The Royal Quarter
( or ; or ) is a
quarter in the historic upper town 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 Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
, Belgium. It is situated between
Brussels Park
Brussels Park ( ; or ) is the largest urban public park in central Brussels, Belgium. The park was formerly known and is still sometimes colloquially referred to as the Royal Park ( ; ). It was the city's first public park, being originally ...
, the
Royal Palace, the
Mont des Arts/Kunstberg and the
Sablon/Zavel. It is an excellent example of 18th-century urban architecture.
History
The Royal Quarter's creation began in 1774 with the construction of the
Place Royale/Konigsplein at the instigation of
Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine
Prince Charles Alexander Emanuel of Lorraine (; ; 12 December 1712 in Lunéville – 4 July 1780 in Tervuren) was a Duchy of Lorraine, Lorraine-born Habsburg monarchy, Austrian general and soldier, field marshal of the Imperial Army of the Holy ...
,
Governor-General of the Austrian Netherlands. The authors of the project were the French architects
Jean-Benoît-Vincent Barré and
Gilles-Barnabé Guimard. It was largely complete by 1783.
At the centre of the new district is
Brussels Park
Brussels Park ( ; or ) is the largest urban public park in central Brussels, Belgium. The park was formerly known and is still sometimes colloquially referred to as the Royal Park ( ; ). It was the city's first public park, being originally ...
, the main alley of which forms an axis connecting the
Royal Palace and the Palace of the Council of Brabant (today's
Palace of the Nation
The Palace of the Nation (; ; ) is a neoclassical palace in Brussels, Belgium, housing the Belgian Federal Parliament. The Parliament consists of both the Chamber of Representatives (lower house) and the Senate (upper house), which convene in ...
). The streets surrounding the park were built in accordance with the strict rules of
neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture, sometimes referred to as Classical Revival architecture, is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy, France and Germany. It became one of t ...
.
The district marked a new stage in the history of Brussels'
urban development
Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to:
* Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas
* Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities
Urban may also refer to:
General
* Urban (name), a list of peop ...
. It was there that, for the first time in the city's history, such urban planning elements and principles as straight "perspective" streets, standard façades, and
pavements were widely used. As such, it is a striking example of urban development and architecture of
the Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment (also the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment) was a European intellectual and philosophical movement active from the late 17th to early 19th century. Chiefly valuing knowledge gained through rationalism and empirici ...
.
See also
*
Neighbourhoods in Brussels
There are several neighbourhoods in Brussels, Belgium. Their names and borders are not officially defined, and they might vary occasionally. The districts listed by the Brussels-Capital Region have a statistical purpose, and therefore do not alw ...
*
Neoclassical architecture in Belgium
*
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 ...
*
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 B ...
*
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 ...
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
External links
*
{{Neighbourhoods in Brussels
Neighbourhoods of Brussels
City of Brussels