The Sablon or Zavel (Dutch) is a neighbourhood and hill in the historic upper town of Brussels in Belgium. At its heart are the twin squares of the larger Grand Sablon (“Large Sablon”) square in the northwest and the smaller Petit Sablon (“Small Sablon”) square and garden in the southeast, divided by the Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon. The Sablon neighbourhood was remodelled in the 19th century as Regentschapstraat was driven through the area, creating a Haussmann-style artery between the Royal Palace of Brussels and the new Palace of Justice. The new street skirted the church: all buildings immediately adjacent to it were demolished starting in 1872, opening up new views of the church. Buildings not directly adjacent to the church were renovated and improved. read more…
Parc du Cinquantenaire (French for “Park of the Fiftieth Anniversary”) or Jubelpark (Dutch for “Jubilee Park”) is a large public, urban park (30 hectares) in the easternmost part of the European Quarter in Brussels. read more…
The International Crisis Group (ICG; also simply known as the Crisis Group) is a transnational non-profit, non-governmental organization founded in 1995 that carries out field research on violent conflict and advances policies to prevent, mitigate or resolve conflict. It advocates policies directly with governments, multilateral organisations and other political actors as well as the media. read more…
The Grand Place or Grote Markt is the central square of Brussels. It is surrounded by opulent guildhalls and two larger edifices, the city’s Town Hall, and the Breadhouse (French: Maison du Roi, Dutch: Broodhuis) building containing the Museum of the City of Brussels. The square is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in Brussels. It measures 68 by 110 metres (223 by 361 ft), and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. The Grand Place was voted the most beautiful square in Europe in 2010. A survey by a Dutch website asked its users to rate different squares across Europe. read more…
Anderlecht is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region. There are several historically and architecturally distinct districts within the Anderlecht municipality. read more…
The House of European History is an initiative of the European Parliament. As a cultural institution and exhibition centre, the House of European History plans to marshal all available means to promote a better understanding of European history and European integration, through a permanent exhibition and temporary and travelling exhibitions, a collection of objects and documents representative of European history, educational programs, cultural events and publications, as well as a wide range of online content. It will be located in Brussels, close to the European institutions. The opening is scheduled for autumn 2015. The House of European History will give visitors the opportunity to learn about European historical processes and events, and engage in critical reflection about the implication of the processes on the present day. It will be a centre for exhibitions, documentation and information which will place processes and events within a wider historical and critical context, bringing together and juxtaposing the contrasting historical experiences of European people. With a surface area of approximately 4 000 m2 at its disposal, the permanent exhibition will be the centrepiece of the House of European History. Using objects and documents and an extensive range of media, it will provide a journey through the history of Europe, principally that of the 20th century, with retrospectives on developments and events in earlier periods which were of particular significance for the whole continent. In this context, the history of European integration will be exhibited in all its uniqueness and with all its complexity. read more…
Mini-Europe is a miniature park located in Bruparck at the foot of the Atomium in Brussels. Mini-Europe has the reproductions of the most attractive monuments in the European Union on show, at a scale of 1:25. Roughly 80 cities and 350 buildings are represented. The park is renowned for the quality of its models, some of which cost as much as €350,000 to make (the Brussels Grand-Place). The park contains numerous live action models (train, mills, eruption of Mount Vesuvius, Airbus, cable cars, etc.). A guide gives the details on all the monuments. At the end of the visit, the “Spirit of Europe” exhibition gives an interactive overview of the European Union in the form of multimedia games. The park is built on an area of 24,000 m². The initial investment was of €10 million in 1989, on its inauguration by Prince Philip of Belgium. read more…
The International Crisis Group (ICG; also simply known as the Crisis Group) is a transnational non-profit, non-governmental organization founded in 1995 that carries out field research on violent conflict and advances policies to prevent, mitigate or resolve conflict. It advocates policies directly with governments, multilateral organisations and other political actors as well as the media. read more…
