City of Brussels

The City of Brussels is the largest municipality and historical centre of the Brussels-Capital Region, as well as the capital of Belgium. It is additionally the capital of the French Community of Belgium, the Flemish Community, and the Flemish Region (from which it is separate). The City of Brussels is also the administrative centre of the European Union, as it hosts a number of principal EU institutions in its European Quarter.

Besides the central historic town located within the Pentagon, the City of Brussels covers some of the city's immediate outskirts within the greater Brussels-Capital Region, namely the former municipalities of Haren, Laeken, and Neder-Over-Heembeek to the north, as well as the Avenue Louise/Louizalaan and the Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos park to the south-east, where it borders municipalities in Flanders.

, the City of Brussels had a population of 196,828 inhabitants. The total area is , which gives a population density of . , there were 75,998 registered non-Belgians in the City. Like all municipalities in Brussels, it is officially bilingual (French–Dutch).

Territorial history

Historically, the City of Brussels was simply defined, being the area within the second walls of Brussels, the modern-day Small Ring (Brussels' inner ring road). As the city grew, so did the surrounding villages, eventually forming a contiguous city, though the local governments retained control of their respective areas.

At the country's independence in 1830, the new members of the Belgian upper class hoped to create a new prestigious residential area in the capital. An official plan for the Leopold Quarter was drawn up in 1838, marking the first major extension of the City of Brussels in its eastern part, following the transfer of a large area of the municipality of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. The area was designed to emanate from Brussels Park (located in front of the Royal Palace), and was laid out on a grid in a traditional classical pattern centred around the /.

Shortly afterwards, in 1844, the Avenue Louise/Louizalaan was proposed as a monumental avenue bordered by chestnut trees that would allow easy access from Brussels' city centre to the popular recreational area of the Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos. However, fierce resistance to the project was put up by the towns of Saint-Gilles and Ixelles—then, as now, separate municipalities (local authorities) from the City of Brussels—through whose territories the avenue was to run. After years of fruitless negotiations, the City of Brussels finally annexed the narrow band of land needed for the avenue, in addition to the Bois de la Cambre itself, in April 1864. That decision accounts for the unusual shape of today's City of Brussels and for the separation of Ixelles into two separate areas.

To the east, in 1853, following the bankruptcy of Saint-Josse's municipal administration, the City of Brussels purchased half of this municipality. Nowadays, this is the Squares Quarter, the only part of the Brussels municipality to have the same postal code (1040) as the municipality of Etterbeek. Further east, in 1880, a former military exercise ground and the surrounding land, also located in Etterbeek, were attached to the City to create the Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark, an exhibition space commemorating the 50th anniversary of independence. A leisure park and museums were subsequently set up there.

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. However, a few neighbouring municipalities have been merged into the City of Brussels, including Haren, Laeken and Neder-Over-Heembeek in 1921. These comprise the northern bulge in the municipality. To the south-east is the above-mentioned strip of land along the Avenue Louise that was annexed from Saint-Gilles and Ixelles. Part of the (ULB)'s Solbosch/Solbos campus is also part of the City of Brussels, partially accounting for the bulge in the south-eastern end.

Demographics

Historical population , the City of Brussels' population was 196,828 inhabitants. The area is , making the density .

Taking into account the current municipality, including the former municipalities annexed in 1921 (Haren, Laeken and Neder-over-Heembeek) from 1831:

Sources: INS: 1806 to 1981 = census; 1990 and later = population on 1 January

Foreign population The City of Brussels has a large immigrant population, with both the EU and non-European migrant communities outnumbering the native Belgians. Akin to neighbouring Ixelles, Etterbeek and Schaerbeek, the City of Brussels also has a large Muslim population, mainly of Moroccan origin.

, taking into account the nationality of birth of the parents, 55.84% of the City of Brussels's population is of non-European origin (predominantly Moroccan, Indian and Congolese), 27.21% is of European origin other than Belgian (mainly French, Romanian, Italian, Spanish, and Polish), while 16.94% is solely of native Belgian ancestry. Among all major migrant groups from outside the EU, a majority of the permanent residents have acquired Belgian nationality.

Migrant communities in the City of Brussels with over 1,000 people as of 1 January 2020:

9,0497,4317,0575,1754,6902,7771,8321,7581,7041,5911,5731,5651,5111,3891,3091,177

Group of originYear2023Number%Belgians with Belgian background32,91616.94%Belgians with foreign background85,37743.94%Neighbouring country4,1942.16%EU27 (excluding neighbouring country)6,6293.41%Outside EU 27Non-Belgians75,99839.12%Neighbouring country6.95%EU27 (excluding neighbouring country)Outside EU 27Total194,291100%

Politics

As in every other Belgian municipality, the City of Brussels is headed by a mayor, who should not be confused with the minister-president of the Brussels-Capital Region or the governor of Brussels-Capital. The current city council was elected in the October 2018 elections. The current mayor of the City of Brussels is Philippe Close, a member of PS, who is in coalition on the municipal council with Ecolo - Groen, DéFI and Forward.

+City of Brussels local election – 14 October 2018 Party Votes % Swing (pp) Elected2018 19,99728.380.741 - Groen11,84716.814.422 - Open Vld 9,77213.874.023 8,15911.5810.026 - CD&V 6,5439.298.725 5,3177.550.08 2,6063.700.64 (Change Brussels)2,2693.22New1 1,1381.610.59- 1,1251.601.30- Others1,6942.401.56-

Environmental policy Brussels is ranked sixth in the index of cities which are becoming greener fastest as for the year 2022, even though in the past it had a reputation of a "traffic-choked city of high rises and concrete". The authorities released a plan composed of seven steps on how to make the city even more sustainable. Those include introducing "a use-based, circular and low-carbon economy" and making the city "proactive". The city should become a "10-minute city" meaning "making the facilities essential to urban life accessible to every inhabitant in less than 10 minutes". Green spaces should be expanded. The plan includes participation of the population in decision-making and high life level for all.

Culture

Honorary citizens Among the recipients of the honorary citizenship of the City of Brussels are:

DateNameNotes29 June 1945Dwight D. Eisenhower12 September 1945Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein11 October 1945Charles de Gaulle16 October 1945Sir Winston Churchill16 April 1946Sir Arthur Coningham26 May 1982Simone Veil5 October 1984Maurice Béjart24 April 1985Gaston Thorn20 December 2001José Géal8 September 2004Annie Cordy18 May 2005José Van Dam22 June 2005Marc Sleen23 September 2005Alberto Uderzo24 November 2005Jacques Van der Biest20 December 2005Dick Annegarn4 Februari 2006Guy LoiseauPresident of the Order of the Friends of Manneken Pis22 March 2006Marcel Hastir12 June 2006Henri Vernes24 June 2006Bernard Foccroulle19 October 2006Jean-Baptiste BekenCompanion of St. Lawrence14 November 2006Cécile MullerPresident of Miss Belgium5 May 2007Elisabeth t'KintManager of the Cirque Royal7 May 2007Julot VerbeeckPress officer of the Cirque Royal17 April 2008Expo 58 hostesses12 October 2009William Vance24 February 2010David SusskindBelgian Jewish leader and peace activist12 May 2011Stéphane Hessel22 November 2011Jean Van Hamme25 September 2013Agnès Varda29 March 2014Nathan ClumeckProfessor and managing director of St. Peter's Hospital30 October 2015Grand JojoAlso known as Lange Jojo25 March 2016WoltjePuppet from the Royal Theatre Toone22 September 2017Arno27 September 2018Diane von Fürstenberg

Symbols

Heraldry

+Previous versionsThe original arms were plain Gules.Guillaume Des Marez, "L'origine des armoiries de Bruxelles. Première phase: De gueules plain", in: Études inédites, Brussels, 1936, p. 111–113. From the 16th century on, it was customary to put the figure of the city seal representing Saint Michael, first as a shadow then in a more elaborate form.Louis Robyns de Schneidauer, La couronne comtale de la ville de Bruxelles, in Le Parchemin, Gendbrugge-lez-Gand, 1939 (March–April).

Note: many of the arms of the Seven Noble Houses of Brussels were variants of these arms.1730 armsNapoleonic arms(en)Brussels [archive], on the Heraldry of the World website.

Vexillology +Flag of the City of BrusselsDescription:

Green and red with at its centre Saint Michael slaying the dragon (Devil).

Symbolism:

Saint Michael is the city's patron saint. See: Saint Michael slaying the Devil

City of Brussels

Bron en licentie