Timeline of Brussels

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Brussels, Belgium.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Prior to 18th century

• 1273 – St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral built (approximate date).
• 1304 – Notre Dame du Sablon founded.
• 1348 – Ommegang begins.
• 1356
  • Joyous Entry of Joanna and Wenceslaus into city.
  • Expansion of fortifications of Brussels begins.
• 1370 – the Brussels massacre, a judicial murder of the city's Jewish population, occurs
• 1381 – Halle Gate built.
• 1393 – Anderlecht becomes part of Brussels.
• 1420 – Brussels Town Hall built.
• 1455 – Chapelle du Saint-Sacrement de Miracle built.
• 1476 - Printing press in operation.
• 1477 - Hapsburgs in power.
• 1536 – Maison du Roi built for Duke of Brabant.
• 1585 – City becomes capital of Spanish Netherlands.
• 1619 – Bronze Manneken Pis statue installed.
• 1695 – The city is bombarded by the French.

18th century

• 1700 – The Monnaie theatre built.
• 1731 – Palace of Coudenberg destroyed.
• 1746 – Siege of Brussels.
• 1772 - Imperial and Royal Academy of Brussels established.
• 1774 – Rue Royale laid out.
• 1775 – Brussels Park laid out.
• 1787 – Vauxhall opens.
• 1783 – Royal Palace of Brussels construction begins.
• 1787 – Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg consecrated.
• 1795
  • City becomes part of Dyle.
  • State Archives in Belgium headquartered in city.[1]

19th century

• 1803 – Museum of Brussels opens.
• 1815
  • Duchess of Richmond's ball.
  • City becomes joint capital of United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
• 1819 – New opera theatre inaugurated.
• 1822 - Société Générale de Belgique headquartered in city.
• 1826 – Botanical Garden founded.
• 1830
  • Belgian Revolution.
  • City becomes capital of the Kingdom of Belgium.
  • Population: 98,279 city; 120,981 metro.
• 1832 – Royal Conservatory of Brussels founded.
• 1834 – Free University of Brussels founded
• 1835 – Groendreef/Allée Verte railway station, Belgium's first, is inaugurated.
• 1846
  • Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences founded.
  • Population: 123,874.
• 1847
  • Avenue Louise commissioned.
  • Galerie du Roi, Galerie de la Reine and Galerie du Prince open.
• 1848 - International Peace Congress held.
• 1850 - Population: 142,289 city; 222,424 metro.
• 1855 – Brussels-Luxembourg railway station built.
• 1856 – Théatre Royal de la Monnaie opens.
• 1859 – Congress Column erected.
• 1860 - Population: 185,982 city; 300,341 metro.
• 1861 – Bois de la Cambre laid out.
• 1869 – Trams begin operating.
• 1871
  • Covering of the Senne.
  • fr established.
• 1877 – Ixelles Cemetery created.
• 1880 – Cinquantenaire created.
• 1881 - L'Echo newspaper begins publication.
• 1885
  • Église Royale Sainte-Marie built.
  • Population: 171,751.
• 1887
  • Le Soir newspaper begins publication.
  • Palais des Beaux-Arts built.
• 1888 - Het Laatste Nieuws (newspaper) begins publication.
• 1891 - August: International Socialist Labor Congress held in Brussels.
• 1893 - Paris-Brussels Cycle Race begins.
• 1895
  • Royal Greenhouses of Laeken built.
  • Hotel Metropole in business at fr.
• 1897 – Brussels International world's fair held.

20th century

• 1900
  • Cantillon Brewery founded.
  • Hospital Saint-Jean built.
• 1901 – Maison & Atelier Horta built.
• 1905
  • Cauchie house built.
  • Cinquantenaire's triumphal arch finished.
• 1908 – Chapel of the Resurrection built.
• 1910 – Brussels International world's fair held.
• 1911 - Solvay Conference held in city.
• 1914 – World War I: Brussels captured and occupied by the German Army.
• 1917 – Constant Vanden Stock Stadium opens.
• 1919
  • Lignes Farman airline begins operating its Paris-Brussels route.
  • Population: 685,268 metro.
• 1920 – Oscar Bossaert Stadium opens.
• 1921 – Haren, Laeken, and Neder-Over-Heembeek, merged into the City of Brussels.
• 1922 – Société du Palais des Beaux-Arts and fr (garden) established.
• 1923 – Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History opens.
• 1927 – Solvay Conference held.
• 1930 – Jubilee Stadium opens.
• 1931 – Brussels Symphony Orchestra founded.
• 1935
  • Brussels International Exposition held.
  • Basilica of the Sacred Heart consecrated.
• 1937 – Queen Elisabeth Music Competition begins.
  

  Scenes of jubilation as British troops liberate Brussels, 4 September 1944
• 1939 – Constantin Meunier Museum opens.
• 1940 – World War II: German Military Administration in Belgium and Northern France headquartered in Brussels.
• 1944
  • 3–4 September: Liberation of Brussels by the Welsh Guards; Palace of Justice burnt by Germans to destroy legal records during their retreat.
  • 8 September: Belgian government in exile returns to Brussels after four years in London.
  • A de jure District of Brussels formed by Nazi Germany, which is now no longer in control of the territory.
• 1948
  • Treaty of Brussels signed.
  • Brussels Airport opens.
• 1949 – NATO headquarters established.
• 1952 – Brussels-Central railway station and Brussels-South railway station open.
• 1958
  • Brussels World's Fair Expo 58 held.
  • The Atomium is built.
• 1960 – City hosts Congolese Round Table Conference.
• 1967 – L'Innovation Department Store fire.
• 1969 – Free University of Brussels splits along linguistic lines into Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).
• 1971
  • fr created.
  • fr in Grand Place begins.
• 1974 – Brussels International Independent Film Festival begins.
• 1975
  • Bank Brussels Lambert headquartered in city.
  • Université catholique de Louvain's fr established.
• 1976 – Brussels Metro begins operating.
• 1978
  • Brussels Ring constructed.
  • RTBF Symphony Orchestra formed.
• 1979 - fr moves into the former fr.
• 1980
  • Flemish Community and French Community of Belgium each designate Brussels as capital city.
  • Population of Brussels-Capital Region: 1,008,715.
• 1985
  • Catholic pope visits city.
  • 29 May: Heysel Stadium disaster.
• 1988 – Kinepolis Brussels opens.
• 1989
  • Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region, Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region, and Belgian Comic Strip Center established.
  • Mini-Europe opens.
• 1990 – Population of Brussels-Capital Region: 964,385.
• 1993 – Espace Léopold opens.
• 1994
  • City of Brussels designated capital of Belgium and seat of federal government.
  • Freddy Thielemans becomes mayor.
  • Besix construction headquartered in Brussels.[2]
• 1996 – Belgacom Towers built.
• 1998 – Ancienne Belgique renovated.
• 1999 - Wedding of Prince Philippe and Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz

21st century

• 2000
  • Municipal website online (approximate date).
  • Zinneke Parade begins.
  • Musical Instrument Museum relocates.
• 2004 – North Galaxy Towers built.
• 2006 – Atomium renovated.
• 2007 - Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel established.
• 2009 – Magritte Museum opens.
• 2010 – Population of Brussels-Capital Region: 1,089,538.
• 2013
  • Yvan Mayeur becomes mayor.
  • Rudi Vervoort becomes Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region.
• 2016 – The 2016 Brussels bombings occur, killing 34 and injuring 230.

See also

• fr
• List of mayors of the City of Brussels (largest municipality in the Brussels-Capital Region)
• List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region
• Timeline of Belgian history

Other cities in Belgium

• Timeline of Antwerp
• Timeline of Bruges
• Timeline of Ghent
• Timeline of Leuven
• Timeline of Liège

References

This article incorporates information from the French Wikipedia.

Bibliography

in English

Published in the 19th century

Published in the 20th century

Published in the 21st century

in other languages

External links

• Europeana. Items related to Brussels, various dates.