Timeline of Brussels

The following is a timeline of the history of the municipality of Brussels, Belgium.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Prior to 18th century

• 1273 – First stage of the rebuilding of Brussels minster in the Gothic style completed (approximate date).[1]
• 1304 – Notre Dame du Sablon founded.[2]
• 1348 – Ommegang begins.
• 1356
  • Joyous Entry of Joanna and Wenceslaus into city.
  • Expansion of fortifications of Brussels begins.
• 1370 – the Brussels massacre, an anti-Semitic episode linked to host desecration, occurs. This was followed by the expulsion of the city's remaining Jewish population.
• 1381 – Halle Gate built.
• 1393 – Anderlecht becomes part of Brussels.
• 1420 – Brussels Town Hall built.
• 1455 – Chapelle du Saint-Sacrement de Miracle built.
• 1476 – Printing press in operation.[3]
• 1477 – Habsburgs come to power in Burgundy.[4]
• 1536 – Maison du Roi built for Duke of Brabant.
• 1585 – City becomes capital of Spanish Netherlands.
• 1619 – Bronze Manneken Pis statue installed.
• 1622 – Funeral of Albert VII of Austria
• 1695 – The city is bombarded by the French.

Brussels in the 17th century

The procession of Our Lady of Sablon in Brussels on 31 May 1615

The Popinjay shooting in Brussels

Ommegang of Brussels in 1615

The bombardment of Brussels by French troops of Louis XIV in August 1695

• 1700 – The Monnaie theatre built.

18th century

• 1731 – Palace of Coudenberg destroyed.
• 1746 – Siege of Brussels.
• 1772 – Imperial and Royal Academy of Brussels established.[5]
• 1774 – Rue Royale laid out.[2]
• 1775 – Brussels Park laid out.
• 1787 – Vauxhall opens.
• 1783 – Royal Palace of Brussels construction begins.
• 1787 – Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg consecrated.
• 1795 – Brussels becomes part of Dyle.

19th century

• 1803 – Museum of Brussels opens.[6]
• 1815
  • Duchess of Richmond's ball.
  • City becomes joint capital of United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
• 1819 – New opera theatre inaugurated.
• 1822 – Société Générale de Belgique headquartered in city.[7]
• 1826 – Botanical Garden founded.
• 1830
  • Belgian Revolution.[8]
  • City becomes capital of the Kingdom of Belgium.[4]
  • Population: 98,279 city; 120,981 metro.[9]
• 1832 – Royal Conservatory of Brussels founded.
• 1834 – Free University of Brussels founded
• 1835 – Groendreef/Allée Verte railway station, Belgium's first, is inaugurated.
• 1846
  • Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences founded.
  • Population: 123,874.[10]
• 1847
  • Avenue Louise commissioned.
  • Galerie du Roi, Galerie de la Reine and Galerie du Prince open.
• 1848 – International Peace Congress held.
• 1850 – Population: 142,289 city; 222,424 metro.[9]
• 1855 – Brussels-Luxembourg railway station built.
• 1856 – Théatre Royal de la Monnaie opens.
• 1859 – Congress Column erected.
• 1860 – Population: 185,982 city; 300,341 metro.[9]
• 1861 – Bois de la Cambre laid out.
• 1869 – Trams begin operating.
• 1871
  • Covering of the Senne.
  • Banque de Bruxelles established.[7]
• 1873 – New building for the Brussels Stock Exchange completed
• 1877 – Ixelles Cemetery created.
• 1880 – Cinquantenaire created.
• 1881 – L'Echo newspaper begins publication.[11]
• 1883 – Palace of Justice inaugurated.
• 1885
  • Église Royale Sainte-Marie built.
  • Population: 171,751.[10]
• 1887
  • Le Soir newspaper begins publication.[11]
  • Palais des Beaux-Arts built.
• 1888 - Het Laatste Nieuws (newspaper) begins publication.[11]
• 1889 – November: Brussels Anti-Slavery Conference 1889–90 begins.
• 1891 – August: International Socialist Labor Congress held in Brussels.
• 1893 – Paris-Brussels Cycle Race begins.[12]
• 1894 - Société Belge d'Études Coloniales headquartered in Brussels.
• 1895
  • Royal Greenhouses of Laeken built.
  • Hotel Metropole in business at Place de Brouckère.
• 1897 – Brussels International world's fair held.
• 1900
  • Cantillon Brewery founded.
  • Hospital Saint-Jean built.[13]

20th century

Equestrian statue of Leopold II, Regent place, Brussels

• 1901 – Maison & Atelier Horta built.
• 1905
  • Cauchie house built.
  • Cinquantenaire's triumphal arch finished.
• 1908 – Chapel of the Resurrection built.
• 1910 – Brussels International world's fair held.
• 1911 – Solvay Conference held in city.
• 1914 – World War I: Brussels captured and occupied by the German Army.
• 1917 – Constant Vanden Stock Stadium opens.
• 1919
  • Lignes Farman airline begins operating its Paris-Brussels route.[14]
  • Population: 685,268 metro.[15]
• 1920 – Oscar Bossaert Stadium opens.
• 1921 – Haren, Laeken, and Neder-Over-Heembeek, merged into the City of Brussels.
• 1922 – Société du Palais des Beaux-Arts and Jardin botanique Jean Massart (garden)[16] established.
• 1923 – Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History opens.
• 1927 – Solvay Conference held.
• 1930 – Jubilee Stadium opens.
• 1931 – Brussels Symphony Orchestra founded.
• 1935
  • Brussels International Exposition held.
  • Basilica of the Sacred Heart consecrated.
• 1937 – Queen Elisabeth Music Competition begins.
  

  Scenes of jubilation as British troops liberate Brussels, 4 September 1944
• 1939 – Constantin Meunier Museum opens.
• 1940 – World War II: German Military Administration in Belgium and Northern France headquartered in Brussels.
• 1944
  • 3–4 September: Liberation of Brussels by the Welsh Guards; Palace of Justice burnt by Germans to destroy legal records during their retreat.
  • 8 September: Belgian government in exile returns to Brussels after four years in London.
  • A de jure District of Brussels formed by Nazi Germany, which is now no longer in control of the territory.
• 1948
  • Treaty of Brussels signed.
  • Brussels Airport opens.
• 1949 – NATO headquarters established.
• 1952 – Brussels-Central railway station and Brussels-South railway station open.
• 1958
  • Brussels World's Fair Expo 58 held.
  • The Atomium is built.
• 1960 – City hosts Congolese Round Table Conference.
• 1967 – L'Innovation Department Store fire.
• 1969 – Free University of Brussels splits along linguistic lines into Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).
• 1971
  • Brussels Agglomeration created.[17]
  • Flower carpet in Grand Place begins.
• 1974 – Brussels International Independent Film Festival begins.
• 1975
  • Bank Brussels Lambert headquartered in city.
  • Université catholique de Louvain's Jardin des plantes médicinales Paul Moens established.
• 1976 – Brussels Metro begins operating.
• 1978
  • Brussels Ring constructed.
  • RTBF Symphony Orchestra formed.[18]
• 1979 - Archives of the City of Brussels moves into the former Anciens magasins Waucquez.[19]
• 1980
  • Flemish Community and French Community of Belgium each designate Brussels as capital city.
  • Population of Brussels-Capital Region: 1,008,715.[20]
• 1985
  • Pope John Paul II visits city.[21]
  • 29 May: Heysel Stadium disaster.[21]
• 1988 – Kinepolis Brussels opens.
• 1989
  • Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region,[22] Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region, and Belgian Comic Strip Center established.
  • Mini-Europe opens.
• 1990 – Population of Brussels-Capital Region: 964,385.[20]
• 1993 – Espace Léopold opens.
• 1994
  • City of Brussels designated capital of Belgium and seat of federal government.[23]
  • Freddy Thielemans becomes mayor.[24]
  • Besix construction headquartered in Brussels.
• 1996 – Belgacom Towers built.
• 1998 – Ancienne Belgique renovated.
• 1999 – Wedding of Prince Philippe and Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz
• 2000
  • Municipal website online (approximate date).[25]
  • Zinneke Parade begins.
  • Musical Instrument Museum relocates.

21st century

• 2004 – North Galaxy Towers built.
• 2006 – Atomium renovated.
• 2007 – Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel established.[26]
• 2009 – Magritte Museum opens.
• 2010 – Population of Brussels-Capital Region: 1,089,538.[20]
• 2013
  • Yvan Mayeur becomes mayor.
  • Rudi Vervoort becomes Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region.
• 2016 – The 2016 Brussels bombings occur, killing 34 and injuring 230.

See also

• History of Brussels
• List of mayors of the City of Brussels (largest municipality in the Brussels-Capital Region)
• List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region
• Timeline of Belgian history
• Timelines of other municipalities in Belgium: Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Leuven, Liège

References

1. Charles Harrison Townsend (1916), Beautiful buildings in France & Belgium, New York: Hubbell, OL 7213871M
2. Grant Allen (1904), Belgium: its cities, Boston: Page, OL 24136954M
3. Robert Proctor (1898). "Books Printed From Types: Belgium: Bruxelles". Index to the Early Printed Books in the British Museum. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner and Company. hdl:2027/uc1.c3450632 – via HathiTrust.
4. BBC News. "Belgium Profile: Timeline". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
5. James E. McClellan (1985). "Official Scientific Societies: 1600-1793". Science Reorganized: Scientific Societies in the Eighteenth Century. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-05996-1.
6. Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. "Museum History". Archived from the original on June 7, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
7. "Belgium". International Banking Directory. New York: Bankers Publishing Company. 1922. hdl:2027/hvd.hb1sji.
8. "Belgium". Political Chronology of Europe. Europa Publications. 2003. ISBN 978-1-135-35687-3.
9. "Belgium". Statesman's Year-Book. London: Macmillan and Co. 1869. hdl:2027/nyp.33433081590337.
10. Chambers 1901.
11. "Belgium". Europa World Year Book. Europa Publications. 2004. ISBN 978-1-85743-254-1.
12. Jeroen Heijmans; Bill Mallon (2011). "Chronology". Historical Dictionary of Cycling. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7175-5.
13. Catholic Encyclopedia 1908.
14. Patrick Robertson (2011). Robertson's Book of Firsts. Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-60819-738-5.
15. "Belgium". Statesman's Year-Book. London: Macmillan and Co. 1921. hdl:2027/njp.32101072368440.
16. "Garden Search: Belgium". London: Botanic Gardens Conservation International. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
17. Major Cities and Their Peripheries: Co-operation and Co-ordinated Management. Local and Regional Authorities in Europe. Council of Europe Press. 1993. ISBN 978-92-871-2394-7. Archived from the original on 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
18. Colin Lawson, ed. (2003). "Orchestras Founded in the 20th Century (chronological list)". Cambridge Companion to the Orchestra. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-00132-8.
19. "Archives of the City of Brussels". Brusselsmuseums.be. Conseil bruxellois des Musées. Archived from the original on 2015-05-24. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
20. Brussels Institute for Statistics and Analysis. "Population Totale". Structure de la population. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
21. "History of Brussels: Chronology". City of Brussels. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
22. Centre d'Informatique pour la Region Bruxelloise. "About the Region". Brussels-Capital Region Portal. Archived from the original on 2012-11-23. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
23. "Article 194" (PDF). The Belgian Constitution. Belgian House of Representatives. 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
24. "Belgian mayors". City Mayors.com. London: City Mayors Foundation. Archived from the original on 2013-04-27. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
25. "Official Website of the City of Brussels". Archived from the original on May 2000 – via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.
26. Walter Rüegg, ed. (2011). "Universities founded in Europe between 1945 and 1995". Universities Since 1945. History of the University in Europe. 4. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-49425-0.

This article incorporates information from the French Wikipedia.

Bibliography

In English

Published in the 19th century

• New Picture of Brussels, and its Environs, or, Stranger's Guide to the Curiosities of that Interesting City, London: Samuel Leigh, 1820, OCLC 63579821
• "Brussels". Galignani's Traveller's Guide through Holland and Belgium (4th ed.). Paris: A. and W. Galignani. 1822. hdl:2027/njp.32101073846667.
• David Brewster, ed. (1830). "Brussels". Edinburgh Encyclopædia. Edinburgh: William Blackwood.
• "Brussels", Cabinet Cyclopædia, Cities and Principal Towns of the World, London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, & Green, 1830, OCLC 2665202
• "Brussels", A hand-book for travellers on the continent (2nd ed.), London: John Murray, 1838, OCLC 2030550
• Frederick Knight Hunt (1845), "Brussels", The Rhine: its scenery & historical & legendary associations, London: Jeremiah How
• "Brussels". Coghlan's Illustrated Guide to the Rhine (18th ed.). London: Trubner & Co. 1863.
• Stranger's Guide to Brussels and its environs (6th ed.), Kiessling & Co., 1876
• W. Pembroke Fetridge (1885), "Brussels to Antwerp", Harper's hand-book for travellers in Europe and the east, New York: Harper & Brothers

Published in the 20th century

• "Brussels". Chambers's Encyclopaedia. London. 1901. hdl:2027/njp.32101065312876 – via Hathi Trust.
• Ernest Gilliat-Smith (1906), The story of Brussels, London: Dent, OL 24358871M
• Ernest Gilliat-Smith (1908). "Brussels". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York.
• "Brussels", Belgium and Holland, Leipzig: Karl Baedeker, 1910, OCLC 397759
• "Brussels". Belgium. Grieben's Guide Books. 141. London: Williams & Norgate. 1910. hdl:2027/uiuc.3096224_001.

Published in the 21st century

• Anton Kreukels; et al., eds. (2005). "Brussels". Metropolitan Governance and Spatial Planning: Comparative Case Studies of European City-Regions. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-49606-8.
• Xhardez, Catherine (2016). Translated by Jane Corrigan. "The integration of new immigrants in Brussels: an institutional and political puzzle". Brussels Studies. doi:10.4000/brussels.1434. - translation of "L’intégration des nouveaux arrivants à Bruxelles : un puzzle institutionnel et politique"

In other languages

• "Brussel". Topographia Circuli Burgundici. Topographia Germaniae (in German). Frankfurt. 1654. p. 44+.
• Almanach royal de la cour, des provinces méridionales et de la ville de Bruxelles (in French). Bruxelles: A. Stapleaux. 1817.
• Marie-Nicolas Bouillet; L.G. Gourraigne (1914). "Bruxelles". Dictionnaire universel d'histoire et de geographie (in French) (34th ed.). Paris: Hachette.

External links

• Europeana. Items related to Brussels, various dates.