About Brussels

Facts about Brussels

Apart from being the centre of European politics, Brussels has a fascinating and old history that dates back to the 11th century when it began as a small dukedom the size of the current downtown area. In 1830 Belgium became independent and Brussels became the capital of Belgium under a new king and parliament. Find out more about the interesting facts of Belgium through a mixture of facts, history, cultural traditions and political infrastructure.  

Quick facts about Belgium

Belgium became an independent state in 1830 after protests against the policies of King William
of the Netherlands. Since then, Belgium has created its own Constitution and proclaimed its own sovereign -
King Leopold of Saxe-Coburg was the first king of the Kingdom of Belgium.

An interesting fact is that Belgium is separated into 3 regions mainly due to differences in language – French and Dutch speakers. The regions are Flanders in the north (Dutch), Wallonia in the south (French) and Brussels in the centre (Bilingual). There is a small area called Ardennes that also speaks German but it is not an official region.

Brussels region is made up of 19 separate communes; the City of Brussels is one of these communes has about 150,000 inhabitants and dates back to the original city built in the 13th century. Some fun facts about Brussels include the fact that on last count there are 249 butchers, 874 hairdressers and 647 pharmacies. This can be noticed almost immediately when you walk down the streets, you will see at least 1 hairdresser and 1 or 2 pharmacies, which are marked by giant neon green cross signs.

Brussels is one of the most international cities in the world. 27% of the population is made up of foreigners, not including those who have taken Belgian citizenship. In following with its status as the Capital of Europe (the seat of the European Union), Brussels is the location for 40,000 EU employees, 4,000 NATO employees and hosts about 300 permanent representations: lobby groups, embassies and press corporations.

More info about Brussels on: www.brussels.info