Brussels

placed in the category: Cities

Brussels is a city in Central Belgium that is considered the political, administrative and cultural capital of the country. It is famous for its numerous medieval and Renaissance buildings and has long been known for lace manufacturing. This historic city is primarily divided into two - the lower town and the upper town. The former consists of the principal commercial section while the latter is generally for residential occupancy.

The city derives its name from "bruocsella", an Old Dutch word that translates into "home in the marsh". Its original settlers came sometime between the 6th and 7th century A.D. By the 10th century, commercialization of the town began. The 13th century saw Brussels develop into the hub of the Flemish woolens industry. It did not take long after for Brussels to flourish as one of the principal European commercial cities and was noted for its tapestries, fine carpets and lace.

There was no stopping Brussels in its continued progress as it became the capital of the Spanish Netherlands or the equivalent of the modern Belgium. When the modern Netherlands and Belgium united as the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the seat of government alternated between Brussels and The Hague. After the Belgians' successful revolt against the Dutch rule, it became the official capital of the newly established Kingdom of Belgium. Brussels used to be considered as the capital of Europe due to the presence of the administrative office of the European Economic Community in the city. At present, many international organizations retain their administrative centers in Brussels while it serves as the capital of the European Union.

From being almost exclusively Dutch-speaking, Brussels became multilingual having French as its main language. Most churches in Brussels are Roman Catholic since Belgium is predominately Roman Catholic. The country is known for having the best beer in the world and has a fair share of interesting sights to visit. Chocolate shops are plenty since Belgian chocolates are favorite purchases of tourists for they are world-renowned for their taste and quality. Brussels is also considered one of the major restaurant-cities in Europe. Its public transport network is comprehensive and very reliable.