The ( French) or (

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

) is a

square In geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...

in central

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 #Municipalit ...

, Belgium. It was created following the covering of the river Senne (1867–1871). It is named in honour of André-Napoléon Fontainas, a former

mayor of the City of Brussels This is a list of mayors or burgomasters of the City of Brussels. Burgundian Netherlands (1384–1482) *1380: Pipenpoy family, Geert Pipenpoy *1381: Pipenpoy family, Geert Pipenpoy and Jacques Stovaert *1421: J. Swaeff, J. Cooman *1422: Walter ...

. The square lies at the conjunction of the Boulevard Anspach/Anspachlaan to the north with the Boulevard Maurice Lemonnier/Maurice Lemonnierlaan to the south, in the Midi–Lemonnier or Stalingrad Quarter (southern part of the

City of Brussels The City of Brussels is the largest List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, municipality and historical City centre, centre of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, as well as the capital of the French Community of Belgium, the ...

). It is served by the '' premetro'' (underground tram) station Anneessens on lines 4 and 10.

History

Early history

The Place Fontainas was laid out following the covering of the river Senne (1867–1871), as part of the major urban works by the architect Léon Suys under the tenure of the then-

, Jules Anspach. Located at the junction of the Boulevard Anspach/Anspachlaan (then called the /) and the Boulevard Maurice Lemonnier/Maurice Lemonnierlaan, the square occupies the site of the former Small Island (, ) formed by two arms of the Senne, an old link between the / and the /. The bent end of the latter now forms the western side of the square. In his 1865 project, Suys planned to erect a monumental fountain on the square, which was to break the boulevards' uniformity, but it was abandoned for budgetary reasons. Since 1871, the square has borne the name of the liberal politician and former

, André-Napoléon Fontainas.

1970s to present

Due to the presence of

gay bars A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBTQ+ communities. Gay bars once ...

on and around the Rue du Marché au Charbon, the Place Fontanais became the centre of gay

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

in Brussels from the early 1970s. Men from all walks of life came there to pick up often young prostitutes (between 14 and 25 years old). After the police ended a prostitution network with Macedonian children aged 12 to 14 in 1995–96, gay prostitution in the square no longer caused any particular problems. Since its creation in the 19th century, the square has often changed appearance. Nevertheless, it retains a large number of ''

fin de siècle "''Fin de siècle''" () is a French term meaning , a phrase which typically encompasses both the meaning of the similar English idiom '' turn of the century'' and also makes reference to the closing of one era and onset of another. Without co ...

'' buildings. Since 29 June 2015, it has been part of a large

pedestrian zone Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town restricted to use by people on foot or ...

in central Brussels (). On that occasion, it was partially restored to its original appearance and was repaved. Decorated with plantations and equipped with numerous benches, it once again constitutes a pleasant space.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

* {{Commons category-inline, Place Fontainas/Fontainasplein Squares in Brussels City of Brussels 19th century in Brussels Car-free zones in Belgium