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240914132308/https://monument.heritage.brussels/fr/buildings/30402 |url-status=live }}</ref> is situated alongside [[Brussels Park]] (not to be confused with the [[Royal Palace of Laeken]], the official home of the [[Monarchy of Belgium|Belgian royal family]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le Château royal de Laeken – Inventaire du patrimoine architectural |url=https://monument.heritage.brussels/fr/Bruxelles_Laeken/Avenue_du_Parc_Royal/-/39524 |access-date=2024-10-23 |website=monument.heritage.brussels |language=fr |archive-date=2 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202110549/https://monument.heritage.brussels/fr/Bruxelles_Laeken/Avenue_du_Parc_Royal/-/39524 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Palace of the Nation]] is located on the opposite side of this park, and is the seat of the [[Belgian Federal Parliament]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Palais de la Nation – Inventaire du patrimoine architectural |url=https://monument.heritage.brussels/fr/buildings/30397 |access-date=2024-10-23 |website=monument.heritage.brussels |language=fr}}</ref> The office of the [[Prime Minister of Belgium]], colloquially called ''Law Street 16'' ({{langx|fr|16, rue de la Loi|link=no}}, {{langx|nl|Wetstraat 16|link=no}}), is located adjacent to this building. It is also where the [[Council of Ministers (Belgium)|Council of Ministers]] holds its meetings. The [[Court of Cassation (Belgium)|Court of Cassation]], Belgium's main court, has its seat in the [[Palace of Justice, Brussels|Palace of Justice]]. Other important institutions in the City of Brussels are the [[Constitutional Court of Belgium|Constitutional Court]], the [[Council of State (Belgium)|Council of State]], the [[Court of Audit of Belgium|Court of Audit]], the [[Royal Belgian Mint]] and the [[National Bank of Belgium]].

The City of Brussels is also the capital of both the [[French Community of Belgium]]<ref name="décret" /> and the [[Flemish Community]].<ref name="decreet" /> The [[Flemish Parliament]] and [[Flemish Government]] have their seats in Brussels,<ref>{{cite web|title=Brussels, the capital of Flanders|url=http://www.flanders.be/servlet/Satellite?c=Page&cid=1166590837731&context=1166590833692--EN&p=1166590837731&pagename=flanders_site%2FView|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610162638/http://www.flanders.be/servlet/Satellite?c=Page&cid=1166590837731&context=1166590833692--EN&p=1166590837731&pagename=flanders_site%2FView|archive-date=10 June 2011|access-date=6 November 2009|publisher=Flemish Department of Foreign Affairs}}</ref> and so do the [[Parliament of the French Community]] and the [[Government of the French Community]].

[[File:Brussel Koninklijk paleis.jpg|thumb|center|upright=2.3|The [[Royal Palace of Brussels]], the official palace of the [[Monarchy of Belgium|King and Queen of the Belgians]]]]

==Municipalities==
{{Main|List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region}}
{|
|valign=top|
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; float:left;"
! class=unsortable|Arms
! French name
! Dutch name
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| {{Coat of arms|Anderlecht|text=none|size=15px}}
| [[Anderlecht]]
| Anderlecht

|-
| style="text-align:center;"| {{Coat of arms|Auderghem|text=none|size=15px}}
| [[Auderghem]]
| Oudergem
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| {{Coat of arms|Berchem-Sainte-Agathe|text=none|size=15px}}
| [[Berchem-Sainte-Agathe]]
| Sint-Agatha-Berchem
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| {{Coat of arms|Brussels|text=none|size=15px}}
| [[Bruxelles-Ville]]
| Stad Brussel
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| {{Coat of arms|Etterbeek|text=none|size=15px}}
| [[Etterbeek]]
| Etterbeek
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| {{Coat of arms|Evere|text=none|size=15px}}
| [[Evere]]
| Evere
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| {{Coat of arms|Forest|link=Forest, Belgium|text=none|size=15px}}
| [[Forest, Belgium|Forest]]
| Vorst
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| {{Coat of arms|Ganshoren|text=none|size=15px}}
| [[Ganshoren]]
| Ganshoren
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| {{Coat of arms|Ixelles|text=none|size=15px}}
| [[Ixelles]]
| Elsene
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| {{Coat of arms|Jette|text=none|size=15px}}
| [[Jette]]
| Jette
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| {{Coat of arms|Koekelberg|text=none|size=15px}}
| [[Koekelberg]]
| Koekelberg
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| {{Coat of arms|Molenbeek-Saint-Jean|text=none|size=15px}}
| [[Molenbeek-Saint-Jean]]
| Sint-Jans-Molenbeek
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| {{Coat of arms|Saint-Gilles|link=Saint-Gilles, Belgium|text=none|size=15px}}
| [[Saint-Gilles, Belgium|Saint-Gilles]]
| Sint-Gillis
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| {{Coat of arms|Saint-Josse-ten-Noode|text=none|size=15px}}
| [[Saint-Josse-ten-Noode]]
| Sint-Joost-ten-Node
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| {{Coat of arms|Schaerbeek|text=none|size=15px}}
| [[Schaerbeek]]
| Schaarbeek
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| {{Coat of arms|Uccle|text=none|size=15px}}
| [[Uccle]]
| Ukkel
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| {{Coat of arms|Watermael-Boitsfort|text=none|size=15px}}
| [[Watermael-Boitsfort]]
| Watermaal-Bosvoorde
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| {{Coat of arms|Woluwe-Saint-Lambert|text=none|size=15px}}
| [[Woluwe-Saint-Lambert]]
| Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| {{Coat of arms|Woluwe-Saint-Pierre|text=none|size=15px}}
| [[Woluwe-Saint-Pierre]]
| Sint-Pieters-Woluwe
|}
|width=20|
|valign=top|
{|
| style="background-image: linear-gradient(to right, #e4e4e4, #f9f9f9);" | [[File:Brussels Municipalities.tif|484px]]
|}
|}
{{clear}}

The 19 [[Municipalities of Belgium|municipalities]] ({{langx|fr|communes|link=no}}, {{langx|nl|gemeenten|link=no}}) of the Brussels-Capital [[Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions|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.<ref name="list">{{cite web|title=Brussels-Capital region / Communes|url=http://www.bruxelles.irisnet.be/en/region/region_de_bruxelles-capitale/communes.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040606023552/http://www.bruxelles.irisnet.be/en/region/region_de_bruxelles-capitale/communes.shtml|archive-date=6 June 2004|access-date=4 August 2008|website=Brussels Capital-Region / Région de Bruxelles-Capitale}}</ref><ref name="OECD">{{cite web|year=1997|title=Managing across levels of government|url=http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/10/43/1902434.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080819213027/http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/10/43/1902434.pdf|archive-date=19 August 2008|access-date=5 August 2008|publisher=OECD|pages=107, 110}}</ref> Municipal administration is also conducted by a mayor, a council, and an executive.<ref name="OECD" />

In 1831, Belgium was divided into 2,739 municipalities, including the 19 currently located in the Brussels-Capital Region.<ref name="roots">{{cite web|last=Picavet|first=Georges|date=29 April 2003|title=Municipalities (1795-now)|url=http://belgium.rootsweb.ancestry.com/bel/_places/bel_places.html|access-date=4 August 2008|publisher=Georges Picavet|archive-date=17 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817131741/http://belgium.rootsweb.ancestry.com/bel/_places/bel_places.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Unlike most of the municipalities in Belgium, the ones now located in the Brussels-Capital Region were not merged with others during mergers occurring in 1964, 1970, and 1975.<ref name="roots" /> However, a few neighbouring municipalities have been merged into the [[City of Brussels]], including [[Laeken]], [[Haren, Belgium|Haren]] and [[Neder-Over-Heembeek]] in 1921.<ref name="Brussels">{{cite web|date=4 June 2005|title=Brussels Capital-Region|url=http://belgium.rootsweb.ancestry.com/bel/2bru/index.html|access-date=4 August 2008|publisher=Georges Picavet|archive-date=25 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725181458/http://belgium.rootsweb.ancestry.com/bel/2bru/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> These comprise the northern bulge in the municipality. To the south-east is a strip of land along the [[Avenue Louise/Louizalaan]] that, in addition to the [[Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos]], was annexed from [[Ixelles]] in 1864. Part of the {{Lang|fr|[[Université libre de Bruxelles]]|italic=no}} (ULB)'s [[Neighbourhoods in Brussels#Solbosch/Solbos|Solbosch/Solbos]] campus is also part of the City of Brussels, partially accounting for the bulge in the south-eastern end.

The largest municipality in area and population is the City of Brussels, covering {{cvt|33.09|km2|sqmi|1}} and with 198,314 inhabitants;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ville de Bruxelles {{!}} IBSA |url=https://ibsa.brussels/chiffres/chiffres-cles-par-commune/ville-de-bruxelles |access-date=2026-01-04 |website=ibsa.brussels |archive-date=30 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260130091119/https://ibsa.brussels/chiffres/chiffres-cles-par-commune/ville-de-bruxelles |url-status=live }}</ref> the least populous is [[Koekelberg]] with 22,648 inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Koekelberg {{!}} IBSA |url=https://ibsa.brussels/chiffres/chiffres-cles-par-commune/koekelberg |access-date=2026-01-04 |website=ibsa.brussels}}</ref> The smallest in area is [[Saint-Josse-ten-Noode]], which is only {{cvt|1.16|km2|sqmi|1}}, but still has the highest population density in the region, with {{cvt|23486|PD/km2}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saint-Josse-ten-Noode {{!}} IBSA |url=https://ibsa.brussels/chiffres/chiffres-cles-par-commune/saint-josse-ten-noode |access-date=2026-01-04 |website=ibsa.brussels}}</ref> [[Watermael-Boitsfort]] has the lowest population density in the region, with {{cvt|1953|PD/km2}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Watermael-Boitsfort {{!}} IBSA |url=https://ibsa.brussels/chiffres/chiffres-cles-par-commune/watermael-boitsfort |access-date=2026-01-04 |website=ibsa.brussels}}</ref>

There is much controversy on the division of 19 municipalities for a highly urbanised region, which is considered as (half of) one city by most people. Some politicians mock the "19 baronies" and want to merge the municipalities under one city council and one mayor.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fusie van de 19 Brusselse gemeenten|url=http://peterdedecker.eu/blog/2009/01/23/fusie_van_de_19_brusselse_gemeenten|access-date=26 August 2015|archive-date=20 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820125208/http://peterdedecker.eu/blog/2009/01/23/fusie_van_de_19_brusselse_gemeenten|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=De Brusselse Baronieën|url=http://www.vlaamsbelang.org/nieuws/4237|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150903210953/http://www.vlaamsbelang.org/nieuws/4237|archive-date=3 September 2015|access-date=26 August 2015}}</ref> That would lower the number of politicians needed to govern Brussels, and centralise the power over the city to make decisions easier, thus reduce the overall running costs. The current municipalities could be transformed into districts with limited responsibilities, similar to the current structure of [[Antwerp]] or to structures of other capitals like the [[London boroughs|boroughs]] in [[London]] or ''[[Arrondissements of Paris|arrondissements]]'' in [[Paris]], to keep politics close enough to the citizen.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bruxelles vaut bien une messe?|url=https://www.vub.ac.be/home/academischeopening/archief/0506/Bruxellesvautbienunemesse.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812052919/https://www.vub.ac.be/home/academischeopening/archief/0506/Bruxellesvautbienunemesse.pdf|archive-date=12 August 2014|access-date=7 August 2014}}</ref>

In the 2010s, [[Molenbeek-Saint-Jean]] gained international attention as [[Brussels ISIL terror cell|the base]] for [[Islamist terrorists]] who carried out attacks in both [[November 2015 Paris attacks|Paris]] and [[2016 Brussels bombings|Brussels]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/brussels-attacks-terrorist-safe-haven-213768/|title=My Journey To Brussels' Terrorist Safe Haven|first=Matthew|last=Levitt|work=[[Politico]]|date=27 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35890960|title=Brussels attacks: Molenbeek's gangster jihadists|publisher=BBC|date=24 March 2016|access-date=13 April 2016|archive-date=9 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409232025/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35890960|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the-belgian-neighborhood-indelibly-linked-to-jihad/2015/11/15/02bba49c-8b39-11e5-bd91-d385b244482f_story.html|title=The Belgian neighborhood indelibly linked to jihad|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=15 November 2015|access-date=13 April 2016|archive-date=8 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408075235/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the-belgian-neighborhood-indelibly-linked-to-jihad/2015/11/15/02bba49c-8b39-11e5-bd91-d385b244482f_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/beleaguered-molenbeek-struggles-to-fend-off-jihadist-recruiters/|title=Beleaguered Molenbeek struggles to fend off jihadist recruiters|work=The Times of Israel|date=3 April 2016|access-date=13 April 2016|archive-date=7 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407143755/http://www.timesofisrael.com/beleaguered-molenbeek-struggles-to-fend-off-jihadist-recruiters/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20151116_01972505|title=World points to "jihad Capital" Molenbeek|work=Het Nieuwsblad|date=16 November 2015|access-date=13 April 2016|archive-date=26 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426224536/http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20151116_01972505|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{clear}}
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="140" caption="Municipalities of Brussels">
File:Town hall of Anderlecht (DSC 2233).jpg|[[Anderlecht]]
File:Château Sainte-Anne (DSCF7140).jpg|[[Auderghem]] (Oudergem)
File:Berchem-Sainte-Agathe Town Hall (1).jpg|[[Berchem-Sainte-Agathe]] (Sint-Agatha-Berchem)
File:Brussels, townhall oeg2043-00090 foto3 2015-06-07 08.38.jpg|[[City of Brussels]]
File:Town hall of Etterbeek (DSC 2183).jpg|[[Etterbeek]]
File:EvereTownHall.jpg|[[Evere]]
File:MaisonCommunaleForest.jpg|[[Forest, Belgium|Forest]] (Vorst)
File:Ganshoren town hall.jpg|[[Ganshoren]]
File:MAISON-40.jpg|[[Ixelles]] (Elsene)
File:Jette voormalig gemeentehuis 27-04-2013.jpg|[[Jette]]
File:Maison communale Koekelberg.jpg|[[Koekelberg]]
File:Gemeentehuis St Jans Molenbeek.jpg|[[Molenbeek-Saint-Jean]] (Sint-Jans-Molenbeek)
File:StGillesTownHall.jpg|[[Saint-Gilles, Belgium|Saint-Gilles]] (Sint-Gillis)
File:Town hall of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode.01.jpg|[[Saint-Josse-ten-Noode]] (Sint-Joost-ten-Node)
File:Hôtel communal de Schaerbeek (2) - 2264-0007-0.jpg|[[Schaerbeek]] (Schaarbeek)
File:3557uccleTownHall.jpg|[[Uccle]] (Ukkel)
File:WatermaelBoitsfortTownHall.jpg|[[Watermael-Boitsfort]] (Watermaal-Bosvoorde)
File:Town hall of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert during golden hour (DSC 2171).jpg|[[Woluwe-Saint-Lambert]] (Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe)
File:Mais.Comm.W-S-P.01.JPG|[[Woluwe-Saint-Pierre]] (Sint-Pieters-Woluwe)
</gallery>

==Brussels-Capital Region==
[[File:Regions of Belgium.svg|thumb|Regions of Belgium:{{legend|#fab274| [[Flemish Region]]}}{{legend|#2385d2|Brussels-Capital Region}}{{legend|#f2536b| [[Walloon Region]]}}]]

===Political status and administration===
{{See also|Partition of Belgium#Brussels|Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Brussels}}

The Brussels-Capital Region is one of the three federated regions of Belgium, alongside the [[Walloon Region]] and the [[Flemish Region]]. Geographically and linguistically, it is a bilingual [[enclave]] in the monolingual Flemish Region. Regions are one component of Belgium's institutions; the three communities being the other component. Brussels' inhabitants deal with either the [[French Community of Belgium|French Community]] or the [[Flemish Community]] for matters such as culture and education, as well as a [[Common Community Commission|Common Community]] for competencies that do not belong exclusively to either Community, such as healthcare and social [[welfare spending|welfare]].

Upon the reorganisation and split of the [[Province of Brabant]] in 1995, the Brussels Region ceased to belong to any of the [[provinces of Belgium]], nor was it subdivided into provinces itself. However, the [[Arrondissement of Brussels-Capital]], whose borders coincide with the Brussels Region, continued to exist, and the areas of provincial jurisdiction were assumed by the newly created [[Governor of the Administrative Arrondissement of Brussels-Capital|Governor of the Arrondissement of Brussels-Capital]] and the Brussels regional institutions and community commissions. In 2014, the office of the Governor was formally abolished and replaced in September 2015 by the office of the "High official of the Arrondissement of Brussels-Capital", who retained responsibility for [[crisis management]] and [[emergency planning]], while responsibility for [[crime prevention]] was transferred to the [[Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region]].<ref name="High">{{cite web |title=The role of High official |url=https://safe.brussels/en/high-official |website=safe.Brussels |publisher=Brussels-Capital Region |access-date=28 April 2025}}</ref>

===Institutions===
{{Main|Government of the Brussels-Capital Region|Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region}}
[[File:Brussels Parliament building (2).jpg|thumb|The [[Brussels Parliament building]], housing the [[Brussels Regional Parliament]]]]

The Brussels-Capital Region is governed by a [[Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region|parliament]] of 89 members (72 French-speaking, 17 Dutch-speaking—parties are organised on a linguistic basis) and an eight-member regional cabinet consisting of a [[Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region|minister-president]], four ministers and three [[Secretary of state|state secretaries]]. By law, the cabinet must comprise two French-speaking and two Dutch-speaking ministers, one Dutch-speaking secretary of state and two French-speaking secretaries of state. The minister-president does not count against the language quota, but in practice every minister-president has been a bilingual francophone. The regional parliament can enact [[Ordinance (Belgium)|ordinances]] ({{langx|fr|ordonnances|link=no}}, {{langx|nl|ordonnanties|link=no}}), which have equal status as a national legislative act.

Nineteen of the 72 French-speaking members of the Brussels Parliament are also members of the [[Parliament of the French Community of Belgium]], and, until 2004, this was also the case for six Dutch-speaking members, who were at the same time members of the [[Flemish Parliament]]. Now, people voting for a Flemish party have to vote separately for six directly elected members of the Flemish Parliament.

===Agglomeration of Brussels===
Before the creation of the Brussels-Capital Region, regional competences in the 19 municipalities were performed by the Brussels Agglomeration. The Brussels Agglomeration was an administrative division established in 1971. This decentralised administrative public body also assumed jurisdiction over areas that, elsewhere in Belgium, were exercised by municipalities or provinces.<ref>{{cite web|title=Wet houdende organisatie van de agglomeraties en de federaties van gemeenten|url=http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_loi/change_lg.pl?language=nl&la=N&cn=1971072630&table_name=wet|access-date=11 September 2015|website=Belgiëlex.be|publisher=FOD Justitie|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113502/http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_loi/change_lg.pl?language=nl&la=N&cn=1971072630&table_name=wet|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Brussels Agglomeration had a separate legislative council, but the by-laws it enacted did not have legislative status. The only election of the council took place on 21 November 1971. The working of the council was subject to many difficulties caused by the linguistic and socio-economic tensions between the two communities.

After the creation of the Brussels-Capital Region, the Brussels Agglomeration was never formally abolished, although it no longer has a purpose.

==French and Flemish communities==
{{Main|French Community Commission|Flemish Community Commission}}
[[File:Communities of Belgium.svg|thumb|Communities of Belgium:{{legend|#fab274| [[Flemish Community]] / Dutch language area}}{{legend striped|#fab274|#f2536b|Flemish & French Community / bilingual language area|up=yes}}{{legend|#f2536b| [[French Community of Belgium|French Community]] / French language area}}{{legend|#40bb6a| [[German-speaking Community]] / German language area}}]]

The [[French Community of Belgium|French Community]] and the [[Flemish Community]] exercise their powers in Brussels through two community-specific public authorities: the [[French Community Commission]] ({{langx|fr|Commission communautaire française|link=no}} or COCOF) and the [[Flemish Community Commission]] ({{langx|nl|Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie|link=no}} or VGC). These two bodies each have an assembly composed of the members from each linguistic group in the [[Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region]]. They also have a board composed of the ministers and secretaries of state from each linguistic group in the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region.

The French Community Commission also has another capacity: some of the French Community's legislative powers have been devolved to the Walloon Region (for the French language area of Belgium) and to the French Community Commission (for the bilingual language area).<ref>Procedure contained in art. 138 of the Belgian Constitution</ref> The Flemish Community, however, did the opposite; it merged the Flemish Region into the Flemish Community.<ref>Procedure in art. 137 of the Belgian Constitution</ref> This is related the two linguistic groups having different conceptions, with one focusing more on the Communities and the other more on the Regions, causing an asymmetrical [[federalism]]. Because of this devolution, the French Community Commission can enact [[decree]]s, which are legislative acts.

===Common Community Commission===
A bi-communitarian public authority, the [[Common Community Commission]] ({{langx|fr|Commission communautaire commune|link=no}}, COCOM, {{langx|nl|Gemeenschappelijke Gemeenschapscommissie|link=no}}, GGC) also exists. Its assembly is composed of the members of the regional parliament, and its board are the region's ministers—not the secretaries of state—with the minister-president not having the right to vote. This commission has two capacities: it is a decentralised administrative public body, responsible for implementing cultural policies of common interest. It can give subsidies and enact [[by-law]]s. Additionally, it can also enact ordinances, which have equal status as a national legislative act, in the field of community welfare: in the Brussels-Capital Region, both the French Community and the Flemish Community can exercise powers in the field of welfare, but only in regard to institutions that are unilingual (for example, a private French-speaking retirement home or the Dutch-speaking hospital of the [[Vrije Universiteit Brussel]]). The Common Community Commission is responsible for policies aiming directly at private persons or at bilingual institutions (for example, the centres for social welfare of the 19 municipalities). Its ordinances have to be enacted with a majority in both linguistic groups. Failing such a majority, a new vote can be held, where a majority of at least one third in each linguistic group is sufficient.

==Brussels and the European Union==
{{Main|Brussels and the European Union}}
[[File:Quartier européen Bruxelles 2011-06 CROP.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Brussels' [[Brussels and the European Union#European Quarter|European Quarter]], hosting most of the [[EU institutions]]]]
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Brussels serves as ''[[de facto]]'' capital of the [[European Union]] (EU), hosting the major political [[Institutions of the European Union|institutions of the Union]].{{sfn|Demey|2007}} The EU has not declared a capital formally, though the [[Treaty of Amsterdam]] formally gives Brussels the seat of the [[European Commission]] (the executive branch of government) and the [[Council of the European Union]] (a legislative institution made up from executives of member states).<ref name="ENA COMM SEAT">{{cite web|title=Seat of the European Commission|url=http://www.ena.lu?lang=2&doc=3102|website=European Navigator|access-date=15 June 2022|archive-date=30 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930201316/http://www.ena.lu/?lang=2&doc=3102|url-status=live}}</ref>{{full citation needed|date=April 2018}}<ref name="EC EiB">European Commission publication: ''Europe in Brussels'' 2007</ref>{{full citation needed|date=April 2018}} It locates the formal seat of [[European Parliament]] in [[Strasbourg]], where votes take place, with the council, on the proposals made by the Commission. However, meetings of political groups and committee groups are formally given to Brussels, along with a set number of plenary sessions. Three quarters of Parliament sessions now take place at its [[Espace Léopold|Brussels hemicycle]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Wheatley|first=Paul|date=2 October 2006|title=The two-seat parliament farce must end|url=http://www.cafebabel.com/en/article.asp?T=A&Id=2047|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610174433/http://www.cafebabel.com/en/article.asp?T=A&Id=2047|archive-date=10 June 2007|access-date=16 July 2007|website=cafébabel.com}}</ref> Between 2002 and 2004, the [[European Council]] also fixed its seat in the city.<ref name="Dragoman">{{Cite conference|last=Stark|first=Christine|date=2 September 2002|title=Evolution of the European Council: The implications of a permanent seat|url=http://www.dragoman.org/ec/belfast-2002.pdf|conference=The UACES Thirty-second Annual Conference and Seventh Research Conference, 2–4 September 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070709220601/http://www.dragoman.org/ec/belfast-2002.pdf|archive-date=9 July 2007|access-date=12 July 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2014, the Union hosted a [[40th G7 summit|G7 summit]] in the city.<ref name=":0" />

[[File:Place du Luxembourg 889 Wide.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|The [[Place du Luxembourg|Place du Luxembourg/Luxemburgplein]] with the [[European Parliament]] in the background]]

Brussels, along with [[Luxembourg City|Luxembourg]] and Strasbourg, began to host European institutions in 1957, soon becoming the centre of activities, as the Commission and Council based their activities in what has become the [[Brussels and the European Union#European Quarter|European Quarter]], in the east of the city.<ref name="ENA COMM SEAT" /> Early building in Brussels was sporadic and uncontrolled, with little planning. The current major buildings are the [[Berlaymont building]] of the Commission, symbolic of the quarter as a whole, the [[Europa building]] of the Council and the [[Espace Léopold]] of the Parliament.<ref name="EC EiB" /> In recent years, the presence has increased considerably, with the Commission alone occupying {{cvt|865,000|m2}} within the European Quarter (a quarter of the total office space in Brussels).{{sfn|Demey|2007}} The concentration and density has caused concern that the presence of the institutions has created a ''[[ghetto]] effect'' in that part of the city.<ref name="EUO buildings">{{cite web|last=Vucheva|first=Elitsa|date=5 September 2007|title=EU quarter in Brussels set to grow|url=http://euobserver.com/9/24707|access-date=27 September 2007|website=eubserver.com|archive-date=6 December 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121206025214/http://euobserver.com/news/24707|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the European presence has contributed significantly to the importance of Brussels as an international centre.<ref name="E!Sarp" />
{{Multiple image
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| direction         = 
| header_background = #CCCCFF
| header            = [[Brussels and the European Union]]
| image1            = Belgique - Bruxelles - Schuman - Berlaymont - 01.jpg
| caption1          = The [[Berlaymont building]] ('''[[European Commission]]''')
| image2            = Europa_building_February_2016_(cropped).jpg
| caption2          = The [[Europa building]] ('''[[European Council]]''')
| image3            = Building of the European Parliament in Brussels.jpg
| caption3          = The [[Espace Léopold]] buildings ('''[[European Parliament]]''')
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| alt1              = 
| width1            = 277
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==International institutions==
Brussels has, since [[World War II]], become the administrative centre of many international organisations. The city is the political and administrative centre of the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO). [[NATO headquarters|NATO's Brussels headquarters]] houses [[List of diplomatic missions to NATO|29 embassies]] and brings together over 4,500 staff from allied nations, their militaries, and civil service personnel. Many other international organisations such as the [[World Customs Organization]] and [[Eurocontrol]], as well as international corporations, have their main institutions in the city. In addition, the main international [[trade union]] confederations have their headquarters there: the [[European Trade Union Confederation]] (ETUC), the [[International Confederation of Free Trade Unions]] (ICFTU) and the [[World Confederation of Labour]] (WCL).

Brussels is third in the number of international conferences it hosts,<ref name="ULB Int">{{cite web|title=Brussels, an international city and European capital|url=http://www.ulb.ac.be/docs/ulb-prestige/bxluk.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803145343/http://www.ulb.ac.be/docs/ulb-prestige/bxluk.html|archive-date=3 August 2010|website=L'université Libre de Bruxelles}}</ref> also becoming one of the largest convention centres in the world.<ref name="diplomatie">{{cite web|title=Brussels: home to international organisations|url=http://www.diplomatie.be/EN/belgium/belgiumdetail.asp?TEXTID=1754|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060215172520/http://www.diplomatie.be/EN/belgium/belgiumdetail.asp?TEXTID=1754|archive-date=15 February 2006|website=diplomatie.be}}</ref> The presence of the EU and the other international bodies has, for example, led to there being more ambassadors and journalists in Brussels than in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="E!Sarp">{{Cite magazine|last=Parker|first=John|date=January–February 2007|title=A tale of two cities|magazine=E!Sharp}}</ref> The city hosts 120 international institutions, 181 [[embassies]] ({{lang|la|intra muros}}) and more than 2,500 [[Diplomacy|diplomat]]s, making it the second centre of diplomatic relations in the world (after [[New York City]]). [[International school]]s have also been established to serve this presence.<ref name="diplomatie" /> The "international community" in Brussels numbers at least 70,000 people.<ref>{{cite web|last=Andrew Rettman|date=8 March 2010|title=Daylight shooting in EU capital raises alarm|url=http://euobserver.com/9/29622|access-date=29 June 2010|website=euobserver.com|archive-date=13 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213053422/http://euobserver.com/justice/29622|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2009, there were an estimated 286 [[lobbying]] consultancies known to work in Brussels.<ref>{{cite web|last=Leigh Phillips|date=11 March 2010|title=Majority of Brussels lobby firms avoid registry|url=http://euobserver.com/9/29658|access-date=29 June 2010|website=euobserver.com|archive-date=16 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100416053944/http://euobserver.com/9/29658/|url-status=live}}</ref> Finally, Brussels has more than 1,400 [[NGO]]s.<ref>{{cite web|last=Software|first=A7|title=Accessibility|url=https://www.wallonia.be/en/accessibility|access-date=2022-06-16|website=Wallonia.be|archive-date=23 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523051402/https://wallonia.be/en/accessibility|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2016-03-23|title=Recognised NGOs|url=https://diplomatie.belgium.be/en/policy/development_cooperation/who_we_are/partnerships/non-governmental_actors/recognised_ngos|access-date=2022-06-16|website=diplomatie|archive-date=18 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518154721/https://diplomatie.belgium.be/en/policy/development_cooperation/who_we_are/partnerships/non-governmental_actors/recognised_ngos|url-status=live}}</ref>

===North Atlantic Treaty Organization===
{{Main|NATO headquarters}}
[[File:2018 NATO Summit in Brussels (29510554308).jpg|thumb|right|Flags of [[Member states of NATO|NATO member states]] wave at the entrance of [[NATO headquarters|NATO's headquarters]] in [[Haren, Belgium|Haren]]]]

The [[Treaty of Brussels]], which was signed on 17 March 1948 between Belgium, [[France]], [[Luxembourg]], the [[Netherlands]] and the [[United Kingdom]], was a prelude to the establishment of the [[Intergovernmental organization|intergovernmental]] [[military alliance]] that later became the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO).<ref>{{cite web|title=Brussels Pact|url=http://www.brussels.info/brussels-pact/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205095916/http://www.brussels.info/brussels-pact/|archive-date=5 February 2017|access-date=4 February 2017|website=brussels.info}}</ref> {{As of|2024}}, the alliance consists of 32 independent member countries across [[North America]] and Europe. Several countries also have diplomatic missions to NATO [[List of diplomatic missions to NATO|through embassies in Belgium]]. Since 1949, a number of [[NATO summit|NATO Summits]] have been held in Brussels,<ref>{{cite web|last=NATO|title=Summit meetings|url=http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_50115.htm|access-date=2 March 2017|website=NATO|archive-date=8 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908044712/http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_50115.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> the most recent taking place in June 2021.<ref name=":9" /> The organisation's political and administrative [[NATO headquarters|headquarters]] are located on the {{lang|fr|Boulevard Léopold III|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Leopold III-laan|italic=no}} in [[Haren, Belgium|Haren]], on the north-eastern perimeter of the [[City of Brussels]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Isby|first1=David C.|title=Armies of NATO's Central Front|last2=Kamps|first2=Charles Jr.|date=1985|publisher=Jane's Information Group|isbn=9780710603418|page=13}}</ref> A new €750&nbsp;million headquarters building begun in 2010 and was completed in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|last=NATO|title=New NATO Headquarters|url=http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49287.htm|access-date=8 January 2017|website=NATO|archive-date=5 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805220730/http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49287.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Eurocontrol===
{{Main|Eurocontrol}}

The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, commonly known as Eurocontrol, is an [[international organisation]] that coordinates and plans [[air traffic control]] across European [[airspace]]. The corporation was founded in 1960 and has 41 member states.<ref name="History Book">{{cite web|first=John|last=McInally|url=https://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/publication/files/2011-history-book.pdf|title=Eurocontrol History Book|date=December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312055754/https://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/publication/files/2011-history-book.pdf|archive-date=12 March 2016|publisher=Eurocontrol}}</ref> Its headquarters are located in Haren, Brussels.

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Brussels}}

===Population===
[[File:EU NUTS 2 population density 2007.svg|thumb|[[Population density]] of Europe. Brussels is located between the largest urban centres.]]

Brussels is located in one of the most [[Blue Banana|urbanised regions of Europe]], between [[Paris]], [[London]], the [[Rhine-Ruhr]] (Germany), and the [[Randstad]] (Netherlands). The Brussels-Capital Region has a population of around 1.2&nbsp;million and has witnessed, in recent years, a remarkable increase in its population. In general, the population of Brussels is younger than the national average, and the gap between rich and poor is wider.<ref>{{cite web|title=Très riches et très pauvres|url=http://www.lalibre.be/actu/bruxelles/article/616278/tres-riches-et-tres-pauvres.html|access-date=12 March 2013|publisher=Lalibre.be}}</ref>

Brussels is the core of a built-up area that extends well beyond the region's limits. Sometimes referred to as the urban area of Brussels ({{langx|fr|aire urbaine de Bruxelles|link=no}}, {{langx|nl|stedelijk gebied van Brussel|link=no}}) or Greater Brussels ({{langx|fr|Grand-Bruxelles|link=no}}, {{langx|nl|Groot-Brussel|link=no}}), this area extends over a large part of the two Brabant provinces, including much of the surrounding [[arrondissement of Halle-Vilvoorde]] and some small parts of the [[arrondissement of Leuven]] in [[Flemish Brabant]], as well as the northern part of [[Walloon Brabant]].

The metropolitan area of Brussels is divided into three levels. Firstly, the central agglomeration ({{langx|fr|agglomération opérationnelle|link=no}}, {{langx|nl|geoperationaliseerde agglomeratie|link=no}}) within the regional borders, with a population of 1,218,255 inhabitants.<ref name=":8" /> Adding the closest suburbs ({{langx|fr|banlieues|link=no}}, {{langx|nl|buitenwijken|link=no}}) gives a total population of 1,831,496. Including the outer [[commuter]] area ({{langx|fr|zone résidentielle des migrants alternants|link=no}}, {{langx|nl|forensenwoonzone|link=no}}), the population is 2,676,701.<ref name="BelMetr" /><ref name=":5" /> Brussels is also part of a wider [[conurbation]] extending towards the cities of [[Ghent]], [[Antwerp]], and [[Leuven]], known as the [[Flemish Diamond]], as well as the province of [[Walloon Brabant]], in total home to over 5&nbsp;million people (a little more than 40% of the Belgium's total population).{{sfn|Van Meeteren|Boussauw|Derudder|Witlox|2016}}<ref name="Meijers-2007">{{Cite book|last=Meijers|first=Evert J.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UhMjzogIa_UC&q=Flemish+Diamond&pg=PT62|title=Synergy in Polycentric Urban Regions: Complementarity, Organising Capacity and Critical Mass|date=2007|publisher=IOS Press|isbn=9781586037246|page=54|access-date=25 October 2020|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414232106/https://books.google.com/books?id=UhMjzogIa_UC&q=Flemish+Diamond&pg=PT62|url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
!{{Verify source|date=February 2018}}
!01-07-2004<ref name="statbe12">{{cite web|title=Language selection – Statbel|url=http://www.statbel.fgov.be/figures/download_fr.asp#2|access-date=29 October 2018|website=statbel.fgov.be|archive-date=30 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430065554/http://www.statbel.fgov.be/figures/download_fr.asp#2|url-status=live}}</ref>
!01-07-2005<ref name="statbe12" />
!01-07-2006<ref name="statbe12" />
!01-01-2008<ref name="statbe12" />
!01-01-2015<ref name="statbe12" />
!01-01-2019<ref name="statbe12" />
!01-01-2020<ref name="statbe12" />
|-
|'''Brussels-Capital Region<ref name="statbe12" />'''{{Verify source|date=January 2019}}
| style="text-align:right;"|1,004,239
| style="text-align:right;"|1,012,258
| style="text-align:right;"|1,024,492
| style="text-align:right;"|1,048,491
| style="text-align:right;"|1,181,272
| style="text-align:right;"|1,208,542
| style="text-align:right;"|1,218,255
|-
|''-- of which legal immigrants<ref name="statbe12" />''{{Verify source|date=January 2019}}
| style="text-align:right;"|''262,943''
| style="text-align:right;"|''268,009''
| style="text-align:right;"|''277,682''
| style="text-align:right;"|''295,043''
| style="text-align:right;"|''385,381''
| style="text-align:right;"|''450,000''
| style="text-align:right;"|''?''
|}

===Nationalities===
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+Largest groups of foreign residents (2022)<ref>{{Cite report|url=https://ibsa.brussels/sites/default/files/documents/1.3_population_Nationalit%C3%A9s_20220926_0.xlsx|title=Population – Nationalités|publisher=Brussels Institute for Statistics and Analysis|language=fr|access-date=24 September 2023|format=XLS|at=Tabel 1.3.1.4 – Principales nationalités actuelles : 2022 (au 1er janvier)|archive-date=17 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017125020/https://ibsa.brussels/sites/default/files/documents/1.3_population_Nationalit%C3%A9s_20220926_0.xlsx|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|France}} || 68,418
|-
|{{flagu|Romania}} || 45,243
|-
|{{flagu|Italy}} || 35,154
|-
|{{flagu|Morocco}} || 33,955
|-
|{{flagu|Spain}} || 30,609
|-
|{{flagu|Poland}} || 20,060
|-
|{{flagu|Portugal}} || 18,968
|-
|{{flagu|Bulgaria}} || 13,104
|-
|{{flagu|Germany}} || 10,927
|-
|{{flagu|Greece}} || 9,675
{{collapsed infobox section begin|Other countries}}
|-
|{{flagu|Syria}} || 9,555
|-
|{{flagu|Turkey}} || 8,494
|-
|{{flagu|Netherlands}} || 8,287
|-
|{{flagu|Democratic Republic of the Congo}} || 7,836
|-
|{{flagu|India}} || 7,273
|-
|{{flagu|United Kingdom}} || 5,322
|-
|{{flagu|Guinea}} || 5,231
|-
|{{flagu|Brazil}} || 4,834
|-
|{{flagu|Cameroon}} || 4,473
|-
|{{flagu|Algeria}} || 2,996
{{collapsed infobox section end}}
|}

There have been numerous migrations towards Brussels since the end of the 18th century, when the city acted as a common destination for [[political refugees]] from neighbouring or more distant countries, particularly France.{{sfn|Dumont|1996|pp=307–8; 312; 319}} From 1871, many of the [[Communards|Paris Communards]] fled to Brussels, where they received political asylum. Other notable international exiles living in Brussels at the time included [[Victor Hugo]], [[Karl Marx]], [[Pierre-Joseph Proudhon]], [[Georges Boulanger]], [[Paul Verlaine]], [[Arthur Rimbaud]], and [[Léon Daudet]], to name a few.{{sfn|Dumont|1996|pp=307–8; 312; 319}}<ref>''[[Historia (newspaper)|Historia]]'', no. 680, August 2003, p. 36–37</ref> Attracted by the industrial opportunities, many workers moved in, first from the other [[Belgian provinces]] (mainly rural residents from [[Flanders]]){{sfn|Buron|2016|p=80–82}} and France, then from [[Southern Europe]]an, and more recently from [[Eastern Europe]]an and [[Africa]]n countries.

Since the second half of the 20th century, Brussels has been home to a large number of immigrants and [[émigré]] communities, as well as labour migrants, former foreign students or [[expatriate]]s, and many Belgian families in Brussels can claim at least one foreign grandparent. At the last Belgian census in 1991, 63.7% of inhabitants in Brussels-Capital Region answered that they were Belgian citizens, born as such in Belgium, indicating that more than a third of residents had not been born in the country.<ref name="philippevanparijs">{{cite journal|title=Belgium's new linguistic challenges|author-link=Philippe Van Parijs|author=Van Parijs, Philippe|journal=KVS Express (Supplement to Newspaper de Morgen) March–April 2007|pages=Article from [http://www.kvs.be/kvs_express/KVS_EXPRESS_13_WEB.pdf original source (pdf 4.9&nbsp;MB)] pages 34–36 republished by the Belgian Federal Government Service (ministry) of Economy – Directorate–general Statistics Belgium|url=http://www.statbel.fgov.be/studies/ac699_en.pdf|format=pdf 0.7&nbsp;MB|access-date=5 May 2007|no-pp=true|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613234540/http://www.statbel.fgov.be/studies/ac699_en.pdf|archive-date=13 June 2007}} – The linguistic situation in Belgium (and in particular various estimations of the population speaking French and Dutch in Brussels) is discussed in detail.{{cite web|title=Hier ging iets mis &#124; KVS|url=http://www.kvs.be/kvs_express/KVS_EXPRESS_13_WEB.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325104118/http://www.kvs.be/kvs_express/KVS_EXPRESS_13_WEB.pdf|archive-date=25 March 2009|access-date=11 July 2008}}</ref><ref name="ibsa">{{cite web|title=Population et ménages|url=http://www.bruxelles.irisnet.be/cmsmedia/fr/is_2006_population_menages.pdf?uri=43742a9611346ccd0111374fb94f0351|access-date=5 May 2007|publisher=IBSA Cellule statistique – Min. Région Bruxelles-Capitale (Statistical cell – Ministry of the Brussels-Capital Region)|language=French}}{{dead link|date=March 2016}}</ref> According to [[Statbel]] (the Belgian Statistical Office), in 2020, taking into account the parents' nationality of birth, 74.3% of the population of the Brussels-Capital Region was of foreign origin and 41.8% was of non-European origin (including 28.7% of African origin). Among those aged under 18, 88% were of foreign origin and 57% of non-European origin (including 42.4% of African origin).<ref name="micheletribalat.fr">Michèle Tribalat, [http://www.micheletribalat.fr/448383449 Population d'origine étrangère en Belgique en 2020] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502165612/http://www.micheletribalat.fr/448383449 |date=2 May 2021 }}, 8 February 2021</ref>

This large concentration of immigrants and their descendants includes many of [[Moroccans in Belgium|Moroccan]] (mainly [[Riffian people|Riffian]] and other [[Berbers]]) and [[Turkey|Turkish]] ancestry, together with French-speaking black Africans from former [[Belgian overseas colonies|Belgian colonies]], such as the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], [[Rwanda]] and [[Burundi]]. Many immigrants were [[naturalised]] following the great 1991 reform of the naturalisation process. In 2012, about 32% of city residents were of non-Belgian [[Europe]]an origin (mainly expatriates from France, Romania, Italy, Spain, Poland, and Portugal) and 36% were of another background, mostly from Morocco, Turkey and [[Sub-Saharan Africa]]. Among all major migrant groups from outside the EU, a majority of the permanent residents have acquired Belgian nationality.<ref>{{cite web|title=2.738.486 inwoners van vreemde afkomst in België op 01/01/2012|trans-title=2,738,486 inhabitants of foreign origin in Belgium on 01/01/2012|url=http://www.npdata.be/BuG/155-Vreemde-afkomst/Vreemde-afkomst.htm|access-date=12 March 2013|website=Npdata.be|language=nl|archive-date=22 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022180710/http://www.npdata.be/BuG/155-Vreemde-afkomst/Vreemde-afkomst.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Languages===
{{See also|Francization of Brussels}}
[[File:Languages spoken at home in the Brussels Capital Region (2013).PNG|thumb|right|Languages spoken at home in the Brussels-Capital Region (2013)<ref name="brio2013">{{Cite book|last=Janssens|first=Rudi|url=http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/onderzoeksprojecten/brio_taalbarometer_3_brussel_2013.pdf|title=BRIO-taalbarometer 3: diversiteit als norm|publisher=Brussels Informatie-, Documentatie- en Onderzoekscentrum|year=2013|language=nl|trans-title=BRIO language barometer 3: diversity as standard|access-date=26 May 2015|archive-date=15 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015061651/http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/onderzoeksprojecten/brio_taalbarometer_3_brussel_2013.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><br />{{legend|#9999FF|French}}{{legend|#CCCCFF|French and Dutch}}{{legend|#CCFFFF|Dutch}}{{legend|#99CCFF|French and other language}}{{legend|#FFFFCC|Neither French nor Dutch}}]]

Brussels was historically [[Dutch-speaking]], using the [[Brabantian dialect]],<ref name="tokyo">{{Cite book|last=Backhaus|first=Peter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nl0mPajCyxsC|title=Linguistic Landscapes: A Comparative Study of Urban Multilingualism in Tokyo|publisher=Multilingual Matters Ltd|year=2007|isbn=9781853599460|page=158|access-date=2013-03-26|archive-date=15 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415012552/https://books.google.com/books?id=Nl0mPajCyxsC|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 13--><ref name="jaumain">{{Cite book|last=Jaumain|first=Serge|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KHsk_ht_UqEC|title=Vivre en Ville: Bruxelles et Montréal aux XIXe et XXe siècles|publisher=Peter Lang|year=2006|isbn=9789052013343|edition=Études Canadiennes Series nº9|page=375|language=French|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=28 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128005647/https://books.google.com/books?id=KHsk_ht_UqEC|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 47--><ref name="roegiest">{{Cite book|last=Roegiest|first=Eugeen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K7FeNc7B3EYC|title=Vers les sources des langues romanes. Un itinéraire linguistique à travers la Romania|publisher=ACCO|year=2009|isbn=9789033473807|page=272|language=French|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=28 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128005705/https://books.google.com/books?id=K7FeNc7B3EYC|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 184--> but since the 19th century<ref name="tokyo" /><!--see page 13--><ref name="marynissen">{{Cite book|last=Janssens|first=Guy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JOo9oNIUcFUC|title=Het Nederlands vroeger en nu|publisher=ACCO|year=2005|isbn=9033457822|language=Dutch|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414232050/https://books.google.com/books?id=JOo9oNIUcFUC|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 227--> [[Belgian French|French]] has become the city's predominant language.<ref name="rudi3">{{Cite book|last=Janssens|first=Rudi|url=http://www.brusselsstudies.be/medias/publications/NL_51_BruS13NL.pdf|title=Taalgebruik in Brussel en de plaats van het Nederlands — Enkele recente bevindingen|year=2008|edition=Brussels Studies, nº13|language=Dutch|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=15 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315062310/http://brusselsstudies.be/medias/publications/NL_51_BruS13NL.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The main cause of this transition was the rapid [[Cultural assimilation|assimilation]] of the local [[Flemish people|Flemish population]],<ref name="kramer">{{Cite book|last=Kramer|first=Johannes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rHZtibOQnnQC|title=Zweisprachigkeit in den Benelux-ländern|publisher=Buske Verlag|year=1984|isbn=3871185973|access-date=2013-04-26}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><!--see page 99-100--><ref name="tokyo" /><!--see page 13--><ref name="baetens">{{Cite book|last=Baetens Beardsmore|first=Hugo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DX1JcMNgz7AC|title=Bilingualism: Basic Principles (2nd Ed.)|publisher=Multilingual Matters Ltd|year=1986|isbn=9780905028637|edition=Multiligual Matters Series|page=205|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=28 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128043131/https://books.google.com/books?id=DX1JcMNgz7AC|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 103--><ref name="ernst">{{Cite book|last=Ernst|first=Gerhard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=07wyfaQQ_akC|title=Histoire des langues romanes|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|year=2006|isbn=9783110171501|edition=Manuel international sur l'histoire et l'étude linguistique des langues romanes|page=1166|language=French|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=28 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128005638/https://books.google.com/books?id=07wyfaQQ_akC|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 1686--><ref name="roegiest" /><!--see page 184--> amplified by immigration from [[France]] and [[Wallonia]].<ref name="tokyo" /><ref name="vermeersch">{{Cite book|last=Vermeersch|first=Arthur J.|url=http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/Taal_sociale_integr_4.pdf|title=De taalsituatie tijdens het Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden (1814–1830)|publisher=[[Vrije Universiteit Brussel]] (VUB)|year=1981|edition=Taal en Sociale Integratie, IV|pages=389–404|language=Dutch|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=11 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411072853/http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/Taal_sociale_integr_4.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><!--see page 390--> The [[Francization|rise of French]] in public life gradually began by the end of the 18th century,<ref name="poirier">{{Cite book|last=Poirier|first=Johanne|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8skGPQAACAAJ|title=Choix, statut et mission d'une capitale fédérale: Bruxelles au regard du droit comparé|publisher=De Boeck & Larcier|year=1999|isbn=2-8044-0525-7|edition=Het statuut van Brussel / Bruxelles et son statut [61-97]|location=Brussel|page=817|language=French|access-date=11 February 2021|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414225513/https://books.google.com/books?id=8skGPQAACAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 71--><ref name="rousseaux">{{Cite book|last=Rousseaux|first=Xavier|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WW_8JY3TTg0C|title=Le pénal dans tous ses états: justice, États et sociétés en Europe|publisher=Publications des Fac. St Louis|year=1997|isbn=9782802801153|edition=Volume 74|page=462|language=French|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=28 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128024057/https://books.google.com/books?id=WW_8JY3TTg0C|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 226--> quickly accelerating after [[Belgian independence]].<ref name="degroof">{{Cite book|last=De Groof|first=Roel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ReVcRnqeon0C|title=De kwestie Groot-Brussel en de politieke metropolisering van de hoofdstad (1830–1940). Een analyse van de besluitvorming en de politiek-institutionele aspecten van de voorstellen tot hereniging, annexatie, fusie, federatie en districtvorming van Brussel en zijn voorsteden.|publisher=De Boeck & Larcier|year=2003|isbn=2-8044-1216-4|edition=De Brusselse negentien gemeenten en het Brussels model / Les dix-neuf communes bruxelloises et le modèle bruxellois [3-56]|location=Brussel, Gent|page=754|language=Dutch|access-date=11 February 2021|archive-date=15 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615032353/https://books.google.com/books?id=ReVcRnqeon0C|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 54--><ref name="gubin">{{Cite book|last=Gubin|first=Eliane|author-link1=Éliane Gubin|url=http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/Taal_sociale_integr_1.pdf|title=La situation des langues à Bruxelles au 19ième siècle à la lumière d'un examen critique des statistiques|publisher=[[Université Libre de Bruxelles]]|year=1978|edition=Taal en Sociale Integratie, I|pages=33–80|language=French|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=11 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411072846/http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/Taal_sociale_integr_1.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><!--see page 51--> Dutch—of which [[Standard language|standardisation]] in Belgium was still very weak<ref name="balans">{{Cite book|last=Witte|first=Els|url=http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/taal%20&%20politiek_nl.pdf|title=Taal en politiek: De Belgische casus in een historisch perspectief|publisher=VUBPress ([[Vrije Universiteit Brussel]])|year=1998|isbn=9789054871774|edition=Balansreeks|location=Brussel|page=180|language=Dutch|access-date=15 June 2022|archive-date=26 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526142926/https://www.briobrussel.be/assets/taal%20%26%20politiek_nl.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 17--><ref name="busekist">{{Cite book|last=Von Busekist|first=Astrid|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kUSlh1z8okQC|title=Nationalisme contre bilinguisme: le cas belge|publisher=Éditions KARTHALA|year=2002|isbn=9782845862401|edition=La Politique de Babel: du monolinguisme d'État au plurilinguisme des peuples [191-226]|page=348|language=French|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=28 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128005632/https://books.google.com/books?id=kUSlh1z8okQC|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 191--><ref name="gubin" /><!--see page 47-->—could not compete with French, which was the exclusive language of the judiciary, the administration, the army, education, cultural life and the media, and thus necessary for [[social mobility]].<ref name="bitsch">{{Cite book|last=Bitsch|first=Marie-Thérèse|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=keh_JJginLwC|title=Histoire de la Belgique: De l'Antiquité à nos jours|publisher=Éditions Complexe|year=2004|isbn=9782804800239|page=299|language=French|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=28 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128005624/https://books.google.com/books?id=keh_JJginLwC|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 120--><ref name="tétart"/><!--see page 31--><ref name="jaumain" /><!--see page 47--><ref name="kok">{{Cite book|last=Kok Escalle|first=Marie-Christine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HjhQ-LTpD_0C|title=Changements politiques et statut des langues: histoire et épistémologie 1780-1945|publisher=Rodopi|year=2001|isbn=9789042013759|edition=Faux Titre (volume 206)|page=374|language=French|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=28 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128005657/https://books.google.com/books?id=HjhQ-LTpD_0C|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 369--><ref name="marynissen" /><!--see page 143--> The value and prestige of the French language were universally acknowledged<ref name="jaumain" /><!--see page 48--><ref name="bogaert" /><!--see page 118--><ref name="kramer" /><!--see page 112--><ref name="gubin" /><!--see page 50--><ref name="hasquin2">{{Cite book|last=Hasquin|first=Hervé|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9VBMP2Qi9kgC|title=Bruxelles, ville frontière. Le point de vue d'un historien francophone|publisher=Éditions Complexe|year=1996|isbn=9782870276631|edition=Europe et ses ville-frontières [205-230]|location=Bruxelles|page=329|language=French|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=28 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128043142/https://books.google.com/books?id=9VBMP2Qi9kgC|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="vrints">{{Cite book|last=Vrints|first=Antoon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AWohT1yErb0C|title=Het theater van de Straat: Publiek geweld in Antwerpen tijdens de eerste helft van de twintigste Eeuw|publisher=Amsterdam University Press|year=2011|isbn=978-9089643407|edition=Studies Stadsgeschiedenis Series|location=Amsterdam|page=223|language=Dutch|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414225514/https://books.google.com/books?id=AWohT1yErb0C|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 209--> to such an extent that after 1880,<ref name="veron"/><!--see pages 77 en 257--><ref name="velthoven">{{Cite book|last=van Velthoven|first=Harry|url=http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/Taal_sociale_integr_4.pdf|title=Taal- en onderwijspolitiek te Brussel (1878-1914)|publisher=[[Vrije Universiteit Brussel]] (VUB)|year=1981|edition=Taal en Sociale Integratie, IV|pages=261–387|language=Dutch|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=11 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411072853/http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/Taal_sociale_integr_4.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><!--see page 283--><ref name="balans" /><!--see page 84--> and more particularly after the turn of the 20th century,<ref name="gubin" /><!--see page 70--> proficiency in French among Dutch-speakers in Brussels increased spectacularly.<ref name="blampain" /><!--see page 247-->

Although a majority of the population remained bilingual until the second half of the 20th century,<ref name="blampain" /><!--see page 248--><ref name="kramer" /><!--see page 103--> family transmission of the historic Brabantian dialect<ref name="witte">{{Cite book|last=Witte|first=Els|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8skGPQAACAAJ|title=Analyse du statut de Bruxelles (1989-1999)|publisher=De Boeck & Larcier|year=1999|isbn=2-8044-0525-7|edition=Het statuut van Brussel / Bruxelles et son statut [19-33]|location=Brussel|page=817|language=French|access-date=11 February 2021|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414225513/https://books.google.com/books?id=8skGPQAACAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 19--> declined,{{sfn|Treffers-Daller|1994}} leading to an increase of monolingual French-speakers from 1910 onwards.<ref name="bogaert">{{Cite book|last=Bogaert-Damin|first=Anne Marie|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lfcGiuMtz7UC|title=Bruxelles: développement de l'ensemble urbain 1846–1961|publisher=Presses universitaires de Namur|year=1978|isbn=9782870370896|page=337|language=French|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414232945/https://books.google.com/books?id=lfcGiuMtz7UC|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 117--><ref name="metsenaere-thuis">{{Cite book|last=de Metsenaere|first=Machteld|url=http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/andere%20publicaties/btng-rbhc,%2021,%201990,%203-4,%20pp%20383-412.pdf|title=Thuis in gescheiden werelden — De migratoire en sociale aspecten van verfransing te Brussel in het midden van de 19e eeuw|publisher=[[Vrije Universiteit Brussel]] (VUB)|year=1990|edition=BTNG-RBHC, XXI, 1990, nº 3–4 [383–412]|language=Dutch|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015023229/http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/andere%20publicaties/btng-rbhc,%2021,%201990,%203-4,%20pp%20383-412.pdf|archive-date=15 October 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><!--see page 392--> From the mid-20th century, the number of monolingual French-speakers surpassed the number of mostly bilingual Flemish inhabitants.<ref name="brio4">{{Cite journal|last=Machteld de Metsenaere|year=1990|title=Thuis in gescheiden werelden – De migratoire en sociale aspecten van verfransing te Brussel in het midden van de 19e eeuw|trans-title=Home in separate worlds – The migratory and social aspects of Francization in Brussels in the middle of the 19th century|url=http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/andere%20publicaties/btng-rbhc,%2021,%201990,%203-4,%20pp%20383-412.pdf|url-status=dead|journal=[[BTNG-RBHC]]|language=nl|volume=XXI|issue=3–4|pages=383–412|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015023229/http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/andere%20publicaties/btng-rbhc,%2021,%201990,%203-4,%20pp%20383-412.pdf|archive-date=15 October 2018|access-date=23 December 2018}}</ref> This process of assimilation weakened after the 1960s,<ref name="blampain">{{Cite book|last=Blampain|first=Daniel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fl1trFhoYFwC|title=Le français en Belgique: Une communauté, une langue|publisher=De Boeck Université|year=1997|isbn=2801111260|language=French|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=11 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511212204/http://books.google.fr/books?id=fl1trFhoYFwC&dq|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="mares">{{Cite book|last=Mares|first=Ann|url=http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/andere%20publicaties/brusselse_thema%27s_7.pdf|title=Begin van het einde van de nationale partijen. Onderzoek naar de Vlaamse Beweging(en) en de Vlaamse politieke partijen in Brussel: de Rode Leeuwen|publisher=VUBPress ([[Vrije Universiteit Brussel]])|year=2001|isbn=9054872926|edition=19 keer Brussel; Brusselse Thema's (7) [157-185]|language=Dutch|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=15 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015023227/http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/andere%20publicaties/brusselse_thema%27s_7.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> as the [[language border]] was fixed, the status of Dutch as an official language of Belgium was reinforced,<ref name="depré">{{Cite book|last=Depré|first=Leen|url=http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/andere%20publicaties/brusselse_thema%27s_7.pdf|title=Tien jaar persberichtgeving over de faciliteitenproblematiek in de Brusselse Rand. Een inhoudsanalystisch onderzoek|publisher=VUBPress ([[Vrije Universiteit Brussel]])|year=2001|isbn=9054872926|edition=19 keer Brussel; Brusselse Thema's (7) [281-336]|page=281|language=Dutch|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=15 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015023227/http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/andere%20publicaties/brusselse_thema%27s_7.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the economic centre of gravity shifted northward to [[Flanders]].<ref name="balans" /><!--see pages 25 and 38--><ref name="veron"/> However, with the continuing arrival of immigrants and the post-war emergence of Brussels as a [[Brussels and the European Union|centre of international politics]], the relative position of Dutch continued to decline.<ref name="brusselsstudies">{{Cite journal|last=Janssens|first=Rudi|url=https://journals.openedition.org/brussels/520|title=Language use in Brussels and the position of Dutch|journal=Brussels Studies|publisher=Brussels Studies [Online]|year=2008|doi=10.4000/brussels.520|access-date=17 July 2018|archive-date=17 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717184225/https://journals.openedition.org/brussels/520|url-status=live|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="marynissen" /><!--see page 230--><ref name="janssens">{{Cite book|last=Janssens|first=Rudi|url=http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/andere%20publicaties/brusselse_thema%27s_7.pdf|title=Over Brusselse Vlamingen en het Nederlands in Brussel|publisher=VUBPress ([[Vrije Universiteit Brussel]])|year=2001|isbn=9054872926|edition=19 keer Brussel; Brusselse Thema's (7) [41-84]|page=60|language=Dutch|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=15 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015023227/http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/andere%20publicaties/brusselse_thema%27s_7.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="detant">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8skGPQAACAAJ|publisher=De Boeck & Larcier|edition=Het statuut van Brussel / Bruxelles et son statut [411–438]|title=Kunnen taalvrijheid en officiële tweetaligheid verzoend worden? De toepassing van de taalwetgeving in het Brussels Hoofdstedelijke Gewest en de 19 gemeenten|first=Anja|last=Detant|language=Dutch|location=Brussel|year=1999|page=817|isbn=2-8044-0525-7|access-date=11 February 2021|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414225513/https://books.google.com/books?id=8skGPQAACAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 415--><ref name="blampain" /><!--see page 251-->{{sfn|Treffers-Daller|1994}} Furthermore, as Brussels' urban area expanded,<ref name="meynen">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=adTkPQAACAAJ|publisher=Standaard Uitgeverij|title=De Geschiedenis van België na 1945|first=Els|last=Witte|language=Dutch|location=Antwerpen|year=2006|page=576|isbn=9789002219634|access-date=11 February 2021|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414225010/https://books.google.com/books?id=adTkPQAACAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> a further number of Dutch-speaking municipalities in the [[Brussels Periphery|Brussels periphery]] also became predominantly French-speaking.<ref name="depré" /><ref name="klinkenberg">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NpJqZxm672sC|publisher=De Boeck Supérieur|edition=Champs linguistiques|title=Des langues romanes: Introduction aux études de linguistique romane|first=Jean-Marie|last=Klinkenberg|language=French|year=1999|page=316|isbn=9782801112274|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=28 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128024046/https://books.google.com/books?id=NpJqZxm672sC|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 254--> This phenomenon of expanding Francisation—dubbed "oil slick" by its opponents<ref name="kramer" /><!--see page 110--><ref name="kesteloot">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DGOfCPvoyWcC|publisher=Éditions Complexe|edition=Histoires contemporaines|title=Au nom de la Wallonie et de Bruxelles français: Les origines du FDF|first=Chantal|last=Kesteloot|language=French|year=2004|page=375|isbn=9782870279878|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=28 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128005651/https://books.google.com/books?id=DGOfCPvoyWcC|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 69--><ref name="blampain" /><!--see page 248-->—is, together with the future of Brussels,<ref name="frognier">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8skGPQAACAAJ|publisher=De Boeck & Larcier|edition=Het statuut van Brussel / Bruxelles et son statut [705-720]|title=Les interactions stratégiques dans la problématique communautaire et la question bruxelloise|first=André-Paul|last=Frognier|language=French|location=Brussel|year=1999|page=817|isbn=2-8044-0525-7|access-date=11 February 2021|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414225513/https://books.google.com/books?id=8skGPQAACAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> one of the most controversial topics in [[Belgian politics]].<ref name="veron">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nIKV9oOdpgIC|title=La dualité démographique de la Belgique : mythe ou réalité?|edition=Régimes démographiques et territoires: les frontières en question [255–278]|first=Catherine|last=Capron|language=French|year=2000|publisher=INED|isbn=2950935680|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414225008/https://books.google.com/books?id=nIKV9oOdpgIC|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 258--><ref name="tétart">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WpbjQSwEhGgC|publisher=De Boeck Supérieur|title=Nationalismes régionaux: Un défi pour l'Europe|first=Frank|last=Tétart|language=French|year=2009|page=112|isbn=9782804117818|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=28 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128024103/https://books.google.com/books?id=WpbjQSwEhGgC|url-status=live}}</ref><!--see page 22-->

[[File:Brussels signs.jpg|thumb|left|[[Multilingualism|Bilingual]] French and Dutch street signs in Brussels]]

Since its creation in 1989, the Brussels-Capital Region has been legally bilingual, with both French and Dutch having official status,<ref name="constitution">{{cite web|url=http://www.senate.be/doc/const_fr.html|title=La Constitution belge (Art. 4)|date=May 2007|publisher=the [[Belgian Senate]]|quote=La Belgique comprend quatre régions linguistiques : la région de langue française, la région de langue néerlandaise, la région bilingue de Bruxelles-Capitale et la région de langue allemande.|access-date=2009-01-18|language=fr|archive-date=17 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117014848/http://www.senate.be/doc/const_fr.html|url-status=live}}</ref> as is the administration of the 19 municipalities.<ref name="brusselsstudies" /> The creation of this bilingual, full-fledged region, with its own competencies and jurisdiction, had long been hampered by different visions of Belgian federalism. Nevertheless, some communitarian issues remain.<ref name="jacobs">{{cite book|publisher=De Boeck & Larcier|title=De toekomst van Brussel als meertalige en multiculturele stad. Hebt u al een partijstandpunt? ''in'' Het statuut van Brussel / Bruxelles et son statut|author=Dirk Jacobs|location=Brussels|year=1999|pages=661–703|isbn=2-8044-0525-7|language=nl}}</ref><ref name="debruycker">{{cite book|publisher=De Boeck & Larcier|title=Le défi de l'unité bruxelloise ''in'' Het statuut van Brussel / Bruxelles et son statut|author=Philippe De Bruycker|location=Brussels|year=1999|pages=465–472|isbn=2-8044-0525-7|language=fr}}</ref> Flemish political parties demanded, for decades, that the Flemish part of [[Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde]] (BHV) ''arrondissement'' be separated from the Brussels Region (which made Halle-Vilvoorde a monolingual Flemish electoral and judicial district). BHV was divided mid-2012. The French-speaking population regards the language border as artificial<ref>{{Cite news|date=28 May 2006|title=La Flandre ne prendra pas Bruxelles...|language=fr|work=La Libre Belgique|url=http://www.lalibre.be/article.phtml?id=10&subid=90&art_id=283113|access-date=3 September 2008|archive-date=15 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215002609/https://www.lalibre.be/belgique/la-flandre-ne-prendra-pas-bruxelles-51b88e6ae4b0de6db9adde77|url-status=live}}</ref> and demands the extension of the bilingual region to at least all six [[municipalities with language facilities]] in the surroundings of Brussels.{{efn|1=The six municipalities with language facilities around Brussels are [[Wemmel]], [[Kraainem]], [[Wezembeek-Oppem]], [[Sint-Genesius-Rode]], [[Linkebeek]] and [[Drogenbos]].}} Flemish politicians have strongly rejected these proposals.<ref name="question">{{Cite news|date=24 January 2005|title=Une question: partir ou rester?|language=fr|work=[[La Libre Belgique]]|url=http://www.lalibre.be/article.phtml?id=10&subid=90&art_id=202792|access-date=3 September 2008|archive-date=28 November 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051128225333/http://www.lalibre.be/article.phtml?id=10&subid=90&art_id=202792|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Position commune des partis démocratiques francophones|url=http://www.uniondesfrancophones.be/|access-date=22 July 2009|publisher=[[Union des Francophones]] (UF), Province of [[Flemish Brabant]]|language=fr|archive-date=23 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723223959/http://www.uniondesfrancophones.be/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=14 November 2007|title=Bruxelles-capitale: une forte identité|url=http://info.france2.fr/dossiers/europe/34025346-fr.php?page=7|access-date=22 July 2009|publisher=[[France 2]]|language=fr|archive-date=11 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011111301/http://info.france2.fr/dossiers/europe/34025346-fr.php?page=7|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Arrondissement Brussels-Periphery Belgium Map.PNG|thumb|right|The [[municipalities with language facilities]] (in red) near Brussels]]

Owing to migration and to its international role, Brussels is home to a large number of native speakers of languages other than French or Dutch. Currently, about half of the population speaks a home language other than these two.<ref name="standaard">{{cite news|title=Van autochtoon naar allochtoon|quote=Meer dan de helft van de Brusselse bevolking is van vreemde afkomst. In 1961 was dat slechts 7 procent. [More than half of the Brussels' population is of foreign origin. In 1961 this was only 7 percent.]|newspaper=[[De Standaard]]|language=Dutch|url=http://www.standaard.be/Artikel/Detail.aspx?artikelId=641B1LAQ&word=brussel+bevolking|access-date=5 May 2007|archive-date=2 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802031545/https://www.standaard.be/cnt/641b1laq?word=brussel%20bevolking|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2013, academic research showed that approximately 17% of families spoke none of the official languages in the home, while in a further 23% a foreign language was used alongside French. The share of unilingual French-speaking families had fallen to 38% and that of Dutch-speaking families to 5%, while the percentage of bilingual Dutch-French families reached 17%. At the same time, French remains widely spoken: in 2013, French was spoken "well to perfectly" by 88% of the population, while for Dutch this percentage was only 23% (down from 33% in 2000);<ref name="brusselsstudies" /> the other most commonly known languages were English (30%), Arabic (18%), Spanish (9%), German (7%) and Italian and Turkish (5% each).<ref name="brio2013" /> Meanwhile, surveys from 2023 to 2024 suggest that 29% of the population speaks only languages other than French and Dutch in the home, while residents speak a total of 104 languages, up from 72 in 2001.<ref name="u275">{{cite web | last=Diehn | first=Sonya Angelica | title=Brussels is bursting out of its borders. That's helping the rise of the right. | website=POLITICO | date=2024-11-03 | url=https://www.politico.eu/article/brussels-borders-french-language-flanders-wallonia-vub-culture-diversity-migration/ | access-date=2024-12-26}}</ref> Despite the rise of English as a second language in Brussels, including as an unofficial compromise language between French and Dutch, as well as the working language for some of its international businesses and institutions, French remains the ''lingua franca'' and all public services are conducted exclusively in French or Dutch.<ref name="brusselsstudies" />

The original dialect of Brussels (known as [[Brusselian dialect|Brusselian]], and also sometimes referred to as [[Marollian dialect|Marollian]]),{{sfn|Treffers-Daller|1994|p=25}} a form of [[Brabantic]] (the variant of Dutch spoken in the ancient [[Duchy of Brabant]]) with a significant number of loanwords from French, still survives among a small minority of inhabitants called ''Brusseleers''<ref name="evans">Mary Anne Evans, ''Frommer's Brussels and Bruges Day by Day. First Edition'' (Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2008), 71.</ref> (or ''Brusseleirs''), many of them quite bi- and multilingual, or educated in French and not writing in Dutch.<ref name="winkler">{{cite web|url=https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/wink007alge02_01/wink007alge02_01_0067.php|title=De stad Brussel|author=Johan Winkler|year=1874|work=Algemeen Nederduitsch en Friesch Dialecticon|pages=264–272|publisher=Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren|access-date=March 1, 2022|language=nl|archive-date=1 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301161800/https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/wink007alge02_01/wink007alge02_01_0067.php|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Treffers-Daller|1994|p=25}} The ethnic and national self-identification of Brussels' inhabitants is nonetheless sometimes quite distinct from the French and Dutch-speaking communities. For the French-speakers, it can vary from Francophone Belgian, {{lang|fr|Bruxellois}}<ref name="Lerond, 1980 pp. 477" /> (French [[demonym]] for an inhabitant of Brussels), [[Walloons|Walloon]] (for people who migrated from the Walloon Region at an adult age); for Flemings living in Brussels, it is mainly either Dutch-speaking Belgian, Flemish or {{lang|nl|Brusselaar}} (Dutch demonym for an inhabitant), and often both. For the ''Brusseleers'', many simply consider themselves as belonging to Brussels.{{sfn|Treffers-Daller|1994|p=25}}

===Religions===
{{Further|Religion in Belgium}}
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religions in the Brussels-Capital Region (2016)<ref name=2016religion/>
|label1 = [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]]
|value1 = 40
|color1 = Blue
|label5 = Non-religious
|value5 = 30
|color5 = Gray
|label2 = [[Islam]]
|value2 = 23
|color2 = Green
|label3 = [[Protestantism]]
|value3 = 3
|color3 = dodgerblue
|label4 = Other religions
|value4 = 4
|color4 = yellow
}}

Historically, Brussels has been predominantly [[Catholic Church|Catholic]], especially since the expulsion of [[Protestants]] in the 16th century. This is clear from the large number of historical churches in the region, particularly in the [[City of Brussels]]. The pre-eminent Catholic [[cathedral]] in Brussels is the [[Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula]], serving as the [[co-cathedral]] of the [[Archdiocese of Mechelen–Brussels]]. On the north-western side of the region, the [[Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Brussels|National Basilica of the Sacred Heart]] is a [[Minor Basilica]] and [[parish church]], as well as one of the [[List of largest church buildings|largest churches by area in the world]].{{sfn|Stéphany|2006|p=63}} The [[Church of Our Lady of Laeken]] holds the tombs of many members of the [[Monarchy of Belgium|Belgian royal family]], including all the former [[Belgian monarchs]], within the [[Royal Crypt (Belgium)|Royal Crypt]].{{sfn|State|2004|p=218}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Royal Crypt in Laeken|url=https://www.monarchie.be/|access-date=2024-01-20|website=The Belgian Monarchy|archive-date=17 April 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010417090603/https://www.monarchie.be/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Bruxelles - Basilique Nationale du Sacré-Cœur à Koekelberg (5).jpg|thumb|The [[Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Brussels|National Basilica of the Sacred Heart]] in [[Koekelberg]]]]

In reflection of its multicultural makeup, Brussels hosts a variety of religious communities, as well as large numbers of [[atheists]] and [[agnostics]]. Minority faiths include Islam, [[Anglicanism]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodoxy]], [[Judaism]], and Buddhism. According to a 2016 survey, approximately 40% of residents of Brussels declared themselves Catholics (12% were practising Catholics and 28% were non-practising Catholics), 30% were [[non-religious]], 23% were [[Muslim]] (19% practising, 4% non-practising), 3% were Protestants and 4% were of another religion.<ref name="2016religion">{{Cite news|last=Elodie Blogie|date=28 January 2016|title=75% des francophones revendiquent une identité religieuse|language=fr|work=Le Soir.be|url=http://www.lesoir.be/1106186/article/actualite/belgique/2016-01-28/75-des-francophones-revendiquent-une-identite-religieuse|access-date=5 June 2017|archive-date=31 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131090919/http://www.lesoir.be/1106186/article/actualite/belgique/2016-01-28/75-des-francophones-revendiquent-une-identite-religieuse|url-status=live}}</ref>

As guaranteed by Belgian law, recognised religions and non-religious philosophical organisations ({{langx|fr|organisations laïques|link=no}}, {{langx|nl|vrijzinnige levensbeschouwelijke organisaties|link=no}})<ref name=berkley>{{cite web|title=Religious Freedom in Belgium|url=http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/essays/religious-freedom-in-belgium|website=Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs|publisher=Georgetown University|access-date=21 June 2015|archive-date=21 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621064255/http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/essays/religious-freedom-in-belgium|url-status=dead}}</ref> enjoy public funding and school courses. It was once the case that every pupil in an official school from 6 to 18 years old had to choose two hours per week of compulsory religious—or non-religious-inspired morals—courses. However, in 2015, the [[Belgian Constitutional Court]] ruled religious studies could no longer be required in the [[Primary school|primary]] and [[Secondary school|secondary]] educational systems.<ref>{{cite web|last=Andy Furniere|date=13 March 2015|title=Lessons in religion no longer obligatory in Belgium|url=http://www.flanderstoday.eu/education/lessons-religion-no-longer-obligatory-belgium|access-date=9 June 2017|website=Flanders Today|archive-date=2 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170602044315/http://www.flanderstoday.eu/education/lessons-religion-no-longer-obligatory-belgium|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Great Mosque of Brussels.jpg|thumb|The [[Great Mosque of Brussels]], former seat of the Islamic and Cultural Centre of Belgium]]

Brussels has a large concentration of [[Islam in Belgium|Muslims]], mostly of Moroccan, Turkish, Syrian and Guinean ancestry. The [[Great Mosque of Brussels]], located in the [[Cinquantenaire|Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark]], is the oldest [[mosque]] in Brussels and the former seat of the Islamic and Cultural Centre of Belgium.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bauwin|first=Adeline|date=2019-02-01|title=L'exercice du culte à la Grande Mosquée de Bruxelles sera assuré après le départ du CICB|url=https://bx1.be/communes/bruxelles-ville/lexercice-culte-a-grande-mosquee-de-bruxelles-sera-assure-apres-depart-cicb/|access-date=2024-01-09|website=BX1|language=fr-FR|archive-date=9 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240109003622/https://bx1.be/communes/bruxelles-ville/lexercice-culte-a-grande-mosquee-de-bruxelles-sera-assure-apres-depart-cicb/|url-status=live}}</ref> Belgium does not collect statistics by ethnic background or religious beliefs, so exact figures are unknown.{{sfn|Torrekens|2007}} It was estimated that, in 2005, people of Muslim background living in the Brussels Region numbered 256,220 and accounted for 25.5% of the city's population, a much higher concentration than those of the other regions of Belgium.<ref name="BuG 100">{{cite web|date=11 September 2008|title=Bericht uit het Gewisse|trans-title=Message from the Gewisse|url=http://www.npdata.be/BuG/100/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121030009/http://www.npdata.be/BuG/100/|archive-date=21 November 2010|access-date=9 October 2010|website=npdata.be|language=nl|quote=In België wonen 628.751 moslims(Berekend aantal), 6,0% van de bevolking. In Brussel is dit 25,5%, in Wallonië 4,0%, in Vlaanderen 3,9% [In Belgium there are 628,751 Muslims (Calculated number), 6.0% of the population. In Brussels this is 25.5%, in Wallonia 4.0%, in Flanders 3.9%.]}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=Self-published work with data from 2005|date=November 2015}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Regions of Belgium<ref name="BuG 100" /> (1 January 2016) !! Total population !! People of Muslim origin !! % of Muslims
|-
| Belgium || 11,371,928 || 603,642 || 5.3%
|-
| '''Brussels-Capital Region''' || '''1,180,531''' || '''212,495''' || '''18%'''
|-
| ''Wallonia'' || ''3,395,942'' || ''149,421'' || ''4.4%''
|-
| ''Flanders'' || ''6,043,161'' || ''241,726'' || ''4.0%''
|}

==Architecture==
The architecture in Brussels is diverse, and spans from the clashing combination of [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]], [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]], and [[Louis XIV style|Louis XIV]] styles on the [[Grand-Place]] to the [[Postmodern architecture|postmodern]] buildings of the [[Brussels and the European Union|EU institutions]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Brussels Architecture Sights|url=https://www.brussels.info/architecture/|access-date=18 October 2017|website=brussels.info|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019060341/https://www.brussels.info/architecture/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Bruxelles Manneken Pis.jpg|thumb|right|upright|''[[Manneken Pis]]'', a well-known public sculpture]]

Very little [[medieval architecture]] is preserved in Brussels. Buildings from that period are mostly found in the historical centre (called the {{lang|fr|Îlot Sacré|italic=no}}), [[Saint-Géry Island|Saint Géry/Sint-Goriks]] and {{lang|fr|Sainte-Catherine|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Sint Katelijne|italic=no}} neighbourhoods. The [[Brabantine Gothic]] [[Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula]] remains a prominent feature in the skyline of downtown Brussels. Isolated portions of the [[First walls of Brussels|first city walls]] were saved from destruction and can be seen to this day. One of the only remains of the [[Second walls of Brussels|second walls]] is the [[Halle Gate]]. The Grand-Place is the main attraction in the city centre and has been a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] since 1998.<ref>{{cite web|title=La Grand-Place, Brussels|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/857|access-date=6 February 2017|website=whc.unesco.org|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|archive-date=10 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910064028/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/857|url-status=live}}</ref> The square is dominated by the 15th century [[Flamboyant]] [[Brussels Town Hall|Town Hall]], the [[neo-Gothic]] ''[[Museum of the City of Brussels|Breadhouse]]'' and the Baroque [[guildhall]]s of the former [[Guilds of Brussels]]. ''[[Manneken Pis]]'', a fountain containing a small [[bronze]] sculpture of a urinating youth, is a tourist attraction and [[symbol]] of the city.<ref>{{cite web|title=Manneken Pis|url=http://be.brussels/culture-tourism-leisure/brussels-folklore/mannekenpis|access-date=3 February 2017|website=be.brussels|archive-date=13 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170513052516/http://be.brussels/culture-tourism-leisure/brussels-folklore/mannekenpis|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Parterre de fleurs Grand-place de Bruxelles 2016.jpg|thumb|center|upright=2.75|The [[Grand-Place|Grand-Place of Brussels]], a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]]]

The [[Neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]] style of the 18th and 19th centuries is represented in the [[Royal Quarter]]/[[Palace of Coudenberg|Coudenberg]] area, around [[Brussels Park]] and the [[Place Royale, Brussels|Place Royale/Koningsplein]]. Examples include the [[Royal Palace of Brussels|Royal Palace]], the [[Church of St. James on Coudenberg]], the [[Palace of the Nation]] (Parliament building), the [[Academy Palace]], the [[Palace of Charles of Lorraine]], the [[Palace of the Count of Flanders]] and the [[Egmont Palace]]. Other uniform neoclassical ensembles can be found around the [[Place des Martyrs, Brussels|Place des Martyrs/Martelaarsplein]] and the [[Place des Barricades|Place des Barricades/Barricadenplein]]. Some additional landmarks in the centre are the [[Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries]] (1847), one of the oldest covered shopping arcades in Europe, the [[Congress Column]] (1859), the [[Bourse Palace]] (1873) and the [[Palace of Justice, Brussels|Palace of Justice]] (1883). The latter, designed by [[Joseph Poelaert]], in [[Eclecticism in architecture|eclectic]] style, is reputed to be the largest building constructed in the 19th century.<ref>{{cite web|title=Le Palais de Justice de Bruxelles|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5357/|access-date=3 February 2017|website=whc.unesco.org|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|archive-date=28 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128225333/http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5357/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Located outside the historical centre, in a greener environment bordering the [[Brussels and the European Union#European Quarter|European Quarter]], are the [[Cinquantenaire|Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark]] with its [[Arcade du Cinquantenaire|memorial arcade]] and nearby museums, and in [[Laeken]], the [[Royal Palace of Laeken]] and the [[Royal Domain of Laeken|Royal Domain]] with its large [[Royal Greenhouses of Laeken|greenhouses]], as well as the [[Museums of the Far East]].

Also particularly striking are the buildings in the [[Art Nouveau in Brussels|Art Nouveau]] style, most famously by the Belgian architects [[Victor Horta]], [[Paul Hankar]] and [[Henry Van de Velde]].<ref>{{cite web|title=10 must-visit world-class Art Nouveau buildings in Brussels!|url=https://visit.brussels/en/article/10-must-visit-world-class-art-nouveau-buildings-in-brussels|access-date=18 October 2017|website=visit.brussels|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019061230/https://visit.brussels/en/article/10-must-visit-world-class-art-nouveau-buildings-in-brussels|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Stambolic|first=Ana|title=The Most Remarkable Art Nouveau Houses In Brussels|work=Culture Trip|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/belgium/articles/the-most-remarkable-art-nouveau-houses-in-brussels/|access-date=18 October 2017|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019061209/https://theculturetrip.com/europe/belgium/articles/the-most-remarkable-art-nouveau-houses-in-brussels/|url-status=live}}</ref> Some of Brussels' municipalities, such as [[Schaerbeek]], [[Etterbeek]], [[Ixelles]], and [[Saint-Gilles, Belgium|Saint-Gilles]], were developed during the heyday of Art Nouveau and have many buildings in that style. The [[Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta]]—[[Hôtel Tassel]] (1893), [[Hôtel van Eetvelde]] (1898), [[Hôtel Solvay]] (1900) and the [[Horta Museum]] (1901)—have been listed as a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] since 2000.<ref name=":6">{{cite web|title=Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta (Brussels)|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1005|access-date=14 February 2017|website=whc.unesco.org|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|archive-date=13 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513225235/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1005|url-status=live}}</ref> Another example of Brussels' Art Nouveau is the [[Stoclet Palace]] (1911), by the Viennese architect [[Josef Hoffmann]], designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in June 2009.<ref>{{cite web|title=Stoclet House|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1298|access-date=8 January 2017|website=whc.unesco.org|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|archive-date=21 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160721005708/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1298|url-status=live}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160px" caption="[[Art Nouveau in Brussels]]">
File:Victor Horta Hotel Tassel.JPG|[[Hôtel Tassel]] by [[Victor Horta]] (1893)
File:Tassel House stairway-00.JPG|Stairway in the Hôtel Tassel
File:Hôtel Ciamberlani (DSCF7523).jpg|[[Hôtel Albert Ciamberlani]] by [[Paul Hankar]] (1897)<!-- Brighter image, less shadows -->
File:Old England facade, Brussels (DSCF7544).jpg|Former [[Old England (department store)|Old England]] department store by [[Paul Saintenoy]] (1899)<!-- Brighter image, view more from the front -->
File:Maison Saint-Cyr (DSCF7558).jpg|[[Saint-Cyr House]] by [[Gustave Strauven]] (1903)<!-- Brighter image, less shadows -->
File:Maison Cauchie-445.jpg|[[Cauchie House]] by [[:fr:Paul Cauchie|Paul Cauchie]] (1905)
File:Maison Cauchie sgraffitopaneel.jpg|''[[Sgraffito]]'' panel in the Cauchie House
File:20120923 Brussels PalaisStoclet Hoffmann DSC06725 PtrQs.jpg|[[Stoclet Palace]] by [[Josef Hoffmann]] (1911)<!-- Empty street, no distractions -->
</gallery>

[[File:Ancien Institut national de Radiodiffusion - vue d'ensemble.JPG|thumb|right|[[Flagey Building]] in [[Ixelles]]]]

[[Art Deco in Brussels|Art Deco]] structures in Brussels include the Résidence Palace (1927) (now part of the [[Europa building]]), the [[Centre for Fine Arts]] (1928), the [[Villa Empain]] (1934), the [[Forest Town Hall|Town Hall of Forest]] (1938), and the [[Flagey Building]] (also known as the ''Radio House'') on the [[Place Eugène Flagey|Place Eugène Flagey/Eugène Flageyplein]] (1938) in Ixelles. Some religious buildings from the [[interwar era]] were also constructed in that style, such as the [[Church of St. John the Baptist, Molenbeek|Church of St. John the Baptist]] (1932) in Molenbeek and the [[Church of St. Augustine, Forest|Church of St. Augustine]] (1935) in Forest. Completed only in 1969, and combining Art Deco with [[neo-Byzantine]] elements, the [[Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Brussels|Basilica of the Sacred Heart]] in [[Koekelberg]] is one of the [[List of largest church buildings in the world|largest churches by area in the world]], and its [[cupola]] provides a panoramic view of Brussels and its outskirts. Another example are the exhibition halls of the Centenary Palace, built for the [[Brussels International Exposition (1935)|1935 World's Fair]] on the [[Heysel Plateau|Heysel/Heizel Plateau]] in northern Brussels, home to the Brussels Exhibition Centre ([[Brussels Expo]]).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.brusselslife.be/en/article/top-10-of-art-deco-buildings-in-brussels|title=Top 10 of Art Deco buildings in Brussels|work=Brussleslife|access-date=18 October 2017|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019061616/https://www.brusselslife.be/en/article/top-10-of-art-deco-buildings-in-brussels|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Laeken Atomium 06.jpg|thumb|The [[Atomium]]]]

The [[Atomium]] is a symbolic {{cvt|103|m|ft|adj=mid|-tall}} [[Modern architecture|modernist]] structure, located on the Heysel Plateau, which was originally built for the 1958 World's Fair ([[Expo 58]]). It consists of nine steel spheres connected by tubes, and forms a model of an [[iron]] [[crystal]] (specifically, a [[unit cell]]), magnified 165&nbsp;billion times. The architect [[André Waterkeyn]] devoted the building to science. It is now considered a [[landmark]] of Brussels.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.beneluxguide.com/belgium/atomium-the-iron-landmark-of-brussels/|title=Atomium – the iron landmark of Brussels|website=beneluxguide.com|access-date=3 February 2017|archive-date=4 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204165901/http://www.beneluxguide.com/belgium/atomium-the-iron-landmark-of-brussels/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/the-atomium-molecular-brussels-landmark-gets-a-polish-a-860096.html|title=The Atomium: How Do You Clean a Massive Molecule?|newspaper=Spiegel Online|date=8 October 2012|access-date=3 February 2017|archive-date=4 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204090001/http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/the-atomium-molecular-brussels-landmark-gets-a-polish-a-860096.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Next to the Atomium, is [[Mini-Europe]] [[miniature park]], with 1:25 scale [[maquette]]s of famous buildings from across Europe.

Since the second half of the 20th century, modern office towers have been built in Brussels ([[Madou Tower]], [[Rogier Tower]], [[Proximus Towers]], [[Finance Tower]], the [[World Trade Center (Brussels)|World Trade Center]], among others). There are some thirty towers, mostly concentrated in the city's [[central business district|main business district]]: the [[Northern Quarter (Brussels)|Northern Quarter]] (also called ''Little Manhattan''), near [[Brussels-North railway station]]. The [[South Tower (Brussels)|South Tower]], standing adjacent to [[Brussels-South railway station]], is the [[List of tallest structures in Belgium|tallest building in Belgium]], at {{cvt|148|m}}. Along the [[North–South connection]], is the State Administrative Centre, an administrative complex in the [[International Style]]. The postmodern buildings of the [[Espace Léopold]] complete the picture.

The city's embrace of modern architecture translated into an ambivalent approach towards historic preservation, leading to the destruction of notable architectural landmarks, most famously the [[Maison du Peuple, Brussels|Maison du Peuple/Volkshuis]] by Victor Horta, a process known as [[Brusselisation]].{{sfn|State|2004|p=51–52}}{{sfn|Stubbs|Makaš|2011|p=121}}

==Culture==
{{Further|Culture of Brussels|Culture of Belgium}}

===Visual arts and museums===
[[File:Brussels Cinquantenaire R03.jpg|thumb|right|[[Cinquantenaire|Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark]] [[Cinquantenaire Arcade|memorial arcade]] and museums]]

Brussels [[List of museums in Brussels|contains over 80 museums]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bruxelles.irisnet.be/en/tourismeloisirs/tourisme_et_loisirs/les_musees_de_bruxelles.shtml|title=Museums in Brussels|publisher=Bruxelles.irisnet.be|access-date=29 June 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100606080405/http://www.bruxelles.irisnet.be/en/tourismeloisirs/tourisme_et_loisirs/les_musees_de_bruxelles.shtml|archive-date=6 June 2010}}</ref> The [[Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium|Royal Museums of Fine Arts]] has an extensive collection of various painters, such as [[Flemish painting|Flemish old masters]] like [[Pieter Bruegel the Elder|Bruegel]], [[Rogier van der Weyden]], [[Robert Campin]], [[Anthony van Dyck]], [[Jacob Jordaens]], and [[Peter Paul Rubens]]. The [[Magritte Museum]] houses the world's largest collection of works by the [[surrealist]] artist [[René Magritte]]. Museums dedicated to the national history of Belgium include the [[BELvue Museum]], the [[Royal Museums of Art and History]], and the [[Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History]]. The [[Musical Instruments Museum, Brussels|Musical Instruments Museum]] (MIM), housed in the [[Old England (department store)|Old England]] building, is part of the Royal Museums of Art and History, and is internationally renowned for its collection of over 8,000 instruments.

The Brussels Museums Council is an independent body for all the museums in the Brussels-Capital Region, covering around 100 federal, private, municipal, and community museums.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brusselsmuseums.be/en|title=Brussels Museums|last=Fun|first=Everything is|date=2019-08-04|website=Brussels Museums|access-date=2019-08-09|archive-date=27 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190727162635/https://www.brusselsmuseums.be/en/|url-status=live}}</ref> It promotes member museums through the Brussels Card (giving access to public transport and 30 of the 100 museums), the Brussels Museums Nocturnes (every Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. from mid-September to mid-December) and the Museum Night Fever (an event for and by young people on a Saturday night in late February or early March).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brusselstimes.com/brussels/53974/record-number-of-17-000-visitors-attend-brussels-museum-night-fever-event/|title=Record number of 17,000 visitors attend Brussels' "Museum Night Fever" event|date=2019-02-24|website=The Brussels Times|access-date=2019-08-09|archive-date=9 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809195625/https://www.brusselstimes.com/brussels/53974/record-number-of-17-000-visitors-attend-brussels-museum-night-fever-event/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Brussels has had a distinguished art scene for many years. The Belgian surrealists René Magritte and [[Paul Delvaux]], for instance, studied and lived there, as did the [[avant-garde]] dramatist [[Michel de Ghelderode]]. The city was also home of the [[impressionist]] painter [[Anna Boch]] from the artists' group ''[[Les XX]]'', and includes other Belgian painters such as [[Léon Spilliaert]]. Brussels is also a capital of the [[comic strip]];<ref name="Comic">{{cite news|last=Herbez|first=Ariel|title=Bruxelles, capitale de la BD|url=http://www.letemps.ch/Page/Uuid/73a8ca52-4c90-11de-8192-71ce8207b7fa|access-date=28 May 2010|newspaper={{Lang|fr|Le Temps}}|date=30 May 2009|location=Switzerland|language=fr|quote=Plus que jamais, Bruxelles mérite son statut de capitale de la bande dessinée.}}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> some treasured Belgian characters are ''[[The Adventures of Tintin|Tintin]]'', ''[[Lucky Luke]]'', ''[[The Smurfs]]'', ''[[Spirou et Fantasio|Spirou]]'', ''[[Gaston (comics)|Gaston]]'', ''[[Marsupilami]]'', ''[[Blake and Mortimer]]'', ''[[Boule et Bill]]'' and ''[[Cubitus]]'' (see [[Belgian comics]]). Throughout the city, walls are painted with large motifs of comic book characters; these [[mural]]s taken together are known as [[Brussels' Comic Book Route]].<ref name=":1" /> Also, the interiors of some [[Brussels Metro|Metro stations]] are designed by artists. The [[Belgian Comic Strip Center]] combines two artistic leitmotifs of Brussels, being a museum devoted to Belgian comic strips, housed in the former ''Magasins Waucquez'' textile department store, designed by [[Victor Horta]] in the [[Art Nouveau in Brussels|Art Nouveau]] style. In addition, [[street art]] is changing the landscape of this multicultural city.<ref>{{cite web|title=Street Art in Brussels: trail and artists|url=https://visit.brussels/en/article/Street-Art-in-Brussels|access-date=2021-12-11|website=visit.brussels|archive-date=11 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211013038/https://visit.brussels/en/article/Street-Art-in-Brussels|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Performing arts venues and festivals===
<!---redirects, including Kunstenfestivaldesarts, target this section - please do not change the subheading without fixing redirects--->
[[File:Théâtre de la Monnaie 1.JPG|thumb|[[La Monnaie|Royal Theatre of La Monnaie]]]]

Brussels is well known for its [[performing arts]] scene, with the [[La Monnaie|Royal Theatre of La Monnaie]], the [[Royal Park Theatre]], the [[Théâtre Royal des Galeries]], and the [[Kaaitheater]] among the most notable institutions.

The [[Kunstenfestivaldesarts]], an international performing arts festival, is organised every year in May. Its main hub is the Kaaitheater, but performances and artworks are also hosted in around 30 venues throughout the city.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kunstenfestivaldesarts festival returns to Brussels|date=7 May 2022|website=[[The Brussels Times]]|url=https://www.brusselstimes.com/222803/kunstenfestivaldesarts-festival-returns-to-brussels|access-date=16 March 2024|archive-date=16 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316100955/https://www.brusselstimes.com/222803/kunstenfestivaldesarts-festival-returns-to-brussels|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Home|website=[[Kunstenfestivaldesarts]]|url=https://kfda.be/en/home/|access-date=17 March 2024|archive-date=16 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316140459/https://kfda.be/en/home/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[King Baudouin Stadium]] is a concert and competition facility with a 50,000 seat capacity, the largest in Belgium. The site was formerly occupied by the [[Heysel Stadium]]. The [[Centre for Fine Arts]] (often referred to as BOZAR in French or PSK in Dutch), a multi-purpose centre for theatre, cinema, music, literature, and art exhibitions, is home to the [[National Orchestra of Belgium]] and to the annual [[Queen Elisabeth Competition]] for [[Classical music|classical]] singers and instrumentalists, one of the most challenging and prestigious competitions of the kind. Studio 4 in [[Le Flagey]] cultural centre hosts the [[Brussels Philharmonic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flagey.be/en/page/3889-studio-4|title=Studio 4|website=Flagey|access-date=13 August 2019|archive-date=2 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502001659/https://www.flagey.be/en/page/3889-studio-4|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flagey.be/en/|title=Flagey|website=Flagey|access-date=13 August 2019|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325054336/https://www.flagey.be/en/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Other concert venues include [[Forest National|Forest National/Vorst Nationaal]], the [[Ancienne Belgique]], the [[Cirque Royal|Cirque Royal/Koninklijk Circus]], the [[Le Botanique|Botanique]] and [[Palais 12|Palais 12/Paleis 12]]. Furthermore, the [[Jazz Station]] in [[Saint-Josse-ten-Noode]] is a museum and archive on [[jazz]], and a venue for jazz concerts.<ref>Bruzz, [http://www.bruzz.be/nl/cultuur/het-abc-van-jean-demannez Het ABC van Jean Demannez] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205040953/http://www.bruzz.be/nl/cultuur/het-abc-van-jean-demannez |date=5 February 2017 }}, 22 September 2015 {{in lang|nl}}</ref>

===Other cultural events and festivals===
[[File:Brussels Summer Festival (4890801736).jpg|thumb|[[:fr:Brussels Summer Festival|Brussels Summer Festival]] (BSF)]]

Many events are organised or hosted in Brussels throughout the year. In addition, many festivals animate the Brussels scene.

The [[Iris Festival]] is the official festival of the Brussels-Capital Region and is held annually in spring.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://irisfestival.brussels/iris-festival|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812230451/http://irisfestival.brussels/iris-festival|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 August 2018|title=The Iris Festival &#124; Iris Festival|date=12 August 2018|access-date=13 August 2019}}</ref> The International Fantastic Film Festival of Brussels (BIFFF) is organised during the Easter holidays<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bifff.net/|title=BIFFF|website=BIFFF|access-date=2019-10-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006070322/https://www.bifff.net/|archive-date=6 October 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the [[Magritte Award]]s in February. The [[Festival of Europe]], an open day and activities in and around the [[European Union]]'s institutions, is held on 9 May. On [[Belgian National Day]], on 21 July, a military parade and celebrations take place on the {{lang|fr|Place des Palais|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Paleizenplein|italic=no}} and in [[Brussels Park]], ending with a fireworks display in the evening.

Some summer festivities include [[Couleur Café Festival]], a festival of [[World music|world]] and [[urban music]], around the end of June or early July, the [[:fr:Brussels Summer Festival|Brussels Summer Festival]] (BSF), a music festival in August,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bsf.be/news/enjoy-the-bsf-extras|title=PROFITEZ DES BSF EXTRAS !|website=bsf.be|access-date=13 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811032248/http://www.bsf.be/news/enjoy-the-bsf-extras|archive-date=11 August 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> the [[Midi Fair]], the most important yearly fair in Brussels, lasting more than a month, in July and August,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zuidfoor.site/|title=Zuidfoor|website=Zuidfoor|access-date=13 August 2019|archive-date=13 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813041549/https://www.zuidfoor.site/|url-status=live}}</ref> and Brussels Beach, when the banks of the [[Brussels–Charleroi Canal|canal]] are turned into a temporary urban beach.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bruxelleslesbains.be/|title=Bruxelles les Bains / Brussel Bad – La plus fun des plages urbaines !|access-date=13 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813041549/https://www.bruxelleslesbains.be/|archive-date=13 August 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> Other biennial events are the [[Zinneke Parade]], a colourful, multicultural parade through the city, which has been held since 2000 in May, as well as the popular [[Flower Carpet (Brussels)|Flower Carpet]] at the [[Grand-Place]] in August. [[European Heritage Days|Heritage Days]] are organised on the third weekend of September (sometimes coinciding with the car-free day) and are a good opportunity to discover the wealth of buildings, institutions and real estate in Brussels. The "Winter Wonders" animate the heart of Brussels in December; these winter activities were launched in Brussels in 2001.{{sfn|State|2004|p=108}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visit.brussels/en/lists/winter-in-brussels|title=Winter in Brussels|website=visit.brussels|access-date=13 August 2019|archive-date=2 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502001731/https://visit.brussels/en/lists/winter-in-brussels|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Folklore===
{{Further|Folklore of Belgium}}
[[File:GeantsMeyboom2.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Meyboom]] giants in Brussels, a [[UNESCO]] [[Intangible Cultural Heritage]]]]

Brussels' identity owes much to its rich folklore and traditions, among the liveliest in the country.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-11-25|title=Folklore|url=https://www.brussels.be/folklore|access-date=2024-03-22|website=brussels.be|archive-date=22 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322023707/https://www.brussels.be/folklore|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Folklore|url=https://be.brussels/fr/loisirs-evenements-sports/les-loisirs-gratuits/folklore|access-date=2024-03-22|website=Région de Bruxelles-Capitale|language=fr|archive-date=22 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322023707/https://be.brussels/fr/loisirs-evenements-sports/les-loisirs-gratuits/folklore|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Ommegang of Brussels|Ommegang]], a [[medieval pageant]] and folkloric costumed procession, commemorating the [[Joyous Entry]] of [[Emperor Charles V]] and his son, [[Philip II of Spain|Philip II]], in the city in 1549, takes place every year in July. The colourful parade includes floats, traditional processional giants, such as Saint [[Michael (archangel)|Michael]] and Saint [[Gudula]], and scores of folkloric groups, either on foot or on horseback, dressed in medieval garb. The parade concludes with a large spectacle at the [[Grand-Place]]. Since 2019, it has been recognised as a [[Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity]] by [[UNESCO]].<ref>{{cite web|title=UNESCO – Ommegang of Brussels, an annual historical procession and popular festival|url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/lists|access-date=2021-06-11|website=ich.unesco.org|archive-date=15 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170515125552/https://ich.unesco.org/en/lists|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Meyboom]], an even-older folk tradition of Brussels (1308), celebrating the "[[Maypole|May tree]]"—in fact, a corruption of the Dutch word, meaning ''tree of joy''—takes place paradoxically on 9 August. After parading a young [[beech]] in the city, it is planted in a joyful spirit with lots of music, ''Brusseleir'' songs, and processional giants. It has also been recognised as an expression of [[intangible cultural heritage]] by UNESCO, as part of the bi-national inscription "[[Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://be.brussels/culture-tourism-leisure/brussels-folklore/meyboom|title=Meyboom|website=be.brussels|access-date=10 February 2017|archive-date=14 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170514013936/http://be.brussels/culture-tourism-leisure/brussels-folklore/meyboom|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/processional-giants-and-dragons-in-belgium-and-france-00153|title=Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France – intangible heritage – Culture Sector – UNESCO|website=ich.unesco.org|access-date=27 October 2017|archive-date=21 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191121072210/https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/processional-giants-and-dragons-in-belgium-and-france-00153|url-status=live}}</ref> The celebration is reminiscent of the town's long-standing (folkloric) feud with [[Leuven]], which dates back to the [[Middle Ages]].

[[Saint Verhaegen]] (often shortened to ''St V''), a folkloric student procession, celebrating the anniversary of the founding of the {{Lang|fr|[[Université libre de Bruxelles]]|italic=no}} (ULB) and the {{Lang|nl|[[Vrije Universiteit Brussel]]|italic=no}} (VUB), is held on 20 November. Since 2019, it has also been listed as intangible cultural heritage of the Brussels-Capital Region.<ref>{{Cite web|title=La Saint Verhaegen — Patrimoine – Erfgoed|url=http://patrimoine.brussels/fr/decouvrir/inventaires-du-patrimoine-bruxellois/inventaire-du-patrimoine-culturel-immateriel/la-saint-verhaegen?set_language=fr|access-date=2023-03-06|website=patrimoine.brussels|archive-date=6 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306163324/http://patrimoine.brussels/fr/decouvrir/inventaires-du-patrimoine-bruxellois/inventaire-du-patrimoine-culturel-immateriel/la-saint-verhaegen?set_language=fr|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=McNally|first=Paul|date=2019-10-13|title=Brussels student celebration St V joins cultural heritage list|url=https://www.thebulletin.be/brussels-student-celebration-st-v-joins-cultural-heritage-list|access-date=2023-03-06|website=The Bulletin|archive-date=6 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306163329/https://www.thebulletin.be/brussels-student-celebration-st-v-joins-cultural-heritage-list|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=La St-V fait son entrée au patrimoine culturel immatériel de la Région de Bruxelles|url=https://www.rtbf.be/article/la-st-v-fait-son-entree-au-patrimoine-culturel-immateriel-de-la-region-de-bruxelles-10336897|access-date=2023-03-06|website=RTBF|language=fr|archive-date=6 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306163327/https://www.rtbf.be/article/la-st-v-fait-son-entree-au-patrimoine-culturel-immateriel-de-la-region-de-bruxelles-10336897|url-status=live}}</ref>

Another good introduction to the ''Brusseleir'' [[Brusselian dialect|local dialect]] and way of life can be obtained at the [[Royal Theatre Toone]], a folkloric theatre of [[marionette]]s, located a stone's throw away from the Grand-Place.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.toone.be/spip.php?page=choix_lang|title=Théâtre Royal de Toone|website=toone.be|access-date=13 August 2019|archive-date=21 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821151509/http://www.toone.be/spip.php?page=choix_lang|url-status=live}}</ref> Finally, two folkloric plays, ''[[Le Mariage de mademoiselle Beulemans]]'' by Frantz Fonson and Fernand Wicheler, and ''[[Bossemans et Coppenolle]]'' by Joris d'Hanswyck and Paul Van Stalle, are still the subject of regular revivals.<ref>{{cite book|last1=van Morckhoven|first1=Paul|last2=André|first2=Luc|year=1970|title=The contemporary theatre in Belgium|location=Brussels, B|publisher=Belgian Information and Documentation Institute|page=73|oclc=906056246}}</ref>

==Cuisine==
{{Main|Cuisine of Brussels}}
[[File:Brussels waffle.jpg|thumb|upright|Brussels is known for its [[Waffle#Brussels|local waffle]]s.]]

Brussels is well known for its local [[Belgian waffle|waffle]], its [[Belgian chocolate|chocolate]], its [[French fries]] and its numerous types of [[Beer in Belgium|beer]]s. The [[Brussels sprout]], which has long been popular in Brussels, and may have originated there, is also named after the city.<ref>{{cite web|last=Oliver|first=Lynne|title=Food Timeline: Brussels sprouts|date=11 April 2011|url=http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodfaq.html#brussels|access-date=9 April 2012|archive-date=27 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427181532/http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodfaq.html#brussels|url-status=live}}</ref>

Owing to Brussels' cosmopolitan population, almost every national cuisine in the world can be found there. The gastronomic offer includes approximately 1,800 [[restaurant]]s (including three 2-starred and ten 1-starred [[Michelin Guide|Michelin]] restaurants),<ref>{{cite web|title=Brussels 2 Stars MICHELIN MICHELIN Restaurants – the MICHELIN Guide Belgium|url=https://guide.michelin.com/en/be/bruxelles-capitale/restaurants/2-stars-michelin/1-star-michelin|access-date=2021-02-10|website=MICHELIN Guide|archive-date=16 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216154026/https://guide.michelin.com/en/be/bruxelles-capitale/restaurants/2-stars-michelin/1-star-michelin|url-status=live}}</ref> and a number of bars. In addition to the traditional restaurants, there are many [[cafés]], [[bistro]]s and the usual range of international [[Fast food restaurant|fast food]] chains. The cafés are similar to bars, and offer beer and light dishes; [[coffee houses]] are called {{lang|fr|salons de thé}} (literally "tea salons"). Also widespread are [[brasserie]]s, which usually offer a variety of beers and typical national dishes.

[[Belgian cuisine]] is known among connoisseurs as one of the best in Europe. It is characterised by the combination of [[French cuisine]] with the more hearty Flemish fare. Notable specialities include [[Brussels waffle]]s (gaufres) and [[mussels]] (usually as [[moules frites|''moules-frites'']], served with fries). The city is a stronghold of [[Belgian chocolate|chocolate]] and [[praline (Belgian chocolate)|praline]] manufacturers with renowned companies like [[Côte d'Or (chocolate)|Côte d'Or]], [[Chocolatier Neuhaus|Neuhaus]], [[Leonidas (chocolate maker)|Leonidas]] and [[Godiva Chocolatier|Godiva]]. Pralines were first introduced in 1912 by Jean Neuhaus II, a Belgian [[chocolatier]] of Swiss origin, in the [[Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/travel/brussels-the-chocolate-trail.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/travel/brussels-the-chocolate-trail.html|archive-date=2022-01-01|url-access=limited|title=Brussels: The Chocolate Trail|last=Thomas|first=Amy M.|date=22 December 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=4 February 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Numerous [[friteries]] are spread throughout the city, and in tourist areas, fresh hot waffles are also sold on the street.

As well as other [[Beer in Belgium|Belgian beer]]s, the [[spontaneously fermented]] [[lambic]] style, brewed in and around Brussels, is widely available there and in the nearby [[Senne (river)|Senne]] valley where the wild [[yeast]]s that ferment it have their origin.<ref name="Jackson1988">{{cite book|last=Jackson|first=Michael|title=The new world guide to beer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_PQJAQAAMAAJ|access-date=26 May 2012|date=September 1988|publisher=Running Press|isbn=978-0-89471-649-2|archive-date=11 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111125308/https://books.google.com/books?id=_PQJAQAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Kriek]], a cherry lambic, is available in almost every bar or restaurant in Brussels.

Brussels is known as the birthplace of the [[Belgian endive]]. The technique for growing [[Blanching (horticulture)|blanched]] endives was accidentally discovered in the 1850s at the [[Botanical Garden of Brussels]] in [[Saint-Josse-ten-Noode]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foodmuseum.com/endive.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050729081033/http://www.foodmuseum.com/endive.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 July 2005|title=Food Museum, Belgium Endive|date=29 July 2005|access-date=4 February 2017}}</ref>

==Shopping==
[[File:107 - Marché aux puces place du Jeu de Balle - Bruxelles.jpg|thumb|right|[[Flea market]] on the [[Place du Jeu de Balle|Place du Jeu de Balle/Vossenplein]]]]

Famous [[shopping]] areas in Brussels include the pedestrian-only [[Rue Neuve (Brussels)|Rue Neuve/Nieuwstraat]], the second busiest shopping street in Belgium (after the [[Meir, Antwerp|Meir]], in [[Antwerp]]) with a weekly average of 230,000 visitors,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.xpats.com/rue-neuve-most-popular-shopping-street|title=Rue Neuve most popular shopping street|website=xpats.com|access-date=18 October 2017|date=2013-09-19|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019061215/http://www.xpats.com/rue-neuve-most-popular-shopping-street|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20130107_00424661|title=Meir klopt voor het eerst Nieuwstraat als drukste winkelstraat|website=De Standaard|date=7 January 2013|access-date=18 October 2017|language=nl-BE|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019061300/http://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20130107_00424661|url-status=live}}</ref> home to popular international chains ([[H&M]], [[C&A]], [[Zara (retailer)|Zara]], [[Primark]]), as well as the City 2 and Anspach galleries.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=https://visit.brussels/en/article/shopping-in-brussels|title=Shopping in Brussels|access-date=2018-08-31|archive-date=1 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901003744/https://visit.brussels/en/article/shopping-in-brussels|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries]] hold a variety of luxury shops and some six million people stroll through them each year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grsh.be/en/|title=The Galerie de la Reine {{!}} Galeries royales saint Hubert à Bruxelles|website=Galeries Royales St-Hubert|access-date=2018-08-31|archive-date=1 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901003805/http://www.grsh.be/en/|url-status=live}}</ref> The neighbourhood around the {{lang|fr|Rue Antoine Dansaert|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Antoine Dansaertstraat|italic=no}} has become, in recent years, a focal point for fashion and design;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brussels.info/shopping-streets/|title=Brussels Shopping Streets|website=Brussels.info|access-date=24 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225205442/http://www.brussels.info/shopping-streets/|archive-date=25 February 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> this main street and its side streets also feature Belgium's young and most happening artistic talent.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/2f6570d4-7eae-11e3-8642-00144feabdc0|title=Why stylish Dansaert district stands out in downtown Brussels|last=Foster|first=Nick|date=24 January 2014|website=Financial Times|access-date=18 October 2017|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019055739/https://www.ft.com/content/2f6570d4-7eae-11e3-8642-00144feabdc0|url-status=live}}</ref>

In Ixelles, the {{lang|fr|Avenue de la Toison d'Or|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Gulden-Vlieslaan|italic=no}} and the [[Namur Gate]] area offer a blend of luxury shops, fast food restaurants and entertainment venues, and the {{lang|fr|Chaussée d'Ixelles|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Elsenesteenweg|italic=no}}, in the mainly-Congolese ''[[Ixelles#Matongé|Matongé]]'' district, offers a taste of [[African fashion]] and lifestyle. The nearby [[Avenue Louise/Louizalaan]] is lined with high-end fashion stores and boutiques, making it one of the most expensive streets in Belgium.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thebulletin.be/avenue-louise-joins-belgiums-most-expensive-shopping-streets|title=Avenue Louise joins Belgium's most expensive shopping streets|website=thebulletin.be|access-date=2018-08-31|date=2015-11-19|archive-date=1 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901044349/https://www.thebulletin.be/avenue-louise-joins-belgiums-most-expensive-shopping-streets|url-status=live}}</ref>

There are shopping centres outside the inner ring: Basilix, Woluwe Shopping Center, Westland Shopping Center, and Docks Bruxsel, which opened in October 2017.<ref name=":3" /> In addition, Brussels ranks as one of Europe's best capital cities for [[flea market]] shopping. The ''Old Market'', on the [[Place du Jeu de Balle|Place du Jeu de Balle/Vossenplein]], in the [[Marollen|Marolles/Marollen]] neighbourhood, is particularly renowned.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fleamarketinsiders.com/flea-markets-in-brussels/|title=Flea Markets in Brussels|website=Flea Market Insiders|date=11 September 2015|access-date=24 February 2017|archive-date=25 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225142210/http://www.fleamarketinsiders.com/flea-markets-in-brussels/|url-status=live}}</ref> The nearby [[Sablon (Brussels)|Sablon/Zavel]] area is home to many of Brussels' [[antique]] dealers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brussels.be/artdet.cfm/5630|title=Sablon|website=City of Brussels|access-date=24 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225131919/https://www.brussels.be/artdet.cfm/5630|archive-date=25 February 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The ''Midi Market'' around [[Brussels-South station]] and the {{lang|fr|Boulevard du Midi|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Zuidlaan|italic=no}} is reputed to be one of the largest markets in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brusselslife.be/en/article/midi-market|title=Midi Market|website=Brusselslife|access-date=8 July 2017|archive-date=7 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707201944/http://www.brusselslife.be/en/article/midi-market|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Sports==
{{Further|Sport in Belgium}}
[[File:20 km de Bruxelles.jpg|thumb|[[20 km of Brussels]]]]

Sport in Brussels is under the responsibility of the [[Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium|Communities]]. The {{lang|fr|Administration de l'Éducation Physique et du Sport}} ([[ADEPS]]) is responsible for recognising the various French-speaking sports federations and also runs three sports centres in the Brussels-Capital Region.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sport-adeps.be/|title=Portail officiel du sport en fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles|website=sport-adeps.be|language=fr|trans-title=Official sports portal in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation|access-date=11 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116150111/http://www.sport-adeps.be/|archive-date=16 November 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Its Dutch-speaking counterpart is {{lang|nl|Sport Vlaanderen}} (formerly called [[Bloso|BLOSO]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sport.vlaanderen/|title=Doe aan sport|website=Sport.Vlaanderen|language=nl|trans-title=Do sports|access-date=11 November 2017|archive-date=3 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103121617/https://www.sport.vlaanderen/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[King Baudouin Stadium]] (formerly the Heysel Stadium) is the largest in the country and home to the national teams in [[Belgium national football team|football]] and [[Belgium national rugby union team|rugby union]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stadiumguide.com/koningboudewijn/|title=Stade Roi Baudouin – Koning Boudewijnstadion|website=The Stadium Guide|access-date=18 October 2017|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019060103/http://www.stadiumguide.com/koningboudewijn/|url-status=live}}</ref> It hosted the final of the [[1972 UEFA European Football Championship]], and the opening game of [[Euro 2000|the 2000 edition]]. Several European club finals have been held at the ground, including the [[1985 European Cup Final]], which saw 39 deaths due to hooliganism and structural collapse.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://metro.co.uk/2012/09/06/alessandro-del-piero-turned-down-liverpool-move-due-to-heysel-566958/|title=Alessandro Del Piero 'turned down Liverpool move due to Heysel'|work=Metro News|date=6 September 2012|access-date=12 August 2013|archive-date=8 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130808082941/http://metro.co.uk/2012/09/06/alessandro-del-piero-turned-down-liverpool-move-due-to-heysel-566958/|url-status=live}}</ref> The King Baudouin Stadium is also home of the annual [[Memorial Van Damme]] athletics event, Belgium's foremost [[track and field]] competition, which is part of the [[Diamond League]]. Other important athletics events are the [[Brussels Marathon]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Brussels Airport Marathon & Half Marathon – 29/09/2024|url=https://brusselsairportmarathon.be/en/|access-date=2024-04-12|archive-date=27 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527053103/https://brusselsairportmarathon.be/en/|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[20 km of Brussels]], an annual run with 30,000 participants.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Home|url=https://www.20kmdebruxelles.be/en/|access-date=2024-04-12|website=20 km de Bruxelles – 20 km door Brussel|archive-date=29 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240429231952/https://www.20kmdebruxelles.be/en/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Football===
[[File:Lotto park 2022.jpg|thumb|right|[[RSC Anderlecht]] fans at the [[Constant Vanden Stock Stadium]]]]

[[RSC Anderlecht]], based in the [[Constant Vanden Stock Stadium]] in [[Anderlecht]], is the most successful Belgian football club in the [[Belgian Pro League]], with 34 titles.<ref>[http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-belgium-idUKKCN18E358 Anderlecht clinch 34th league title] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923003902/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-belgium-idUKKCN18E358 |date=23 September 2017 }}. Rsssf.com. Retrieved on 12 August 2013.</ref> It has also won the most major European tournaments for a Belgian side, with 6 European titles. Brussels is also home to [[Union Saint-Gilloise]], the most successful Belgian club before World War II, with 12 titles.<ref>[https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/belgchamp.html Belgium – List of Champions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019121323/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesb/belgchamp.html |date=19 October 2020 }}. Rsssf.com. Retrieved on 19 February 2014.</ref> The club was founded in [[Saint-Gilles, Belgium|Saint-Gilles]] but is based in nearby [[Forest, Belgium|Forest]], and plays in the Belgian Pro League. [[RWDM47|Racing White Daring Molenbeek]], based in [[Molenbeek-Saint-Jean]], and often referred to as RWDM, is a very popular football club that, since 2023, is back playing in the Belgian Pro League.<ref>{{cite press release|title=WE ARE BACK IN THE FIRST DIVISION !|url=https://www.rwdm.be/nl/we-are-back-in-the-first-division/|website=RWDM|access-date=13 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230515134054/https://www.rwdm.be/nl/we-are-back-in-the-first-division/|archive-date=15 May 2023|language=nl|date=15 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=RWDM promoveert! Brusselse traditieclub volgend seizoen opnieuw in hoogste klasse na zege tegen RSCA Futures|url=https://www.hln.be/belgisch-voetbal/rwdm-promoveert-brusselse-traditieclub-volgend-seizoen-opnieuw-in-hoogste-klasse-na-zege-tegen-rsca-futures~a3a60844/|access-date=13 June 2023|work=Het Laatste Nieuws|date=13 May 2023|language=nl-BE|archive-date=18 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518213620/https://www.hln.be/belgisch-voetbal/rwdm-promoveert-brusselse-traditieclub-volgend-seizoen-opnieuw-in-hoogste-klasse-na-zege-tegen-rsca-futures~a3a60844/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Other Brussels clubs that played in the national series over the years were [[Royal White Star Bruxelles]], Ixelles SC, [[Crossing Club de Schaerbeek]] (born from a merger between RCS de Schaerbeek and Crossing Club Molenbeek), Scup Jette, RUS de Laeken, Racing Jet de Bruxelles, AS Auderghem, KV Wosjot Woluwe and FC Ganshoren.

===Cycling===
Brussels is home to notable [[cycling race]]s. The city is the arrival location of the [[Brussels Cycling Classic]], formerly known as Paris–Brussels, which is one of the oldest [[classic cycle races|semi classic]] [[Road bicycle racing|bicycle races]] on the international calendar.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Race info – Men Elite {{!}} Brussels Cycling Classic|url=https://www.brusselscyclingclassic.be/en/race/brussels-cycling-classic/race-info|access-date=2024-04-12|website=Flanders Classics Events|archive-date=18 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518221106/https://www.brusselscyclingclassic.be/en/race/brussels-cycling-classic/race-info|url-status=live}}</ref> From World War I until the early 1970s, the [[Six Days of Brussels]] was organised regularly. In the last decades of the 20th century, the [[Grand Prix Eddy Merckx]] was also held in Brussels.

==Economy==
{{Further|Economy of Belgium}}
[[File:Front of Brussels Stock Exchange 2023 cropped.jpg|thumb|The [[Bourse Palace]], the former [[Brussels Stock Exchange]] (BSE) building]]

Serving as the centre of administration for Belgium and Europe, Brussels' economy is largely [[Tertiary sector of the economy|service]]-oriented. It is dominated by regional and world headquarters of [[Multinational corporation|multinationals]], by European institutions, by various local and federal administrations, and by related services companies, though it does have a number of notable [[craft]] industries, such as the [[Cantillon Brewery]], a [[lambic]] brewery founded in 1900.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cantillon.be/musee?lang=en|title=Cantillon – Museum|website=cantillon.be|access-date=26 March 2017|archive-date=27 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327075856/https://www.cantillon.be/musee?lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:North Galaxy Towers-Schaerbeek-001.JPG|thumb|Brussels' [[Northern Quarter (Brussels)|Northern Quarter]] business district]]

Brussels has a robust economy. The region contributes to one fifth of Belgium's [[GDP]], and its 550,000 jobs account for 17.7% of Belgium's employment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brussels.info/economy/|title=Brussels Economy and Business|website=Brussels.info|access-date=26 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211080620/http://www.brussels.info/economy/|archive-date=11 February 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Its [[GDP per capita]] is nearly double that of Belgium as a whole,<ref name=":4">{{cite web|title=Gross domestic product per resident, at current prices – Ratio in relation to the total of the Kingdom|url=http://www.nbb.be/belgostat/PublicatieSelectieLinker?LinkID=68000011%7c910000082&Lang=E|publisher=[[National Bank of Belgium]]|access-date=20 April 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808195454/http://www.nbb.be/belgostat/PublicatieSelectieLinker?LinkID=68000011%7C910000082&Lang=E|archive-date=8 August 2014}}</ref> and it has the highest GDP per capita of any [[Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics|NUTS 1]] region in the EU, at ~$80,000 in 2016.<ref>{{cite press release|publisher=Eurostat|date=28 February 2018|title=Regional GDP per capita ranged from 31% to 626% of the EU average in 2017|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/9618249/1-26022019-AP-EN.pdf/f765d183-c3d2-4e2f-9256-cc6665909c80|access-date=14 March 2019|archive-date=2 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190902020336/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/9618249/1-26022019-AP-EN.pdf/f765d183-c3d2-4e2f-9256-cc6665909c80|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the GDP is boosted by a massive inflow of [[commuters]] from neighbouring regions; over half of those who work in Brussels live in Flanders or Wallonia, with 230,000 and 130,000 commuters per day respectively. Conversely, only 16.0% of Brussels residents work outside the region (68,827 (68.5%) of them in Flanders and 21,035 (31.5%) in Wallonia).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eures/main.jsp?catId=7552&acro=lmi&mode=text&recordLang=en&lang=en&parentId=&countryId=BE&regionId=BE0|title=EURES – Labour market information – Région De Bruxelles-Capitale / Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest – European Commission|website=ec.europa.eu|access-date=26 March 2017|archive-date=27 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327083515/https://ec.europa.eu/eures/main.jsp?catId=7552&acro=lmi&mode=text&recordLang=en&lang=en&parentId=&countryId=BE&regionId=BE0|url-status=live}}</ref> Not all of the wealth generated in Brussels remains in the region, and {{as of|2013|December|lc=y}}, the unemployment among its residents is 20.4%.<ref>{{cite web|title=Youth unemployment in Brussels falls under 30%|url=http://www.deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/Economy/140106_Umeployment|publisher=[[Flandersnews.be]]|date=6 January 2014|access-date=23 April 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140423162149/http://www.deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/Economy/140106_Umeployment|archive-date=23 April 2014}}</ref>

There are approximately 50,000 [[business]]es in Brussels, of which around 2,200 are foreign. This number is constantly increasing and can well explain the role of Brussels in Europe. The city's [[infrastructure]] is very favourable in terms of starting up a new business. House prices have also increased in recent years, especially with the increase of young [[professional]]s settling down in Brussels, making it the most expensive city to live in Belgium.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/belgium#all-cities|title=Cost of Living in Belgium.|website=Expatistan, cost of living comparisons|access-date=26 March 2017|archive-date=27 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327080339/https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/belgium#all-cities|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, Brussels holds more than 1,000 business conferences annually, making it the ninth most popular conference city in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cvent.com/uk/event-venue-supplier-network/top-25/2015-top-destinations-europe.shtml|title=Cvent's Top 25 Meeting Destinations in the Europe|website=cvent.com|access-date=6 November 2017|archive-date=12 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012210303/http://www.cvent.com/uk/event-venue-supplier-network/top-25/2015-top-destinations-europe.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>

Brussels is rated as the 34th most important financial centre in the world as of 2020, according to the [[Global Financial Centres Index]]. The [[Brussels Stock Exchange]], abbreviated to BSE and now called Euronext Brussels, is part of the European stock exchange [[Euronext]], along with [[Paris Bourse]], [[Lisbon Stock Exchange]] and [[Amsterdam Stock Exchange]]. Its benchmark [[stock market index]] is the [[BEL20]].

==Media==
{{Further|Belgian media}}

Brussels is a centre of both media and communications in Belgium, with many Belgian television stations, radio stations, newspapers and telephone companies having their headquarters in the region. The French-language public broadcaster [[RTBF]], the Dutch-language public broadcaster [[Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie|VRT]], the two regional channels BX1 (formerly Télé Bruxelles)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bx1.be/|title=BX1, La chaîne d'info de Bruxelles|website=BX1|access-date=13 August 2019|archive-date=12 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812201923/https://bx1.be/|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Bruzz]] (formerly TV Brussel),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bruzz.be/en|title=Nieuws uit Brussel en de beste cultuurtips|website=bruzz.be|access-date=13 August 2019|archive-date=2 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502004709/https://www.bruzz.be/en|url-status=live}}</ref> the encrypted [[BeTV (Belgium)|BeTV]] channel and private channels [[RTL-TVI]] and [[VTM (TV channel)|VTM]] are headquartered in Brussels. Some national newspapers such as ''[[Le Soir]]'', ''[[La Libre]]'', ''[[De Morgen]]'' and the news agency [[Belga (news agency)|Belga]] are based in or around Brussels. The Belgian postal company [[bpost]], as well as the telecommunication companies and mobile operators [[Proximus]], [[Orange Belgium]] and [[Telenet (Belgium)|Telenet]] are all located there.

As English is spoken widely,<ref name="BruS13EN" /><ref name=":7" /> several English media organisations operate in Brussels. The most popular of these are the English-language daily news media platform and bi-monthly magazine ''[[The Brussels Times]]'' and the website ''[[The Bulletin (Brussels weekly)|The Bulletin]]''. The multilingual [[Pan-European identity|pan-European]] news channel [[Euronews]] also maintains an office in Brussels.<ref>{{cite web|title=Brussels bureau – Latest episodes, latest news and updates about|url=https://www.euronews.com/programs/brussels-bureau|access-date=2021-12-11|website=euronews|archive-date=11 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211124724/https://www.euronews.com/programs/brussels-bureau|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Education==
{{Further|Education in Belgium}}

===Tertiary education===
[[File:Université Libre de Bruxelles Franklin Rooseveltlaan Brussel 01.jpg|thumb|[[Neighbourhoods in Brussels#Solbosch/Solbos|Solbosch/Solbos]] campus of the [[Université libre de Bruxelles]] (ULB)]]

There are several [[universities]] in Brussels. Except for the [[Royal Military Academy (Belgium)|Royal Military Academy]], a federal military college established in 1834,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rma.ac.be/RMAdotNet/scsc/infos/default.aspx?Page=1&SubPage=3|title=What makes the RMA so special?|publisher=[[Royal Military Academy (Belgium)|Belgian Royal Military Academy]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071228233044/http://www.rma.ac.be/RMAdotNet/scsc/infos/default.aspx?Page=1&SubPage=3|archive-date=28 December 2007|url-status=dead|access-date=9 December 2007}}</ref> all universities in Brussels are private and autonomous. The Royal Military Academy is also the only Belgian university organised on the [[boarding school]] model.<ref>{{cite web|title=Logement {{!}} RMA|url=https://www.rma.ac.be/fr/logement|access-date=2021-10-23|website=rma.ac.be|language=fr|archive-date=15 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615032402/https://www.rma.ac.be/fr/logement|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Université libre de Bruxelles]] (ULB), a French-speaking university, with about 20,000 students, has three campuses in the city,<ref>{{cite web|title=Presentation of the Université libre de Bruxelles|publisher=[[Université Libre de Bruxelles]]|url=http://www.ulb.ac.be/docs/ulb-prestige/indexuk.html|access-date=9 December 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203153418/http://www.ulb.ac.be/docs/ulb-prestige/indexuk.html|archive-date=3 December 2007}}</ref> and the [[Vrije Universiteit Brussel]] (VUB), its [[Dutch-speaking]] sister university, has about 10,000 students.<ref>{{cite web|title=About the University: Culture and History|publisher=[[Vrije Universiteit Brussel]]|url=http://www.vub.ac.be/english/home/about.html|access-date=9 December 2007|archive-date=16 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150616050829/http://www.vub.ac.be/english/home/about.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Both universities originate from a single ancestor university, founded in 1834, namely the [[Free University of Brussels (1834–1969)|Free University of Brussels]], which was split in 1970, at about the same time the Flemish and French Communities gained legislative power over the organisation of higher education.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vub.ac.be/en/about|title=About the University: Culture and History|website=vub.ac.be|access-date=18 October 2017|archive-date=22 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022204210/http://www.vub.ac.be/en/about|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Saint-Louis University, Brussels]] (also known as UCLouvain Saint-Louis – Bruxelles) was founded in 1858 and is specialised in social and [[human science]]s, with 4,000 students, and located on two campuses in the [[City of Brussels]] and [[Ixelles]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Institution: Historique|publisher=Facultés Universitaires Saint Louis|url=http://www.fusl.ac.be/fr/27.html|access-date=9 December 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223141339/http://www.fusl.ac.be/fr/27.html|archive-date=23 December 2007}}</ref> From September 2018 on, the university uses the name ''UCLouvain'', together with the [[Université catholique de Louvain|Catholic University of Louvain]], in the context of a merger between both universities.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fusion UCL – Saint-Louis : un nouveau logo pour des collaborations renforcées|url=https://uclouvain.be/fr/decouvrir/actualites/fusion-ucl-saint-louis-un-nouveau-logo-pour-des-collaborations-renforcees.html|access-date=2021-10-23|website=UCLouvain|language=fr|archive-date=23 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023161606/https://uclouvain.be/fr/decouvrir/actualites/fusion-ucl-saint-louis-un-nouveau-logo-pour-des-collaborations-renforcees.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Still other universities have campuses in Brussels, such as the French-speaking Catholic University of Louvain (UCLouvain), which has 10,000 students in the city with its medical faculties at [[UCLouvain Bruxelles Woluwe]] since 1973,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uclouvain.be/47547.html|title=L'histoire de l'UCLouvain à Bruxelles|publisher=[[Université catholique de Louvain]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114142407/http://www.uclouvain.be/47547.html|archive-date=14 November 2007|url-status=dead|access-date=9 December 2007}}</ref> in addition to its [[Faculty of Architecture, Architectural Engineering and Urban Planning]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uclouvain.be/en/sites/st-gilles|title=UCLouvain Bruxelles Saint-Gilles|website=UCLouvain|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107224911/https://uclouvain.be/en/sites/st-gilles|archive-date=7 November 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> and UCLouvain's Dutch-speaking sister [[Katholieke Universiteit Leuven]] (KU Leuven)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kuleuven.be/wieiswie/en/unit/52230448/@@org|title=KU Leuven organisational chart: KU Leuven, Campus Brussels|publisher=[[Katholieke Universiteit Leuven]]|access-date=11 January 2015|archive-date=11 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150111194558/http://www.kuleuven.be/wieiswie/en/unit/52230448/@@org|url-status=live}}</ref> (offering bachelor's and master's degrees in economics & business, law, arts, and architecture; 4,400 students). In addition, the University of Kent's [[Brussels School of International Studies]] is a specialised postgraduate school offering advanced international studies.

Also a dozen of university colleges are located in Brussels, including two drama schools, founded in 1832: the French-speaking [[Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles|Conservatoire Royal]] and its [[Dutch-speaking]] equivalent, the [[Koninklijk Conservatorium (Brussel)|Koninklijk Conservatorium]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Petite histoire du Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles|publisher=Conservatoire Royal|url=http://www.conservatoire.be/historique.html|access-date=9 December 2007|archive-date=23 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923002243/http://www.conservatoire.be/historique.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel|publisher=[[Koninklijk Conservatorium (Brussel)|Koninklijk Conservatorium]]|url=http://www.kcb.be/eng/indexin.asp?pag=bib&nr=1|access-date=9 December 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061013223138/http://www.kcb.be/eng/indexin.asp?pag=bib&nr=1|archive-date=13 October 2006}}</ref>

===Primary and secondary education===
Most of Brussels pupils between the ages of 3 and 18 go to schools organised by the [[French-speaking Community]] or the [[Flemish Community]], with close to 80% going to French-speaking schools, and roughly 20% to Dutch-speaking schools. Due to the post-war international presence in the city, there are also a number of international schools, including the [[International School of Brussels]], with 1,450 pupils, between the ages of {{frac|2|1|2}} and 18,<ref>{{cite web|title=ISB Profile|publisher=[[International School of Brussels]]|url=http://www.isb.be/page.cfm?p=7|access-date=9 December 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017045221/http://www.isb.be/page.cfm?p=7|archive-date=17 October 2007}}</ref> the [[British School of Brussels]], and the four [[European School]]s, which provide free education for the children of those working in the [[EU institutions]]. The combined student population of the four European Schools in Brussels is around 10,000.<ref>{{cite web|title=Background|publisher=[[European Schools|Schola Europaea]]|url=http://www.eursc.eu/index.php?id=133|access-date=9 December 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071231041405/http://www.eursc.eu/index.php?id=133|archive-date=31 December 2007}}</ref>

===Libraries===
{{Main|List of libraries in Belgium}}
[[File:Albertine - 01.jpg|thumb|right|[[Royal Library of Belgium]] (KBR)]]

Brussels has a number of public or private-owned [[libraries]] on its territory.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://be.brussels/brussels-for-free/books-and-literature/public-libraries|title=Public libraries|website=be.brussels|access-date=18 October 2017|archive-date=18 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918132620/http://be.brussels/brussels-for-free/books-and-literature/public-libraries|url-status=live}}</ref> Most public libraries in Brussels fall under the competence of the Communities and are usually separated between French-speaking and Dutch-speaking institutions, although some are mixed.{{verify source|date=April 2018}}

The [[Royal Library of Belgium]] (KBR) is the [[national library]] of Belgium and one of the most prestigious libraries in the world. It owns several collections of historical importance, like the [[Fétis]] archives, and is the depository for all books ever published in Belgium or abroad by Belgian authors. It is located on the [[Mont des Arts|Mont des Arts/Kunstberg]] in central Brussels, near the [[Brussels Central Station|Central Station]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Home • KBR|url=https://www.kbr.be/en/|access-date=2021-12-11|website=KBR|archive-date=24 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924144612/https://www.kbr.be/en/|url-status=live}}</ref>

There are several academic libraries and archives in Brussels. The libraries of the [[Université libre de Bruxelles]] (ULB) and the [[Vrije Universiteit Brussel]] (VUB) constitute the largest ensemble of university libraries in the city. In addition to the Solbosch location, there are branches in [[Neighbourhoods in Brussels#La Plaine/Het Plein|La Plaine/Het Plein]] and [[Erasmus metro station|Erasme/Erasmus]].<ref>{{cite web|last=ROBERT|first=Florence|title=Bibliothèques|url=https://bib.ulb.be/|access-date=2021-12-11|website=Bibliothèques|language=fr-FR|archive-date=11 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211123148/https://bib.ulb.be/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Departments – University Library VUB|url=https://biblio.vub.ac.be/iguana/www.main.cls?surl=departments&v=c438f8ec-7050-11e7-b119-005056b628b8&p=f88fe9ec-2425-11e7-a7e4-90084dd7a2c4&language=eng|access-date=2021-12-11|website=biblio.vub.ac.be|archive-date=11 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211123148/https://biblio.vub.ac.be/iguana/www.main.cls?surl=departments&v=c438f8ec-7050-11e7-b119-005056b628b8&p=f88fe9ec-2425-11e7-a7e4-90084dd7a2c4&language=eng|url-status=live}}</ref> Other academic libraries include those of [[Saint-Louis University, Brussels]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Bienvenue – Bibliothèque – Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles|url=https://www.usaintlouis.be/sl/bib_bienvenue.html|access-date=2021-12-11|website=usaintlouis.be|archive-date=22 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122072908/https://www.usaintlouis.be/sl/bib_bienvenue.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[Université catholique de Louvain|Catholic University of Louvain]] (UCLouvain).<ref>{{cite web|title=The Libraries of Université catholique de Louvain|url=https://uclouvain.be/en/libraries|access-date=2021-12-11|website=UCLouvain|archive-date=11 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211123200/https://uclouvain.be/en/libraries|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Science and technology===
{{Main|Science and technology in Brussels}}
[[File:Planetarium Royal Observatory Belgium.jpg|thumb|[[Planetarium (Belgium)|Planetarium]] of the [[Royal Observatory of Belgium]]]]

Science and technology in Brussels is well-developed with the presence of several [[List of universities in Belgium|universities]] and research institutes. The Brussels-Capital Region is home to several national science and technology institutes including the [[National Fund for Scientific Research]] (NFSR), the Institute for the Encouragement of Scientific Research and Innovation of Brussels (ISRIB), the [[Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium]] (RASAB) and the [[Belgian Academy Council of Applied Sciences]] (BACAS). Several science parks associated with the universities are also spread over the region.

The [[Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences]], located in [[Leopold Park]], houses the world's largest hall completely dedicated to [[dinosaur]]s, with its collection of 30 [[fossil]]ised ''[[Iguanodon]]'' skeletons.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.naturalsciences.be/en/museum/exhibitions-view/239/394/390|title=Permanent Exhibition " Dinosaur Gallery|website=Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences|access-date=18 October 2017|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019061007/https://www.naturalsciences.be/en/museum/exhibitions-view/239/394/390|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, the [[Planetarium (Belgium)|Planetarium]] of the [[Royal Observatory of Belgium]] (part of the institutions of the [[Belgian Federal Science Policy Office]]), on the [[Heysel Plateau]] in [[Laeken]], is one of the largest in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brusselsmuseums.be/en/museum/102-planetarium-of-brussels|title=Planetarium of Brussels|website=Brussels' Museums|access-date=10 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211075316/http://www.brusselsmuseums.be/en/museum/102-planetarium-of-brussels|archive-date=11 February 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Healthcare===
{{Main|List of hospitals in Belgium#Brussels-Capital Region}}
[[File:Hôpital Erasme Haupteingang.jpg|thumb|right|[[Erasmus Hospital]] in [[Anderlecht]]]]

Brussels is home to a thriving [[Pharmaceutical industry|pharmaceutical]] and [[health care]] industry, which includes pioneering [[biotechnology]] research. The health sector employs 70,000 employees in 30,000 companies. There are 3,000 life sciences researchers in the city and two large [[science park]]s: Da Vinci Research Park and Erasmus Research Park. There are five [[university hospitals]], a [[military hospital]] and more than 40 general hospitals and specialist clinics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hospitals.be/|title=Belgian Association of Hospitals|website=hospitals.be|access-date=18 October 2017|archive-date=9 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009021230/http://www.hospitals.be/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Due to [[Languages of Belgium|its bilingual nature]], hospitals in the Brussels-Capital Region can be either monolingual French, monolingual Dutch, or bilingual, depending on their nature. University hospitals belong to one of the two [[Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium|linguistic communities]] and are thus monolingual French or Dutch by law. Other hospitals managed by a public authority must be legally bilingual. Private hospitals are legally not bound to either language, but most cater to both. However, all hospital emergency services in the Capital Region (whether part of a public or private hospital) are required to be bilingual, since patients transported by emergency [[ambulance]] cannot choose the hospital they will be brought to.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zorg-en-gezondheid.be/welke-taal-moeten-de-brusselse-ziekenhuizen-gebruiken|title=Welke taal moeten de Brusselse ziekenhuizen gebruiken?|website=zorg-en-gezondheid.be|publisher=[[Agency for Care and Health (Flanders)|Agency for Care and Health]]|language=Dutch|trans-title=Which language do hospitals in Brussels have to use?|access-date=18 September 2019|archive-date=4 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304191312/https://zorg-en-gezondheid.be/welke-taal-moeten-de-brusselse-ziekenhuizen-gebruiken|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Transport==
{{Main|Transport in Brussels}}

Brussels has an extensive network of both private or public transportation means. Public transportation includes [[Brussels buses]], [[Brussels trams|trams]], and [[Brussels Metro|metro]] (all three operated by the [[Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company]] (STIB/MIVB)), as well as a set of railway lines (operated by [[Infrabel]]) and railway stations served by public trains (operated by the [[National Railway Company of Belgium]] (NMBS/SNCB)). Air transport is available via one of the city's two airports ([[Brussels Airport]] and [[Brussels South Charleroi Airport]]), and boat transport is available via the [[Port of Brussels]]. Bicycle-sharing and car-sharing public systems are also available.

The complexity of the Belgian political landscape makes some transportation issues difficult to solve. The Brussels-Capital Region is surrounded by the [[Flemish Region|Flemish]] and [[Wallonia|Walloon]] regions, which means that the airports, as well as many roads serving Brussels (most notably the [[Brussels Ring]]), are located in the other two Belgian regions. The city is relatively car-dependent by northern European standards and is considered to be the most congested city in the world according to the [[INRIX]] traffic survey.<ref name="auto">{{cite news|title=Brussels and Antwerp have worst traffic|url=http://www.flanderstoday.eu/current-affairs/brussels-and-antwerp-have-worst-traffic|access-date=8 December 2013|newspaper=Flanders Today|date=27 June 2012|archive-date=12 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212025712/http://www.flanderstoday.eu/current-affairs/brussels-and-antwerp-have-worst-traffic|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Air===
[[File:Brussels Airlines A319-112 (OO-SSG) landing at Brussels Airport (1).jpg|thumb|[[Brussels Airlines]] [[Airbus]] A319 landing at [[Brussels Airport]] in [[Zaventem]]]]

The Brussels-Capital Region is served by two airports, both located outside of the region's administrative territory. The most notable is [[Brussels Airport]], located in the nearby Flemish municipality of [[Zaventem]], {{cvt|12|km|mi|-1}} east of the capital, which can be accessed by motorway (A201), train, taxi and bus. Brussels National Airport has its own railway station. This station is located in the underground (level -1) of the airport terminal building itself. The secondary airport is [[Brussels South Charleroi Airport]], located in [[Gosselies]], a part of the city of [[Charleroi]] ([[Wallonia]]), some {{cvt|50|km|mi|-1}} south-west of Brussels, which can be accessed by motorway (E19 then E420) or a private bus. There is also [[Melsbroek Air Base]], located in [[Steenokkerzeel]], a military airport that shares its infrastructure with Brussels Airport. The aforementioned airports are also the main airports of Belgium.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brussels.info/airports/|title=Brussels.info – Brussels Airports|website=brussels.info|access-date=18 October 2017|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019111432/https://www.brussels.info/airports/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Water===
[[File:Bassin de Biestebroeck (DSC 4024).jpg|thumb|right|View along the [[Brussels–Charleroi Canal]] in [[Anderlecht]]]]

Since the 16th century, Brussels has had its own harbour, the [[Port of Brussels]]. It has been enlarged throughout the centuries to become the second Belgian inland port. Historically situated near the [[Place Sainte-Catherine|Place Sainte-Catherine/Sint-Katelijneplein]], it lies today to the north-west of the region, on the [[Brussels–Scheldt Maritime Canal]] (commonly called Willebroek Canal), which connects Brussels to [[Antwerp]] via the [[Scheldt]]. Ships and large barges up to {{cvt|4,500|t|lb}} can penetrate deep into the country, avoiding break-ups and load transfers between Antwerp and the centre of Brussels, hence reducing the cost for companies using the canal, and thus offering a competitive advantage.

Moreover, the connection of the Willebroek Canal with the [[Brussels–Charleroi Canal]], in the very heart of the capital, creates a north–south link, by means of waterways, between the Netherlands, Flanders and the industrial zone of [[Hainaut (province)|Hainaut]] ([[Wallonia]]). There, navigation can access the network of French canals, thanks to the important [[Canal inclined plane|inclined plane]] of [[Ronquières inclined plane|Ronquières]] and the lifts of [[Strépy-Bracquegnies]].

The importance of river traffic in Brussels makes it possible to avoid the road equivalent of 740,000 trucks per year—almost 2,000 per day—which, in addition to easing traffic problems, represents an estimated carbon dioxide saving of {{convert|51,545|t|lb}} per year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.port.brussels/en|title=Port of Brussels|website=Port of Brussels|access-date=4 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804221507/http://www.port.brussels/en|archive-date=4 August 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Train===
{{Further|List of railway stations in Belgium}}
[[File:Station Brussel-Zuid Hoofdgang.jpg|thumb|Main hall of [[Brussels-South railway station]], home to the [[Eurostar]] train service to London]]

The Brussels-Capital Region has three main train stations: [[Brussels-South railway station|Brussels-South]], [[Brussels-Central]] and [[Brussels-North railway station|Brussels-North]], which are also the busiest of the country.<ref name=":2" /> Brussels-South is also served by direct high-speed rail links: to London by [[Eurostar]] trains via the [[Channel Tunnel]]; to [[Amsterdam]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://distcalculator.com/distance-between/277151/Brussels-Belgium-and-Amsterdam-The-Netherlands|title=Distance between Brussels, Belgium, and Amsterdam, the Netherlands|work=Distances Technology|access-date=11 Feb 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212004929/http://distcalculator.com/distance-between/277151/Brussels-Belgium-and-Amsterdam-The-Netherlands|archive-date=12 February 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> by Eurostar "Red" (previously [[Thalys]]) and ''[[InterCity]]'' connections; to Amsterdam, Paris, and [[Cologne]] by Eurostar; and to Cologne and [[Frankfurt]] by the German [[Intercity Express|ICE]].

The train rails in Brussels go underground, near the centre, through the [[North–South connection]], with Brussels Central Station also being largely underground. The tunnel itself is only six tracks wide at its narrowest point, which often causes congestion and delays due to heavy use of the route.

The [[City of Brussels]] has minor railway stations at [[Bockstael railway station|Bockstael]], [[Brussels-Chapel railway station|Brussels-Chapel]], [[Brussels-Congress railway station|Brussels-Congress]], [[Brussels-Luxembourg railway station|Brussels-Luxembourg]], [[Schuman station|Brussels-Schuman]], [[Brussels-West station|Brussels-West]], [[Haren railway station (Brussels)|Haren]], [[Haren-South railway station|Haren-South]] and [[Simonis metro station|Simonis]]. In the Brussels Region, there are also railways stations at [[Berchem-Sainte-Agathe railway station|Berchem-Sainte-Agathe]], [[Boitsfort railway station|Boitsfort]], [[Boondael railway station|Boondael]], [[Bordet railway station|Bordet (Evere)]], [[Etterbeek railway station|Etterbeek]], [[Evere railway station|Evere]], [[Forest-East railway station|Forest-East]], [[Forest-South railway station|Forest-South]], [[Jette railway station|Jette]], [[Meiser railway station|Meiser (Schaerbeek)]], [[Moensberg railway station|Moensberg (Uccle)]], [[Saint-Job railway station|Saint-Job (Uccle)]], [[Schaerbeek railway station|Schaarbeek]], [[Uccle-Calevoet railway station|Uccle-Calevoet]], [[Uccle-Stalle railway station|Uccle-Stalle]], Vivier d'Oie-Diesdelle (Uccle), [[Merode station|Merode]] and [[Watermael railway station|Watermael]].

===Public transport===
The [[Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company]] (STIB/MIVB) is the local [[public transport]] operator in Brussels. It covers the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region and some surface routes extend to the near suburbs in the other two regions, linking with the [[De Lijn]] network in [[Flanders]] and the [[TEC (transport)|TEC]] network in [[Wallonia]].

====Metro, trams and buses====
[[File:Rame "Boa".jpg|thumb|[[Brussels Metro]] carriage at [[Erasme/Erasmus metro station]]]]

The [[Brussels Metro]] dates back to 1976,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/brussels/|title=Brussels Metro and Tram Network|work=Railway Technology|access-date=10 March 2016|archive-date=6 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306225546/http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/brussels/|url-status=live}}</ref> but underground lines known as the ''[[Brussels premetro|premetro]]'' have been serviced by tramways since 1968. It is the only [[rapid transit]] system in Belgium ([[Antwerp Pre-metro|Antwerp]] and [[Métro Léger de Charleroi|Charleroi]] both having [[light rail]] systems). The network consists of four conventional metro lines and three ''premetro'' lines. The metro-grade lines are [[Brussels Metro line 1|M1]], [[Brussels Metro line 2|M2]], [[Brussels Metro line 5|M5]], and [[Brussels Metro line 6|M6]], with some shared sections, covering a total of {{cvt|40|km|mi}}.<ref name="The network and vehicles">{{Cite news|url=http://www.stib-mivb.be/article.html?_guid=8086313c-3883-3410-f894-ec3da5b1280e&l=en|title=The network and vehicles|work=STIB-MIVB|access-date=27 February 2017|language=fr-FR|archive-date=27 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227231835/http://www.stib-mivb.be/article.html?_guid=8086313c-3883-3410-f894-ec3da5b1280e&l=en|url-status=live}}</ref> {{as of|2017}}, the Metro network within the region has a total of [[List of Brussels Metro stations|69 metro and ''premetro'' stations]]. The Metro is an important [[Transport in Brussels|means of transport]], connecting with six [[railway station]]s of the [[National Railway Company of Belgium]] (NMBS/SNCB), and many tram and bus stops operated by STIB/MIVB, as well as with [[Flanders|Flemish]] [[De Lijn]] and [[Wallonia|Walloon]] [[TEC (transport)|TEC]] bus stops.

A comprehensive [[Brussels buses|bus]] and [[Brussels trams|tram network]] covers the region. {{As of|2017}}, the Brussels tram system consists of 17 tram lines (three of which – lines [[Brussels tram route 4|T4]], [[Brussels tram route 7|T7]] and T10 – qualify as ''premetro'' lines that partly travel over underground sections that were intended to be eventually converted into metro lines).<ref name="newscientist">{{cite book|title="Trams are coming back"|publisher=[[New Scientist]] (by Ian Yearsley)|date=21 December 1972}}</ref> The total route length is {{cvt|139|km}},<ref name="The network and vehicles"/> making it one of the largest tram networks in Europe. The Brussels bus network is complementary to the rail network. It consists of 50 bus routes and 11 night routes, spanning {{cvt|445|km}}.<ref name="The network and vehicles"/>

Since April 2007, STIB/MIVB has also been operating a night bus network called Noctis on Friday and Saturday nights from midnight until 3 a.m.<ref name = noctisbrus/> The service consists of 11 routes (N04, N05, N06, N08, N09, N10, N11, N12, N13, N16 and N18).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stib-mivb.be/article.html?l=en&_guid=c0eb4836-1383-3410-439b-c10dad1f40fc|title=OUR NIGHT NETWORK|publisher=[[Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company]]|access-date=2022-05-19|archive-date=2 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302121654/https://www.stib-mivb.be/article.html?_guid=c0eb4836-1383-3410-439b-c10dad1f40fc&l=en|url-status=live}}</ref> The fare on these night buses is the same as during the day. All the lines leave from the [[Place de la Bourse, Brussels|Place de la Bourse/Beursplein]] in the city centre at 30 minutes intervals and cover all the main streets in the capital, as they radiate outwards to the suburbs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brusselslife.be/en/article/noctis|title=Noctis|date=2010-04-08|publisher=brusselslife.be|access-date=2022-05-19|archive-date=4 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204225755/https://www.brusselslife.be/en/article/noctis|url-status=live}}</ref> Noctis services returned from 2 July 2021 after over a year of disruption due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium]].<ref name = noctisbrus>{{cite web|last=Walker|first=Lauren|date=2021-06-28|title=Night bus services restart in Brussels|url=https://www.brusselstimes.com/175416/stib-mivb-noctis-night-bus-bars-restaurants-brussels-night-out|access-date=2022-05-19|website=[[The Brussels Times]]|archive-date=15 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615032354/https://www.brusselstimes.com/175416/stib-mivb-noctis-night-bus-bars-restaurants-brussels-night-out|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Other public transport====
[[File:VilloStationAlmostFull.jpg|thumb|right|[[Villo!]] [[shared bicycle]]s in Brussels]]

Since 2003, Brussels has had a car-sharing service operated by the [[Bremen]] company Cambio, in partnership with STIB/MIVB and the local ridesharing company Taxi Stop.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cambio Car Sharing|url=https://www.stib-mivb.be/article.html?_guid=0012b6a0-1683-3410-5286-bbe1bf04397b&l=en|access-date=2024-03-22|website=STIB-MIVB|archive-date=22 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322215007/https://www.stib-mivb.be/article.html?_guid=0012b6a0-1683-3410-5286-bbe1bf04397b&l=en|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2006, a [[Community bicycle program|public bicycle-sharing programme]] was introduced. The scheme was subsequently taken over by [[Villo!]]. Since 2008, this night-time public transport service has been supplemented by Collecto, a shared taxi system, which operates on weekdays between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Collecto: a shared taxi service for 6€ available from 11 pm till 6 am|url=https://www.stib-mivb.be/article.html?l=en&_guid=705f6092-1783-3410-a8b7-9b24c5db01c4|access-date=2024-03-22|website=STIB-MIVB|archive-date=22 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322215009/https://www.stib-mivb.be/article.html?l=en&_guid=705f6092-1783-3410-a8b7-9b24c5db01c4|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2012, the Zen Car electric car-sharing scheme was launched in the university and European areas, though it ceased operating in the city in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Deelplatform Zen Car trekt weg uit Brussel zonder klanten in te lichten|url=https://www.bruzz.be/mobiliteit/deelplatform-zen-car-trekt-weg-uit-brussel-zonder-klanten-te-lichten-2020-12-17|access-date=2024-03-22|website=bruzz.be|language=nl|archive-date=22 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322215006/https://www.bruzz.be/mobiliteit/deelplatform-zen-car-trekt-weg-uit-brussel-zonder-klanten-te-lichten-2020-12-17|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Road network===
[[File:Wetstraat.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Rue de la Loi|Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat]] is one of the city's main streets.]]

In medieval times, Brussels stood at the intersection of routes running north–south (the modern {{lang|fr|Rue Haute|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Hoogstraat|italic=no}}) and east–west ({{lang|fr|Chaussée de Gand|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Gentsesteenweg|italic=no}}–{{lang|fr|Rue du Marché aux Herbes|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Grasmarkt|italic=no}}–{{lang|fr|Rue de Namur|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Naamsestraat|italic=no}}). The ancient pattern of streets, radiating from the [[Grand-Place]], in large part remains, but has been overlaid by boulevards built [[covering of the Senne|over the river Senne]], [[Fortifications of Brussels#Construction of the Small Ring|over the city walls]] and over the railway connection between the North and South Stations. In 2012, Brussels had the most congested traffic in Europe and North America, according to US traffic information platform [[INRIX]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.flanderstoday.eu/current-affairs/brussels-and-antwerp-have-worst-traffic|title=Brussels and Antwerp have worst traffic|date=27 June 2012|access-date=8 December 2013|newspaper=Flanders Today|archive-date=12 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212025712/http://www.flanderstoday.eu/current-affairs/brussels-and-antwerp-have-worst-traffic|url-status=live}}</ref>

Brussels is the hub of a range of national roads, the main ones being clockwise: the [[N1 road (Belgium)|N1]] (N to [[Breda]]), [[N2 road (Belgium)|N2]] (E to [[Maastricht]]), [[N3 road (Belgium)|N3]] (E to [[Aachen]]), [[N4 road (Belgium)|N4]] (SE to [[Luxembourg City|Luxembourg]]), [[N5 road (Belgium)|N5]] (S to [[Reims]]), N6 (S to [[Maubeuge]]), N7 (SW to [[Lille]]), [[N8 road (Belgium)|N8]] (W to [[Koksijde]]) and N9 (NW to [[Ostend]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.autosnelwegen.net/frames.html?/nb.html|title=Belgian N roads|publisher=Autosnelwegen.net|access-date=29 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529013951/http://www.autosnelwegen.net/frames.html?%2Fnb.html|archive-date=29 May 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Usually named {{lang|fr|chaussées}}/{{lang|nl|steenwegen}}, these roads normally run in a straight line, but sometimes lose themselves in a maze of narrow shopping streets. The region is skirted by the [[European route E19]] (N-S) and the [[European route E40|E40]] (E-W), while the [[E411]] leads away to the SE. Brussels has an [[orbital motorway]], numbered R0 (R-zero) and commonly referred to as the [[Brussels Ring|Ring]]. It is pear-shaped, as the southern side was never built as originally conceived, owing to residents' objections.

The city centre, sometimes known as the [[Pentagon (Brussels)|Pentagon]], is surrounded by an inner ring road, the [[Small Ring, Brussels|Small Ring]] ({{langx|fr|Petite Ceinture|link=no}}, {{langx|nl|Kleine Ring|link=no}}), a sequence of boulevards formally numbered R20. These were built upon the site of the [[Second walls of Brussels|second set of city walls]] following their demolition. The [[Brussels Metro line 2|Metro line 2]] runs alongside (not actually under) much of these. Since June 2015, a number of [[Central Boulevards of Brussels|central boulevards]] inside the Pentagon have become car-free, limiting transit traffic through the old city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://circulatieplan.be/en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514223301/http://circulatieplan.be/en|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 May 2015|title=Circulation plan|access-date=26 August 2015}}</ref>

On the eastern side of the region, the R21 or [[Greater ring (Brussels)|Greater Ring]] ({{langx|fr|Grande Ceinture|link=no}}, {{langx|nl|Grote Ring|link=no}}) is formed by a string of boulevards that curves round from [[Laeken]] to [[Uccle]]. Some ''premetro'' stations (see [[Brussels Metro]]) were built on that route. A little further out, a stretch numbered R22 leads from Zaventem to [[Saint-Job railway station|Saint-Job]].

==Security and emergency services==

===Police===
{{Further|Law enforcement in Belgium}}
[[File:EPP Summit March 2012 (48).jpg|thumb|right|Policeman in Brussels]]

The Brussels local police, supported by the federal police, is responsible for law enforcement in Brussels. The 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region are divided into six police zones,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.policelocale.be/portal/fr/zones-de-police-liste/brussel-hoofdstad-bruxelles-capitale.html|title=Zones de police|website=policelocale.be|language=fr-fr|access-date=24 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325124440/http://www.policelocale.be/portal/fr/zones-de-police-liste/brussel-hoofdstad-bruxelles-capitale.html|archive-date=25 March 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> all bilingual (French and Dutch):
* 5339 Brussels Capital Ixelles: the [[City of Brussels]] and [[Ixelles]]
* 5340 Brussels West: [[Berchem-Sainte-Agathe]], [[Ganshoren]], [[Jette]], [[Koekelberg]] and [[Molenbeek-Saint-Jean]]
* 5341 South: [[Anderlecht]], [[Forest, Belgium|Forest]] and [[Saint-Gilles, Belgium|Saint-Gilles]]
* 5342 Uccle/Watermael-Boitsfort/Auderghem: [[Auderghem]], [[Uccle]] and [[Watermael-Boitsfort]]
* 5343 Montgomery: [[Etterbeek]], [[Woluwe-Saint-Lambert]] and [[Woluwe-Saint-Pierre]]
* 5344 Polbruno: [[Evere]], [[Saint-Josse-ten-Noode]] and [[Schaerbeek]]

===Fire department===
The Brussels Fire and Emergency Medical Care Service, commonly known by its acronym SIAMU (DBDMH), operates in the 19 municipalities of Brussels.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://be.brussels/about-the-region/regional-bodies/fire-brigade|title=SIAMU|website=be.brussels|access-date=24 March 2017|archive-date=25 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325112950/http://be.brussels/about-the-region/regional-bodies/fire-brigade|url-status=live}}</ref> It is a class X fire department and the largest [[fire service]] in Belgium in terms of annual operations, equipment, and personnel. It has 9 [[fire station]]s, spread over the entire Brussels-Capital Region, and employs about 1,000 professional [[firefighter]]s. As well as preventing and fighting fires, SIAMU also provides emergency medical care services in Brussels via its centralised 100 number (and the single 112 emergency number for the 27 countries of the European Union). It is bilingual (French–Dutch).

==Parks and green spaces==
{{Main|List of parks and gardens in Brussels}}

Brussels is one of the greenest capitals in Europe, with over 8,000 hectares of green spaces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://be.brussels/culture-tourism-leisure/parks-and-green-space|title=Parks and green spaces|website=be.brussels|archive-date=3 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203043950/http://be.brussels/culture-tourism-leisure/parks-and-green-space|url-status=dead}}</ref> Vegetation cover and natural areas are higher in the outskirts, where they have limited the [[peri-urbanisation]] of the capital, but they decrease sharply towards the centre of Brussels; 10% in the central [[Pentagon (Brussels)|Pentagon]], 30% of the municipalities in the first ring, and 71% of the municipalities in the second ring are occupied by green spaces.

Many parks and gardens, both public and privately owned, are scattered throughout the city. In addition to this, the [[Sonian Forest]] is located in its southern part and stretches out over the three [[Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions|Belgian regions]]. {{as of|2017}}, it has been inscribed as a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]], the only Belgian component to the multinational inscription '[[Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe]]'.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1133|title=Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|publisher=United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization|access-date=3 September 2022|archive-date=2 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302171434/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1133|url-status=live}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160">
File:Brussels Park in summer 2007 1.JPG|[[Brussels Park]]
File:Brussels, Jardin du Mont des Arts foto5 2015-06-07 14.01.jpg|[[Mont des Arts|Mont des Arts/Kunstberg]]
File:Brussels Cinquantenaire R04.jpg|[[Cinquantenaire|Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark]]
File:Brusel, Bois de la Cambre, jezero.jpg|[[Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos]]
File:Ixelles Ponds.JPG|[[Ixelles Ponds]]
File:Parc de Forest - 20080325.JPG|[[Forest park, Brussels|Forest Park]]
File:Autumn light in the Sonian Forest.jpg|[[Sonian Forest]]
</gallery>

==Notable people==
{{Main|List of people from Brussels}}

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Belgium}}

Brussels is [[sister city|twinned]] with the following cities:<ref>{{cite web|title=Brussels|url=https://efus.eu/about-us/brussels/|website=efus.eu|date=21 January 2012|publisher=European Forum for Urban Security|access-date=2022-02-15|archive-date=8 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808183020/https://efus.eu/about-us/brussels/|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Atlanta]], United States
* {{flagicon|CHN}} [[Beijing]], China
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Berlin]], Germany
* {{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Breda]], Netherlands
* {{flagicon|Morocco}} [[Casablanca]], Morocco
* {{flagicon|DRC}} [[Kinshasa]], Congo
* {{flagicon|UKR}} [[Kyiv]], Ukraine
* {{flagicon|Macao}} [[Macao]], China
* {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Madrid]], Spain
* {{flagicon|SVN}} [[Ljubljana]], Slovenia
* {{flagicon|CZE}} [[Prague]], Czech Republic
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Washington, D.C.]], United States
<!--rest - other form of cooperation than twinning-->
{{Div col end}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Belgium|European Union}}
* [[Bourgeois of Brussels]]
* [[Nazi ghost train]] 
* [[Seven Noble Houses of Brussels]]
* [[Sculpture in Brussels]]
* [[Brussels Regional Investment Company]]
* [[European Network of Information Centres for the Performing Arts]]
* [[List of urban areas in the European Union]]

==References==

===Footnotes===
{{Notelist}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{See also|Timeline of Brussels#Bibliography}}
{{Refbegin|60em}}
* {{cite book|last=Armstrong|first=Charles Arthur John|title=The New Cambridge Modern History|volume=I|chapter=The Burgundian Netherlands, 1477–1521|editor-first=George Richard|editor-last=Potter|publisher=Cambridge at the University Press|year=1957|isbn=978-0-521-04541-4|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WxU9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA228}}
* {{cite book|last1=Blockmans|first1=Willem Pieter|last2=Prevenier|first2=Walter|title=The Promised Lands: The Low Countries under Burgundian rule, 1369–1530|location=Philadelphia|publisher=University Pennsylvania Press|year=1999|isbn=978-0-8122-1382-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uj9nGDCiW64C|access-date=15 February 2024|archive-date=31 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331160521/https://books.google.com/books?id=uj9nGDCiW64C|url-status=live}}
* {{cite journal|last=Brigode|first=Simon|title=Les fouilles de la collégiale Sainte-Gudule à Bruxelles : découverte de l'avant-corps occidental de l'époque romane|journal=Annales de la Société royale belge d'archéologie de Bruxelles|volume=27|location=Brussels|language=fr|year=1938}}
* {{cite journal|last=Buron|first=Thierry|title=Molenbeek, de sainte Gertrude au djihadisme|journal=Conflits|volume=9|location=Paris|language=fr|year=2016}}
* {{cite book|last1=Culot|first1=Maurice|last2=Hennaut|first2=Eric|last3=Demanet|first3=Marie|last4=Mierop|first4=Caroline|title=Le bombardement de Bruxelles par Louis XIV et la reconstruction qui s'ensuivit, 1695–1700|location=Brussels|language=fr|publisher=AAM éditions|year=1992|isbn=978-2-87143-079-7}}
* {{cite book|last1=Culot|first1=Maurice|last2=Pirlot|first2=Anne-Marie|title=Bruxelles Art Nouveau|location=Brussels|language=fr|publisher=Archives d'Architecture Moderne|year=2005|isbn=978-2-87143-126-8}}
* {{cite journal|last=Charruadas|first=Paulo|title=La formation de Molenbeek : industrialisation et urbanisation|journal=Les Cahiers de la fonderie|volume=33|location=Brussels|language=fr|year=2005}}
* {{cite book|last=Demey|first=Thierry|title=Bruxelles, chronique d'une capitale en chantier|volume=I: Du voûtement de la Senne à la jonction Nord-Midi|location=Brussels|language=fr|publisher=Paul Legrain/CFC|year=1990|oclc=44643865}}
* {{cite book|last=Demey|first=Thierry|others=S. Strange (trans.)|title=Brussels, capital of Europe|location=Brussels|publisher=Badeaux|year=2007|isbn=978-2-9600414-6-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Demey|first=Thierry|title=Léopold II (1865-1909). La marque royale sur Bruxelles|location=Brussels|language=fr|publisher=Badeaux|year=2009|isbn=978-2-9600414-8-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Dumont|first=Georges-Henri|title=La Vie Quotidienne en Belgique sous la Règne de Léopold II (1856–1909)|edition=Rev.|location=Brussels|language=fr|publisher=Éd. Le Cri|year=1996|isbn=2-87106-173-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Duvergier|first=Jean-Baptiste|title=Collection complète des lois, décrets, ordonnances, réglemens et avis du Conseil d'état, t. 8|location=Paris|language=fr|publisher=A. Guyot et Scribe|year=1835|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uEcUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA300|access-date=9 February 2024|archive-date=31 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331160521/https://books.google.com/books?id=uEcUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA300#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}
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* {{cite book|last=Kirk|first=John Foster|title=History of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy|chapter=The Last Battle|publisher=J.B. Lippincott & Co.|location=Philadelphia|year=1868|isbn=978-0-665-33426-9|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/historycharlesb03kirkgoog/page/n554}}
* {{cite book|last=Oudiette|first=Charles|title=Dictionnaire géographique et topographique des treize départements de la Belgique et de la rive gauche du Rhin|publisher=Imprimerie de Cramer|year=1804|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jPw-AAAAcAAJ&pg=PR13|access-date=9 February 2024|archive-date=31 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331160448/https://books.google.com/books?id=jPw-AAAAcAAJ&pg=PR13#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|last=Pirenne|first=Henri|author-link=Henri Pirenne|title=Histoire de Belgique|volume=VII: De la révolution de 1830 à la guerre de 1914|edition=2nd|language=fr|publisher=Maurice Lamertin|location=Brussels|year=1948}}
* {{cite book|last=Riché|first=Pierre|others=Michael Idomir Allen (trans.)|title=The Carolingians; A Family Who Forged Europe|location=Philadelphia|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|year=1983}}
* {{cite book|last1=Schroeder-Gudehus|first1=Brigitte|last2=Rasmussen|first2=Anne|title=Les fastes du progrès : le guide des expositions universelles 1851–1992|location=Paris|language=fr|publisher=Flammarion|year=1992}}
* {{cite journal|last=Slatin|first=Sonia|title=Opera and Revolution: ''La Muette de Portici'' and the Belgian Revolution of 1830 Revisited|journal=Journal of Musicological Research|number=3|year=1979|volume=3|pages=45–62|doi=10.1080/01411897908574506}}
* {{cite encyclopedia|last=State|first=Paul F.|title=Historical dictionary of Brussels|article=Brusselization|volume=14|series=Historical dictionaries of cities of the world|location=Lanham, MD|publisher=Scarecrow Press|year=2004|isbn=978-0-8108-5075-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LErne3-05qoC}}
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* {{cite book|last=Treffers-Daller|first=Jeanine|title=Mixing Two Languages: French-Dutch Contact in a Comparative Perspective|location=Berlin|publisher=Mouton de Gruyter|year=1994|isbn=978-3-11-013837-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o6ikOOwhKR4C|access-date=11 February 2021|archive-date=2 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202003050/https://books.google.com/books?id=o6ikOOwhKR4C|url-status=live}}
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* {{cite book|last=Wolmar|first=Christian|author-link=Christian Wolmar|title=Blood, Iron & Gold: How the Railways transformed the World|location=London|publisher=Grove Atlantic|year=2010|isbn=978-1-84887-171-7|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/bloodirongoldhow0000wolm_n5b3}}
* {{cite book|ref={{harvid|Mardaga|1994}}|title=Le Patrimoine monumental de la Belgique: Bruxelles|volume=1C: Pentagone N–Z|location=Liège|language=fr|publisher=Pierre Mardaga|year=1994|url=https://monument.heritage.brussels/files/cities/1000/documents/03-vol-c-fr-def_k.pdf|access-date=13 October 2022|archive-date=13 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013095753/https://monument.heritage.brussels/files/cities/1000/documents/03-vol-c-fr-def_k.pdf|url-status=live}}
{{Refend}}

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