City of Brussels

This article is about the municipality. For the greater urban area with the status of Capital Region, see Brussels.
City of Brussels
Ville de Bruxelles
Stad Brussel
Stadt Brüssel
Municipality

Flag
Coat of arms
City of Brussels

Location in Belgium

Coordinates: 50°51′N 04°21′E / 50.850°N 4.350°E / 50.850; 4.350Coordinates: 50°51′N 04°21′E / 50.850°N 4.350°E / 50.850; 4.350
Country Belgium
Community Flemish Community
French Community
Region Brussels
Arrondissement Brussels
Government
 • Mayor (list) Yvan Mayeur (PS)
Area
 • Total 32.61 km2 (12.59 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2013)[1]
 • Total 166,497
 • Density 5,100/km2 (13,000/sq mi)
Postal codes 1000-1130
Area codes 02
Website www.brussels.be

The City of Brussels (French: Ville de Bruxelles [vil də bʁysɛl] or alternatively Bruxelles-Ville [bʁysɛl vil], Dutch: Stad Brussel [stɑd ˈbrʏsəl][2] or Brussel-Stad) is the largest municipality of the Brussels-Capital Region, and the de jure capital of Belgium.[3]

The City of Brussels is a municipality consisting of the central historic town and certain additional areas within the greater Brussels-Capital Region, namely Haren, Laeken and Neder-Over-Heembeek to the north, and Avenue Louise and the Bois de la Cambre park to the south.

On 1 January 2015, the City of Brussels had a total population of 175,534. The total area is 32.61 km² which gives a population density of 5,464 inhabitants per km². As of 2007, there were approximately 50,000 registered non-Belgians in the City of Brussels.[4]

Territorial history

Engraving from c. 1610

At first, the City of Brussels was simply defined, being the area within the second walls of Brussels, the modern-day small ring. As the city grew, the surrounding villages grew as well, eventually growing into a contiguous city, though the local governments retained control of their respective areas.

The construction of Avenue Louise was commissioned in 1847 as a monumental avenue bordered by chestnut trees that would allow easy access to the popular recreational area of the Bois de la Cambre. However, fierce resistance to the project was put up by the town of Ixelles (which was then still separate from Brussels) through whose land the avenue was supposed to run. After years of fruitless negotiations, Brussels finally annexed the narrow band of land needed for the avenue plus the Bois de la Cambre itself in 1864. That decision accounts for the unusual southeastern protrusion of the City of Brussels and for Ixelles being split in two separate parts. The Université Libre de Bruxelles' Solbosch campus is also part of the City of Brussels, partially accounting for the bulge in the southeast end.

Unlike most of the municipalities in Belgium, the ones located in the Brussels-Capital Region were not merged with others during mergers occurring in 1964, 1970, and 1975.[5] However, a few neighbouring municipalities have been merged into the City of Brussels, including Haren, Laken and Neder-Over-Heembeek in 1921.[6] These comprise the northern bulge in the municipality. To the south-east is also a strip of land along Avenue Louise that was annexed from the Ixelles municipality.

Mayors

As in every other Belgian municipality, the City of Brussels is headed by a mayor, who should not be confused with the Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region or the Governor of Brussels-Capital.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Population per municipality on 1 January 2013 (XLS; 607.5 KB)
  2. ↑ Stad in isolation: [stɑt].
  3. ↑ The Belgian Constitution (PDF). Brussels, Belgium: Belgian House of Representatives. May 2014. p. 63. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  4. ↑ Statistics foreign population in Belgium by municipality (in French and Dutch only)
  5. ↑ Picavet, Georges (29 April 2003). "Municipalities (1795-now)". Georges Picavet. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
  6. ↑ "Brussels Capital-Region". Georges Picavet. 4 June 2005. Retrieved 2009-04-05.

External links

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