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Belvédère Château
The Belvédère Château (; ; ) is a residence of the Belgian royal family in Laeken, in the north-west of the City of Brussels, which currently houses King Albert II and his wife, Queen Paola. It is near the Royal Palace of Laeken, the official residence of the King and Queen of the Belgians. Another nearby residence, the Villa Schonenberg, is home to Princess Astrid, the sister of the current king, Philippe. History The Belvédère Château was originally built in the 1780s, then was bought by King Leopold II in 1867. The château was meant for his sister Carlotta of Mexico, but she chose to live in the suburb of Tervuren, just outside Brussels, which left Belvédère empty for a while. In 1890, a fire broke out in the Royal Palace of Laeken, and Leopold II and his wife Marie Henriette of Austria moved into Belvédère while repairs took place. Once the repairs were finished, Leopold and Marie Henriette moved back into the Royal Palace, while Belvédère became the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laeken
(French language, French, ) or (Dutch language, Dutch, ) is a residential suburb in the north-western part of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. It belongs to the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, municipality of the City of Brussels and is mostly identified by the Belgian postal code: 1020. Prior to 1921, it was a separate municipality. Toponymy Etymology The name ''Laeken'' () derives from the Germanic ''Lacha'' or ''Lache'' ("water", "lake"), because the Molenbeek brook at the time formed a network of ponds at this height. The oldest mention of the village is in a diploma from 1080, where the name ''Gilbert de Lacha'' appears. There is also the mention ''Lachus'' in 1117. Main sights Royal Palace The Palace of Laeken, Royal Palace of Laeken, official home of the Monarchy of Belgium, Belgian royal family, is situated in Laeken. The palace was built in 1782–1784 by the French architect and urbanist Charles de Wailly. It was partly destroyed b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalities, 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the capital of Belgium. The Brussels-Capital Region is located in the central portion of the country. It is a part of both the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community, and is separate from the Flemish Region (Flanders), within which it forms an enclave, and the Walloon Region (Wallonia), located less than to the south. Brussels grew from a small rural settlement on the river Senne (river), Senne to become an important city-region in Europe. Since the end of the Second World War, it has been a major centre for international politics and home to numerous international organisations, politicians, Diplomacy, diplomats and civil servants. Brussels is the ''de facto' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Castles In Brussels
A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private fortified house, fortified residence of a lord or noble. This is distinct from a mansion, palace, and villa, whose main purpose was exclusively for ''pleasance'' and are not primarily fortresses but may be fortified. Use of the term has varied over time and, sometimes, has also been applied to structures such as hill forts and 19th- and 20th-century homes built to resemble castles. Over the Middle Ages, when genuine castles were built, they took on a great many forms with many different features, although some, such as curtain wall (fortification), curtain walls, arrowslits, and portcullises, were commonplace. European-style castles originated in the 9th and 10th centuries after the fall of the Carolingian Empire, which resulted ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Belgium In The Long Nineteenth Century
In the history of Belgium, the period from 1789 to 1914, dubbed the "Long nineteenth century, long 19th century" by the historian Eric Hobsbawm, includes the end of Habsburg monarchy, Austrian rule and periods of French First Republic, French and United Kingdom of the Netherlands, Dutch rule over the region, leading to the creation of the first independent Belgium, Belgian state in 1830. In the years leading up to 1789, the territory today known as Belgium was divided into two states, called the Austrian Netherlands and Prince-Bishopric of Liège, both of which were part of the Holy Roman Empire. The area was captured by the French during the French Revolutionary Wars and incorporated into the French First Republic from roughly 1794 to 1815. In the aftermath of Napoleon's final defeat in 1815, the Congress of Vienna added the territory of Belgium to the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 1830, with the Belgian Revolution, the Belgian provinces declared their independence, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Culture Of Belgium
The culture of Belgium involves both the aspects shared by all Belgians regardless of the language they speak and the differences between the main cultural communities: the Dutch-speaking Belgians (mostly Flemish) and the French-speaking Belgians (mostly Walloons and Brusselians). Most Belgians view their culture as an integral part of European culture. The territory corresponding to present-day Belgium having always been located at the meeting point of Germanic and Latin Europe, it benefited from a rich cross-fertilization of cultures for centuries. Due to its strategic position in the heart of Europe, Belgium has been at the origin of many European artistic and cultural movements. Famous elements of Belgian culture include gastronomy ( Belgian beers, fries, chocolate, waffles, etc.), the comic strip tradition ('' Tintin'', '' The Smurfs'', '' Spirou & Fantasio'', '' Marsupilami'', '' Lucky Luke'', etc.), painting and architecture ( Mosan art, Early Netherlandish pai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
History Of Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the capital of Belgium. The Brussels-Capital Region is located in the central portion of the country. It is a part of both the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community, and is separate from the Flemish Region (Flanders), within which it forms an enclave, and the Walloon Region (Wallonia), located less than to the south. Brussels grew from a small rural settlement on the river Senne to become an important city-region in Europe. Since the end of the Second World War, it has been a major centre for international politics and home to numerous international organisations, politicians, diplomats and civil servants. Brussels is the '' de facto'' capital of the European Union, as it hosts a number of principal EU institutions, including its ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neoclassical Architecture In Belgium
Neoclassical architecture appeared in Belgium during the period of Austrian Netherlands, Austrian occupation in the mid-18th century and enjoyed considerable longevity in the country, surviving through periods of French and United Kingdom of the Netherlands, Dutch occupation, and the birth of Kingdom of Belgium, independent Belgium, surviving well into the 20th century. Origins of neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture, Neoclassicism in architecture was the result of renewed interest in the architectural forms of classical antiquity, Greco-Roman antiquity discovered in the excavation of sites such as Pompeii and Herculaneum in the 18th century. Its spread in Europe was driven by: * the writings of Johann Joachim Winckelmann, who can be regarded as the founder of art history and archaeology as modern disciplines; * the practice of the Grand Tour, a trip made by young men of the upper classes of European society, which had the effect of bringing together northern Euro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Trust (Belgium)
The Royal Trust Society of Belgium (; ; {{langx, de, Königliche Schenkung) was a donation to the state proposed in a letter by King Leopold II of Belgium on 9 April 1900. In addition some properties were added to the donation in a letter of 15 November 1900. The Belgian government accepted the donation by law on 31 December 1903 (Belgian Monitor of 1 January 1904). When the King handed the Congo Free State over to the Belgian government on 28 November 1907, additional properties were added to the Royal Trust (law of 18 October 1908, published in the Belgian Monitor of 18 October 1908). The King donated his properties, such as his lands, castles and buildings, to the Belgian nation. Leopold did not want them to be divided amongst his three daughters, each of whom was married to a foreign prince. The donation was made on three conditions: the properties would never be sold, they would have to retain their function and appearance, and they would remain at the disposal of the successor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Castles And Châteaux In Belgium
This is an incomplete list of castles and châteaux in Belgium. The Dutch word ''kasteel'' and the French word ''château'' refer both to fortified defensive buildings (castles proper) and to stately aristocratic homes (châteaux, manor houses or country houses). As a result, it is common to see the name of both types of building translated into English as 'castle', which can sometimes be misleading. Combined with the complication that some aristocratic homes were once intended for defence, here they have not been separated into two groups, and most buildings of both types are labelled as 'castles' in this list. Many members of the old Belgians, Belgian noble families still live in castles (see Belgian nobility). Antwerp province East Flanders Flemish Brabant Limburg (Belgium), Limburg province West Flanders Hainaut (province), Hainaut province Liège (province), Liège province , , Hody, Anthisnes , , , - , Château de Hoegaerden , , Esneux , , , , ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Expo 58
Expo 58, also known as the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (; ), was a world's fair held on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Brussels, Belgium, from 17 April to 19 October 1958. It was the first major world's fair registered under the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) after World War II and the fifth in Brussels overall. Expo 58 left a deep impression on Belgium. It was also the pretext for major upheavals and works in Brussels, whose boulevards were transformed into urban motorways. The Atomium, built for the occasion, has become one of the city's must-see landmarks. Background Expo 58 was the eleventh world's fair hosted by Belgium, and the fifth in Brussels, following the fairs in 1888, 1897, 1910 and 1935. In 1953, Belgium won the bid for the next world's fair, winning out over other European capitals such as Paris and London. Nearly 15,000 workers spent three years building the site on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau, north-west of central Brussels. Many of the building ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Princess Clémentine Of Belgium
Princess Clémentine of Belgium (, ; 30 July 1872 – 8 March 1955), was by birth a Kingdom of Belgium, Princess of Belgium and member of the House of Wettin in the branch of House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (as such she was also styled Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duchess in Saxony). In 1910, she became House of Bonaparte, Princess Napoléon and ''de jure'' Empress consort of the French as the wife of Victor, Prince Napoléon, Napoléon Victor Jérôme Frédéric Bonaparte, Bonapartist pretender to the Imperial throne of France (as Napoleon V). The third daughter of King Leopold II of Belgium and Queen Marie Henriette of Austria, Marie Henriette (born Archduchess of Austria), her birth was the result of a final reconciliation of her parents after the death in 1869 of their son and only dynastic heir, Prince Leopold, Duke of Brabant. As a teenager, Clémentine fell in love with her first cousin Prince Baudouin of Belgium, Prince Baudouin. The young ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marie Henriette Of Austria
Marie Henriette of Austria (Marie Henriette Anne; 23 August 1836 – 19 September 1902) was Queen of the Belgians as the wife of King Leopold II. The marriage was arranged against the will of both Marie Henriette and Leopold and became unhappy due to their dissimilarity, and after 1872 the couple lived separate lives, though they continued to appear together in public. Queen Marie Henriette was described as an energetic and intelligent horsewoman, foremost devoted to her animals. In 1895, she openly retired from public life and lived her last seven years in the city of Spa, where she became known as "The Queen of Spa". Early life Marie Henriette was the youngest of five children from the marriage of Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary, and Duchess Maria Dorothea of Württemberg. Marie Henriette was a cousin of Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria, and granddaughter of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, through her father. She was also a first cousin, once removed to the future Que ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
