BRUSSELS

Flemish Brussel, French Bruxelles, city, capital of Brabant province and of Belgium. It is located in the valley of the Senne (Flemish: Zenne) River, a small tributary of the Scheldt (French: Escaut). Bruxelles-Capitale, also called Greater Brussels, is the country's largest urban agglomeration. It consists of 19 communes, or municipalities, each with a large measure of administrative autonomy. Although the average visitor might remain unaware of this dispersal of local government powers, it holds the key to an understanding of many of the urban problems afflicting the contemporary city. It has, for example, impeded the harmonious development of the spreading built-up areas that reflect the increase in population that has occurred since 1830, and an adequate solution to the traffic problem has been rendered especially difficult. A further major problem arises from the geographic location of the city. It lies just a few miles north of the invisible language boundary separating the nation's Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north from the southern, French-speaking Walloon region. Brussels is thus surrounded by Flemish territory and was historically a predominantly Dutch-speaking city, but at present the majority of residents in the Brussels agglomeration speak French. Officially, as the Belgian capital, the city is strictly bilingual, and in all spheres of public life Dutch and French are used side by side. Nevertheless, increasingly in the 20th century Brussels has been the principal venue for political clashes between Flemings and Walloons. Partly as a result of these conflicts, the Belgian Parliament reorganized the nation's structure on the basis of three regions: Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels. Although the city acquired a separate political identity, its exact place and role in Belgium's decentralization measures have not been defined by law. Brussels is nevertheless the administrative, commercial, and financial heart of Belgium, and all services and institutions of national importance are based in the city. Brussels is, in addition, a major European tourist and cultural attraction, functioning simultaneously as regional metropolis, national capital, and international centre. The last-named role has flourished since the city became host to the European Communities (made up of the European Economic Community , or Common Market; the European Coal and Steel Community; and the European Atomic Energy Community) as well as to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters. Flemish Brussel, French Bruxelles, city in Brussels-Capital Region, and the capital of Belgium. It is located in the valley of the Senne (Flemish: Zenne) River, a tributary of the Scheldt. The Brussels-Capital Region, also called Greater Brussels, the country's largest urban agglomeration, consists of 19 administratively autonomous communes forming a regional metropolis. Brussels is an international economic and political centre. The city, which is officially bilingual (French and Flemish [Netherlandic]), is located in the Flemish linguistic zone of Belgium; despite this fact, the majority of residents in the metropolitan area speak French. A rapid expansion of the original town (Inner Brussels) occurred in the 19th century. The Senne and other waterways were covered over and converted into sewers; ponds were filled in, and hollows were banked up. The boundaries of the metropolitan area changed constantly, providing an outlet for the ever-growing population of Flemish-speaking Flemings, French-speaking Walloons, and foreigners (largely guest-worker migrants from Mediterranean countries) until 1963, when legislation was passed prohibiting the city from expanding beyond the borders of its 19 constituent communes. The climate is temperate, with moderate rainfall and mild temperatures throughout the year. Brussels' economy is primarily based on services and manufacturing. Government is the largest single employer, since Brussels is not only the capital of Belgium but is also host to the European Union and the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The city is the banking and financial capital of Belgium, and many national and multinational corporations have set up offices there. The city has a stock exchange and is an important convention centre. Brussels is also the transportation and communications hub of Belgium. The city's industries include manufacture of steel, chemicals, machinery, textiles, electrical equipment, and pharmaceuticals. Brussels is also a printing and publishing centre and has expanding telecommunications, precision-engineering, and other high-technology industries. A north-south industrial zone has sprung up along the valley of the Senne River, where canals and docks serve the port and where the railway lines also run. The commercial quarter, consisting of the western half of Inner Brussels (the lower town), houses domestic and foreign banking institutions and insurance firms. Near the central boulevards are located the Grand' Place (the heart of the Old Town), the Gothic Town Hall (Htel de Ville), and the King's House (Maison du Roi; practically rebuilt during 187395 and containing a historical museum). The Manneken-Pis Fountain (1619), which portrays a small boy urinating, is a nearby landmark. The eastern half of Inner Brussels (the upper town) houses the principal government buildings, including the Royal Palace and the Palace of the Nation. Close by are several cultural centres, including the Albert I Royal Library, the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Ancient Art, and the Palace of Fine Arts. In addition to the Free University of Brussels (1834), with French-speaking and Flemish-speaking divisions, the city's academic institutions include the Saint-Louis Institute, several royal academies, and other institutes and colleges. The city also enjoys a vigorous theatrical and musical life. The Belgian state has developed a semi-metro (part subway and part elevated) network of electric trains designed to cover Greater Brussels. The city is the focal point of the Belgian railway system; a special line links the Central Station and Brussels National Airport. Area commune, 13 square miles (33 square km); Brussels-Capital Region, 62 square miles (161 square km). Pop. (1991) commune, 136,424; (1994 est.) Brussels-Capital Region, 949,070. Additional reading Descriptive works Older standard books providing good coverage of historic buildings and monuments include Alexandre Henne and Alphonse Wauters, Histoire de la ville de Bruxelles, new ed., 4 vol. (196869); Alphonse Wauters, Histoire des environs de Bruxelles: ou description historique des localits qui formaient autrefois l'ammanie de cette ville, 3 vol. (185557, reprinted 1968); Guillaume Jacquemyns, Histoire contemporaine du Grand-Bruxelles (1936); and Guillaume Des Marez, Guide illustr de Bruxelles, monuments civils et religieux, 4th ed., supplemented by A. Rousseau (1958), an excellent handbook. Hans Von Stahlborn (comp.), Baedeker's Brussels, rev. ed., trans. from German (1987), is a useful handbook. Social and economic conditions Demographic and administrative aspects of the city's history are the subject of A.-M. Bogaert-Damin and L. Marchal, Bruxelles, dveloppement de l'ensemble urbain, 1846-1961: analyse historique et statistique des recensements (1978); W. De Lannoy and M. Rampelbergh, Atlas socio-gographique de Bruxelles et de sa priphrie (1981); and Anne-Marie Kumps, Robert Wtterwulghe, and Francis Delpre (eds.), L'Avenir de Bruxelles: aspects conomiques et institutionnels (1980). Social conditions are studied in the works from the series L'Agglomration bruxelloise: Marie Laure Roggemans, La Ville est un systme social: pour une dfinition sociologique du phnomne urbain (1971); Nicole Delruelle and Marie Laure Roggemans, La Grande Ville: rapports sociaux et attractivit du centreville (1974); and Bernard Jouret, Dfinition spatiale du phnomne urbain bruxellois (1972). For a discussion of the language issue in modern Brussels, see Elizabeth Sherman Swing, Bilingualism and Linguistic Segregation in the Schools of Brussels (1980); and Els Witte and Hugo Baetens Beardsmore, The Interdisciplinary Study of Urban Bilingualism in Brussels (1987). History: The growth of the city is studied in Louis Verniers, Un Millnaire d'histoire de Bruxelles: depuis les origines jusq'en 1830 (1965), and Bruxelles et son agglomration de 1830 nos jours (1958). Janet L. Polasky, Revolution in Brussels, 1787-1793 (1987), studies in detail the period of the French Revolution and its influence on the city. Other modern surveys include Marcel Vanhamme, Bruxelles: de bourg rural cit mondiale (1968; Dutch title, Brussel: van landelijke nederzetting tot wereldstad); Mina Martens (ed.), Histoire de Bruxelles (1976); Jean Stengers et al. (eds.), Bruxelles: croissance d'une capitale (1979; Dutch title, Brussel: groei van een hoofdstad); and Christine Weightman and Anthony Barnes, Brussels: Grote Markt to Common Market (1976). Louis Verniers Theo Jozef Hermans