The area now known as Brussels has been inhabited since about 2250 BC when some Neolithic farmers set down roots. The area was conquered by Julius Caesar and became a prime part of the Roman Empire, where a lot of well heeled Romans built their country villas. After the fall of Rome, the town continued to slowly grow. Legend has it that St Géry, bishop of Cambrai and Arras, built a chapel on one of the islands in the swampy Senne. The town slowly but surely became a hub of commerce. In 1229, Henri I, Duke of Brabant, published the first Brussels town charter. In 1302, the people of Brussels rebelled and, after some victories, were defeated at the Battle of Vilvoorde. Nevertheless, the craftsmen and merchants of Brussels continued to make money. The city and the region around it changed hands several times throughout the ensuing centuries, from Burgundy, to the Austrian Hapsburgs, to the Spanish Hapsburgs, to the French. Finally, in 1832, Brussels became the capital of the Kingdom of Belgium. Belgium suffered greatly during the two World Wars under German occupation. Brussels is now the capital of the European Union and is enjoying a building boom along with an interesting identity crisis.

Cathédrale des Sts Michel & Gudule

This twin towered cathedral, named after the male and female patron saints of Brussels, is perched on a hillside north of Gare Centrale. It was begun is 1226 and took three hundred years to complete. As a result the cathedral reflects the entire history of styles of church building, from Romanesque through all the stages of Gothic and right up to Renaissance. Beautiful stained-glass windows flood the nave with light. The enormous wooden pulpit, depicting Adam and Eve being driven out of Eden by fearsome skeletons, is worth inspecting. In the crypt are the remains of an 11th-century Romanesque chapel. In the northern chapel on the left side of the choir, one can see the portraits of several kings and emperors who bestowed the richly decorated glass-stained windows, including Joao III of Portugal, Louis of Hungary, François I of France and Ferdinand I. In the choir the windows of the following rulers can be seen: Maximilian of Austria, Philip the Beautiful, Charles V, Philip II of Spain, Philibert of Savoy with his wife Margaret of Austria.

Grand Place

Brussels’ main square dates back to the 12th Century, when it was reclaimed from marshland. By the mid 14th Century it was the center of a prosperous market, which spilled over into the surrounding streets. It was the venue of many of the city’s guildhalls, as well as the Hotel de Ville or town hall. It was also the place to go for a jousting tournament or a public execution.

The army of Louis XIV bombarded the square and destroyed most of the buildings, except for the Hotel de Ville, though even it was heavily damaged. Most of the buildings now extant are late 17th Century replacements. The Hotel de Ville still dominates the square with a creamy façade covered with reliefs and a high tower topped by a statue of St. Michel slaying the Devil. The reliefs include 203 little statues representing the Dukes and Duchesses of Brabant who ruled the dukedom between the year 580 and 1564.

Opposite the Hotel de Ville is the Maison de Roi or Broodhuis, a magnificent neogothic building that now houses the city’s historic museum. On exhibition are original statues of the town hall, paintings, wall tapestries and different artifacts which have a relation to the history of the city.

Royal Palace and Royal Residence at Laken

The Belgium Royal Palace was built in the early 19th Century and was the residence of the Belgium royal family until the 1930s, when they moved to the royal residence at Laken. The palace now contains a small museum with a collection about the Belgium royal dynasty. The royal residence in the suburb of Laken was built in 1772. It has a lovely botanical garden which can be visited by the public for only ten days in April and May.

Manneken Pis

This famous statue of a small boy taking a leak is often seen as a symbol of the city. His origins are lost in time. Some say he was a nobleman’s son. Others say he was a boy of more humble birth who had found a unique and risky way to put out a fire. He was first carved in stone, in the mid-14th century, and called 'Little Julian.' In 1619 a bronze version was sculpted by Jerôme Duquesnoy, and this is the Manneken Pis we see today. On public holidays, the people of Brussels often dress him up in colorful clothing.

Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique

This Royal Museum of Fine art is actually two museums in one, an ancient art museum and a modern art museum. The collection is well stocked with works by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Rubens and the Belgian Surrealists. In the entrance hall several sculptures can be seen of Belgian and international sculptors, including Meunier, Lambeau, and Rodin. The main accent, however, lies on the collection of old masters with its 1200 paintings. On the first floor are the masterpieces of the 15th and 16th century. Among the famous names are the master of Flémalle, Rogier van der Weyden, the master of Aix, Barend van Orley, Dirk Bouts, Hieronymus Bosch, Lucas Cranach and Quentin Metsys. The pride of the museum’s vast collection is Bruegel’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus

Waterloo

No trip to Brussels would be complete without a visit to the Waterloo battlefield, a few kilometers to the south of the city. Here, on a ridge line back by a forest, a motley army of British, Dutch, and Germans under the Duke of Wellington met Napoleon’s Grand Army and fought it to a stand still. With the arrival the Prussian Army, Napoleon was put to flight and with it his dreams of conquest.

While visiting the battlefield, don’t forget to visit the Wellington Museum, built in the inn where the Duke made his headquarters, and the Caillou Museum, where Napoleon made his headquarters. The Lion Hill is the spot where the Prince of Orange, leading the Dutch contingent, was wounded and is the main monument of the battlefield. The Hougoumont Farm and the Haie Sainte Farm were strong points in Wellington’s defense that were the scenes of desperate fighting during the battle. The Wounded Eagle Monument marks the place where the Imperial Guard made its last stand. The Gordon monument and the Hanover Monument are also worth a visit,

Visiting Brussels

Brussels has an excellent airport, but is also accessible by train or bus from other European cities, such as Paris or Amsterdam. Brussels has an excellent transit system that includes metro, trams, premetro (trams that go underground for part of their journey) and buses.