Timeline of Brussels

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

Prior to 18th century

Part of a series on the
History of Belgium
Prehistory Neolithic flint mines of Spiennes 4300–2200 BC
Ancient Belgae, Eburones & Treveri ~51 BC Gallic Wars 58–50 BC  • Ambiorix's revolt 54–53 BC Roman rule 51 BC–c.500 AD
Early Middle Ages Franks   Merovingians 481–751 Carolingians 751–987 Prince-Bishopric of Liège 980–1789
Middle Ages Franco-Flemish War 1297–1305 Burgundian rule 1384–1482  • Wars of Liège 1465–68 Habsburg rule 1482–1556
Early Modern Northern Renaissance 15th–16th century Spanish rule 1556–1714  • Seventeen Provinces 1549–81  • Dutch Revolt 1568–1648 Austrian rule 1714–93  • Brabant Revolution 1789–90  • Liège Revolution 1789–91 French rule 1793–1815
19th century Dutch rule 1815–30 Belgian Revolution 1830–31 Reign of Leopold I 1831–65  • Treaty of London 1839 Reign of Leopold II 1865–1909  • School War 1879–84  • Congo Free State 1885–1908
20th and 21st centuries Belgian Congo 1908–60 Reign of Albert I 1909–34 World War I 1914–18  • Invasion 1914  • Atrocities 1914  • German occupation 1914–18 Ruanda-Urundi 1922–62 Reign of Leopold III 1934–51 World War II 1940–45  • Invasion 1940  • German occupation 1940–44  • Holocaust 1941–44 Royal Question 1944–50 Reign of Baudouin 1951–93 Reign of Albert II 1993–2013 Reign of Philippe 2013~
Timeline Belgium portal

• 1273 – St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral built (approximate date).^[1]
• 1304 – Notre Dame du Sablon founded.^[2]
• 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.^[3]
• 1477 - Hapsburgs in power.^[4]
• 1536 – Maison du Roi built for Duke of Brabant.
• 1585 – City becomes capital of Spanish Netherlands.
• 1619 – Bronze Manneken Pis statue installed.
• 1622 - Funeral of Albert VII of Austria
• 1695 – The city is bombarded by the French.

Brussels in the 17th century

The procession of Our Lady of Sablon in Brussels on 31 May 1615

The Popinjay shooting in Brussels

Ommegang of Brussels in 1615

The bombardment of Brussels by French troops of Louis XIV in August 1695

• 1700 – The Monnaie theatre built.

18th century

• 1731 – Palace of Coudenberg destroyed.
• 1746 – Siege of Brussels.
• 1772 - Imperial and Royal Academy of Brussels established.^[5]
• 1774 – Rue Royale laid out.^[2]
• 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.

19th century

• 1803 – Museum of Brussels opens.^[6]
• 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.^[7]
• 1826 – Botanical Garden founded.
• 1830
  • Belgian Revolution.^[8]
  • City becomes capital of the Kingdom of Belgium.^[4]
  • Population: 98,279 city; 120,981 metro.^[9]
• 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.^[10]
• 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.^[9]
• 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.^[9]
• 1861 – Bois de la Cambre laid out.
• 1869 – Trams begin operating.
• 1871
  • Covering of the Senne.
  • Banque de Bruxelles established.^[7]
• 1873 – New building for the Brussels Stock Exchange completed
• 1877 – Ixelles Cemetery created.
• 1880 – Cinquantenaire created.
• 1881 - L'Echo newspaper begins publication.^[11]
• 1885
  • Église Royale Sainte-Marie built.
  • Population: 171,751.^[10]
• 1887
  • Le Soir newspaper begins publication.^[11]
  • Palais des Beaux-Arts built.
• 1888 - Het Laatste Nieuws (newspaper) begins publication.^[11]
• 1889 - November: Brussels Anti-Slavery Conference 1889–90 begins.
• 1891 - August: International Socialist Labor Congress held in Brussels.
• 1893 - Paris-Brussels Cycle Race begins.^[12]
• 1894 - Société Belge d'Études Coloniales headquartered in Brussels.
• 1895
  • Royal Greenhouses of Laeken built.
  • Hotel Metropole in business at Place de Brouckère.
• 1897 – Brussels International world's fair held.
• 1900
  • Cantillon Brewery founded.
  • Hospital Saint-Jean built.^[13]

20th century

• 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.^[14]
  • Population: 685,268 metro.^[15]
• 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 Jardin botanique Jean Massart (garden)^[16] 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
  • Brussels Agglomeration created.^[17]
  • Flower carpet in Grand Place begins.
• 1974 – Brussels International Independent Film Festival begins.
• 1975
  • Bank Brussels Lambert headquartered in city.
  • Université catholique de Louvain's Jardin des plantes médicinales Paul Moens established.
• 1976 – Brussels Metro begins operating.
• 1978
  • Brussels Ring constructed.
  • RTBF Symphony Orchestra formed.^[18]
• 1979 - Archives of the City of Brussels moves into the former Anciens magasins Waucquez.^[19]
• 1980
  • Flemish Community and French Community of Belgium each designate Brussels as capital city.
  • Population of Brussels-Capital Region: 1,008,715.^[20]
• 1985
  • Pope John Paul II visits city.^[21]
  • 29 May: Heysel Stadium disaster.^[21]
• 1988 – Kinepolis Brussels opens.
• 1989
  • Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region,^[22] Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region, and Belgian Comic Strip Center established.
  • Mini-Europe opens.
• 1990 – Population of Brussels-Capital Region: 964,385.^[20]
• 1993 – Espace Léopold opens.
• 1994
  • City of Brussels designated capital of Belgium and seat of federal government.^[23]
  • Freddy Thielemans becomes mayor.^[24]
  • Besix construction headquartered in Brussels.
• 1996 – Belgacom Towers built.
• 1998 – Ancienne Belgique renovated.
• 1999 - Wedding of Prince Philippe and Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz
• 2000
  • Municipal website online (approximate date).^[25]
  • Zinneke Parade begins.
  • Musical Instrument Museum relocates.

21st century

• 2004 – North Galaxy Towers built.
• 2006 – Atomium renovated.
• 2007 - Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel established.^[26]
• 2009 – Magritte Museum opens.
• 2010 – Population of Brussels-Capital Region: 1,089,538.^[20]
• 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

• History of Brussels
• 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
• Timelines of other municipalities in Belgium: Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Leuven, Liège

References

This article incorporates information from the French Wikipedia.

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to History of Brussels.

• Europeana. Items related to Brussels, various dates.