Belgium Brussels-Capital

Brussels is the capital and largest city of Belgium and the capital of the European Union. Brussels has grown from a 10C fortress town to a sizeable city. The architecture in Brussels is diverse, spanning from the medieval constructions on the Grand Place to the postmodern buildings of the EU institutions. Main attractions include the Grand Place, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the Gothic town hall in the old centre, the St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral and the Royal Palace of Laeken. Another famous landmark is the Royal Palace. The city has had a renowned artist scene for many years. Brussels is known for its local waffle, its chocolate, its French fries and its numerous types of beers.

The Ixelles Ponds and Tenbosch Park are noted parks in the middle of the city. Several Art Nouveau houses built by Victor Horta are listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, and some of them can be visited. Two universities have their campuses in Ixelles. As a result, the southeast part of the municipality is home to a large number of students. The Ixelles Cemetery is one of the most important cemeteries in the country as it contains the graves of a number of famous Belgian personalities. Ixelles also houses several interesting churches and museums, including a fine-arts museum and the Constantin Meunier museum established in the residence where the artist lived part of his life.

Saint-Gilles has a multicultural identity stemming from its diverse population. The housing stock varies from semi-derelict tenements, to elegant patrician houses, to tourist hotels at the inner end of the Chaussee de Charleroi/Charleroisesteenweg. Saint-Gilles is also known as one of the centers of artistic and student life in Brussels. Particular architectural delights are found in the dozen or more Art Nouveau houses designed by masters such as Horta, Struyvens, and Hankar, dotted around the upper part of the municipality. The imposing town hall, built between 1900 and 1904, looks larger than it is, and bears a splendid resemblance to a French chateau with Venetian overtones.