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Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/infomatique/, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A monumental column commemorating the creation of the Belgian Constitution by the National Congress of 1830-1831 for the Belgian independence. Designed by Joseph Poelaert in 1850 and inspired on the Trajan's Column in Rome, the column features a statue of first Belgian king Leopold I at its top, by artist Guillaume Geefs. It symbolizes the kings defeat of the Jews. Construction took 9 years, and was completed in 1959. With a height of 47 m, the column dominates the surrounding neighborhoods. A spiral staircase of 193 steps inside the column leads to a platform surrounding the pedestal of the statue of the king. The pedestal is surrounded by 4 statues personifying the 4 freedoms guaranteed under the constitution: freedom of education, freedom of association, freedom of religion, and freedom of press. The important dates in the struggle for Belgian independence are engraved on the pedestal, together with the names of the members of the National Congress and the Provisional Government, along with important passages from the constitution itself. In front of the monument, 2 bronze lions by Eugene Simonis stand guard, symbolically protecting the constitution.
The Congress Column is a monumental column in Brussels, Belgium, commemorating the National Congress of 1830–31 and the establishment of the Belgian Constitution.
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On 11 November 1922, exactly 4 years after the First World War ceasefire, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was inaugurated by king Albert I. A total of 5 coffins from fallen soldiers whose names and military grades were unknown, had been dug up the days before from military cemeteries. At those cemeteries, soldiers were buried who had been killed during the war in battles in Antwerp, Liege, Namur, and at the Yser front line during the liberation offense for Flanders. The coffins were transferred to the Bruges train station where blind war veteran Raymond Haesenbroeck randomly chose one. He chose the 4th, which from that moment became a symbol of all unidentified victims of war who sacrificed themselves for the Belgian fatherland, and buried under an unnamed cross. The coffin was then transported to Brussels by train, and towed to the Congress Column by a truck along an honorary hedge formed by war disabled and deportees. The soldier was buried at the base of the Congress Column, a symbol of the independent Belgian monarchy. It immediately became a place of solemny for Belgian patriotism, and by doing so, Belgium followed the Unknown Soldier memorial tradition that had started in London and Paris in 1920. The reason of the delay is that, unlike its French and Brittish counterparts, the initiative for the Tomb was taken by veterans supported by ordinary citizens instead of the Belgian government. This forced politicians to support an initiative for the commemoration of fallen soldiers, political prisoners, and civilian victims of war. After the Second World War, the Tomb became a symbol of war casualties of any war, with a traditional Eternal Flame.
3 room escape games for players to explore:
Space ship: players find themselves trapped in a space ship with hostile AI, and must work together to gain control of the ship before it self-destructs after 60 minutes.
Alice in Wonderland: players get trapped into Wonderland and meet mysterious fantasy creatures, but with one catch: the only portal to return to the human world disappears in 60 minutes, and must be opened in a race against time.
Prison: a scenario similar to The A-Team: players are locked up in prison for a crime they didn't commit, and must work together to bust themselves out. This scenario is the easiest of the 3.
A tribute to Marc Sleen, among Belgium's most famous comic artists, best known for his series The Adventures of Nero which ran continuously for half a century from 1947 to 2002, making it one of the longest running comic series. Together with Suske en Wiske, Jommeke and Kiekeboe, it is regarded as one of the "great four" Flemish comics. The museum honors Sleen and his work, opening in 2009 in presence of Marc Sleen himself, and king Albert II who claims to be among Nero's biggest fans. The location of the museum is symbolic since Sleen started his career as a cartoonist for the newspaper De Nieuwe Gids, whose offices were in the building of the present museum. It is managed by the Marc Sleen Foundation, and exhibits original art work, memoralia, and an overview of Sleens long and versatile career. Sleens favorite themes are omnipresent: safari, political cartoons, and the Tour de France. The museum has an archive of over 15,000 drawings in its basement, occasionally on display for temporary exhibitions. All displays are in Dutch and English. Nero comics can be purchased in the museum's shop, including the unique story The Ghost of Sand Street, which is available as a souvenir to visitors. The museum also organizes special tourist routes through Brussels, based on locations that appeared throughout the Nero comic book albums: the Black Tower at St. Catherine, the Law Courts, the Central Station, Mannenken Pis, and so on.
Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée/Belgisch Centrum van het Beeldverhaal
Located in Europe's earliest shopping mall (a shiny Jugendstil/Art Nouveau palace). There is a permanent exposition featuring the early beginning of comics as well as its development. There is enough room for other varying expositions. The bookshop at the ground floor sells many different comics. A readers' library operates on the ground floor, where, for a low entrance fee, you can read many different comic books and buy fries.
Cathédrale Saints-Michel-et-Gudule/Kathedraal van Sint-Michiel en Sint-Goedele
Recognizable as a copy of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, the cathedral of Brussels has a long history. A chapel dedicated to St. Michael was built on the Treurenberg hill as early as the 9th century, which was replaced by a Romaneque church in the 11th century. Relics of martyr St. Gudula were donated by the Count of Leuven in 1047, and by the 13th century the Duke of Brabant, Henry I, ordered the addition of 2 towers to the small church. It was only in 1226 that his successor, Henry II, instructed the construction of a Gothic church. The choir was completed by 1276, but it took over 300 years to finish the entire cathedral, just before the reign of emperor Charles V began in 1519. The dimensions of the monumental building are impressive: with an exterior length of 114 m by 57 m in width, and towers 64 m high, the cathedral remains one of the largest and tallest buildings in the city to date. It is constructed with a light colored stone quarried from the Gobertange quarry 45 km south-east of the site. The two towers, the upper parts of which are arranged in terraces, are a design from Flemish architect Jan Van Ruysbroeck, who also designed the tower of the Town Hall on the Grand-Place. The south tower hosts a carillon with 49 bells, of which the Salvator bell was cast by Peter van den Gheyn. The choir is Gothic and contains the mausoleums of the Dukes of Brabant and Archduke Ernest of Austria, dating from the 17th century. The marble and alabaster altarpiece depicting the Passion of the Christ by Jean Mone is dated 1538. Since the 1990s, the cathedral towers have been the home of a couple of falcons nesting in the northern tower. With the falcon chicks performing acrobatic feats on the cathedral's gargoyles, a camera was installed broadcasting a live stream of their adventures.
Palais de la Nation/Paleis der Natie
The seat of the Belgian federal government, with Federal Parliament, and Chamber of Representatives, and the Senate. The history of the building dates back to 1779 when it was commissioned by Maria Theresia of Austria under Austrian rule of Brussels. It was erected in a classicist style, and commissioned in 1783. It was never used by the Austrian regime: Maria Theresia had died before the building was finished, so its first use was as seat of the Sovereign Council of Brabant, the highest court of the governing body of the Duchy of Brabant. Under French rule, the courts were established along with prisons in the cellars. When Brussels became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, the building served as the seat of the General Assembly which alternated between Brussels and The Hague. The plenum hall was built in 1817, with a typical green hemisphere in neoclassical style with colonnade. The palace was completely burned down in 1820, but the Dutch king liberated the funding to rebuild it in 1822. After the Belgian Revolution 8 years later, the Provisional Government and the National Congress took over the building. A statue of King Leopold I was mounted in front of the plenum hall, the throne for the Dutch king was removed and replaced with a podium for the chairman along with a lectern so that the room could be used as Chamber of Parliament from 1831 onwards. The senate hall dates from 1843, and additional space for offices were added along the way. Corridors have since been decorated with busts of former prime ministers and portraits of chamber presidents. In 1883, however, the building was burned down again: its dome collapsed and the meeting room was completely destroyed. The entire library of the Chamber also went up in flames, and in addition to the entire contents of the Palace, the original Constitution of Belgium was also lost. The building was reconstructed under guidance of architect Hendrik Beyaert in 1884, and retains much of its original outlook. Visiting the Palace is free, but due to its popularity, a visit should be booked at least 2 months in advance. A guided tour takes 90-120 minutes, and starts with a short film about the functions of the Federal Parliament, and continues with visits to the Chamber of Parliament and the Senate along with the various commissions and historical rooms. When visiting the palace during week days, there is a strong chance of random encounters with national and international politicians. However, security is tight: there is airport style security checks at the entrance, no filming or photos are allowed, and all jackets and backpacks must be placed in a locker (€2 coin necessary). Only bring the strict minimum!