BRUSSELS, BELGIUM. Fittingly called "a little Paris," Brussels, the capital of Belgium, is one of the most beautiful and charming of European cities. It is a center of art and fashion, of industry and com merce, a modern well-kept city with many fine new buildings and other public improvements, yet with a few quaint and picturesque remains of bygone days.
It has been the scene of many historic events in recent as well as in more distant times.
For four years following Aug. 20, 1914, Brussels lay under the heavy spell of the German occupation. The German authorities wrecked factories, seized ma chinery and tools, deported laborers to Germany, and requisitioned all raw materials. The city also had to pay heavy fines, the initial tax being $10,000,000.
Since the war Brussels has largely recovered from this industrial destruction. The manufacture of the famous Brussels lace, of carpets, furniture, and car riages, the printing of cotton and woolen fabrics, and printing and bookmaking are all again carried on extensively. There are sugar refineries, foundries of iron and brass, steam-engine factories, and many other industries. Brussels is situated almost at the center of Belgium, about 50 miles southeast of the North Sea.
Its commerce has been promoted by a network of canals and railways that connect it with Antwerp and other Belgian cities, and with the ocean.
Like Paris, Brussels is a city of shaded boulevards, open spaces, and beautiful parks. The Grand' Place, or market place, is one of the most interesting public squares in Europe, being surrounded by many fine old buildings in marked contrast to the otherwise modern character of the city. The largest and most beautiful of these buildings is the Hotel de Ville, or town hall, built in the Gothic style in the early 15th century. Its belfry, 370 feet high, is crowned with a statue of St. Michael, the city's patron saint, and the face of the building is richly adorned with statuary.
Within its shadow Count Egmont and Count Horn, with other gallant patriots who took part in the up rising of the Netherlands against Spanish rule in 1568, were put to death by the ferocious Duke of Alva.
This square is in the lower city, now devoted mainly to manufacture and commerce. The upper town con thins the great offices of state, and other public build ings, and the mansions of the ruling class. On the hillside is the cathedral of Sainte Gudule and Saint Michael, a noble specimen of medieval architecture, dating from the 13th century, with pointed Gothic towers and rich stained-glass windows. The Royal Library, the museums, and art galleries contain price less treasures, including wonderful examples of Flem ish art—by the brothers Van Eyck, Roger van der Weyden, Hans Memling, Rubens, and a host of other artists. Among the public buildings erected in modern times are the king's palace, the house of parliament, and the magnificent Palace of Justice (completed in 1883). The University, founded in 1834, is the most important of the city's many educa tional institutions, and is notable as almost the only university in Europe founded without the cooperation of either the church or state. Population of Brussels and suburbs, about 680,000.
Brussels (Bruxelles in French, the official language) was founded, according to tradition, in the 6th century, and received its name (broek means "marsh") from the nature of the site. Its growth was slow until the days of the Burgundian dukes in the 15th century, when it became one of the important cities in the Netherlands. It was the scene of the first rising of the Netherlands against Spain (1566), but remained under Spanish rule after the Dutch Netherlands had made good their independence. It passed to Austria in 1713, following the wars of the Spanish Suc cession. After a brief period of French rule during the French Revolution and the First Empire, it, with other parts of Belgium, was incorporated with Holland into the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 1830 Brussels was the chief center of a revolt which separated Belgium from Holland, and it has since (except during the German occupation, 1914-18) been the capital of the Belgian kingdom.