Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 03.djvu/665

* BRUSSELS. 589 BRUSSELS. mented by an inelosure containing several stat- ues of scientists and authors ; the Place du Con- gr&s, having a column 146 feet liigh. surmounted bv a bronze statue of King Leopold I.; and the Place Sainte Gudule, containing the famous cathedral of the same name. Among the ecclesiastical buildings, the Cathe- dral of Sainte Gudule ranks first. It is an im- posing structure in early Gothic style, begun about 1220, on the site of an old church. It is famous chiefly for its magnificent windows of stained glass, belonging to different periods since the Thirteenth Century. The two towers on both sides and the statuettes of the portal are of a recent date. The cathedral contains nu- merous monuments of the royal family. Xotre Dame des Victoires or du Sablon was originally constructed in the early Fourteenth Century, Avas completely rebuilt in the Fifteenth and Six- teenth centuries, and is now being restored. Other prominent churches are Notre Dame de Finistfire and Saint .Jacques sur Caudenberg, with a copper-roofed belfry. The finest speci- mens of architecture, however, are found in the secular edifices of Brussels, among which the Hotel de Ville comes first. It is in the Gothic style, aud its fagade, fronting the market, is profusely adorned with statuary. In the centre rises the tower, 370 feet, surmounted by a gilt statue of Saint Michael, the city's patron saint. The front part of the building dates from the Fif- teenth Century : the rear portion was reconstruct- ed in the Eighteenth Century, after the French had destroyed the original structure in 1695. The royal palace stands south of the park, and contains pictures by Rubens, Vandyke, and Frans Hals. On the north side of the park is situated the Palais de la Xation, erected at the close of the Eighteenth Century for the Council of Bra- bant. It is now used by the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. The Palais des Acade- mies, formerly belonging to the Prince of Orange, is in the Italian style, and houses the Academic Royale des Lettres, Beaux- Arts et Sci- ences, and the Acad&raie Royale de JKdecine. The Palais d'Areuberg dates from the Sixteenth Century, and has a picture-gallery containing examples of Rubens, Vandyke, Rembrandt, Te- niers, and Frans Hals. The largest structure of modem times is the Palais de Justice, begun in 1866 and inaugurated in 1883, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Belgium's inde- pendence. It is in the Grieco-Roman style, and covers a site of 500 feet by 560. Pyramidal in shape, it culminates in a dome with a cross. Brussels has a number of markets, and the Place Grande contains several guild-houses de- voted to the use of various trades. Admixistration. The capital is administered by a burgomaster, assisted by five assessors. The municipal council has twenty-nine members, elected for six years. Brussels owns its tele- phone lines, electric plant, water and gas works, all of which it operates at a considerable profit; while by the sale of the city's garbage one-fourth of the cost of its collection is recovered. The street railways, run by electricity, are owned by private companies, which, however, are under the strict control of the municipal government. The sanitary conditions of the city are being con- stantly improved, and the death-rate shows a sat- isfactory decline. The annual budget of Brussels is steadily growing, and in I'JOl reached the sum of over 4.3,000,000 francs (about $S,300,000), of which Sinn about 25 per cent, was re(]uired by the needs of the municipal debt. The cost of the administration amounts to a little over 3 per cent., an amount nearly equal to the profits from the municipal gas plant. The municipal debts of Brussels were consolidated in 1S86 into a single debt of 289,000,000 francs (.$55,777,000), payable in 90 years. Education. Among the numerous educational establishments, the university (q.v. ), with its splendid library, stands first. There are also an academy of medicine, a veterinary school, a mili- tary school, a conservatory of music, numerous scientific and art associations, and an academy of art. The Royal Library, foinided in 1838, has 500.000 volumes, about 25,000 manuscripts, 100.000 engravings and prints, and a vast collec- tion of coins and medals. The Palais des Beaux- Arts is a classical building, completed in 1880, and devoted mainly to paintings and sculpture. It contains about 600 paintings of the old Flem- ish school, and a gallery of modern Flemish art numbering about 350 canvases. Among the the- atres the most important is the Theatre de la Slonnaie, built in the beginning of the Sixteenth Century and devoted to ojjera. In industry and commerce Brussels occupies a secondary position. The chief manufactures are laces (for which this city has long been famous), furniture, metal, and leather goods. It is the centre of the national railway system, and is connected with different parts of Belgium by two canals. The population of Brussels has in- creased with remarkable rapiditv. From 84.000 in 1825 it rose to 152,828 in 1850, 182,305 in 1890, and 211,429 in 1900. Including its sub- urbs, the inhabitants number 500,000. The for- eign element, especially natives of France, is very prominent. The hamlet of Brucselle (swamp dwelling) first sprang up in the Seventh Century, round a chapel erected by Saint Gerald, on an island in the Senne. About 1050 it became a cathedral town and acquired extensive municipal rights, in defense of which it fought bitterly against the Dukes of Burgundy, into whose possession it came in 1430. ilar.y of Burgundy brought the tovn to her husband, Maximilian I. Under Charles V. Brussels was made the Court resi- dence in the Netherlands, and became after- wards, under Philip II., the chief scene of the Revolution and of the atrocities committed by the Duke of Alva and the Inquisition. It sur- rendered to Alexander of Parma in 1585. Brus- sels suffered greatly in the war of Spain against Louis XIV., in whose reign it was bombarded by Marshal Villeroi, and in that of Austria against Louis XV.; but still more from the con- tinual prevalence of party animosities caused by the policy of Austria. Under the mild rule of Maria Theresa Brussels flourished greatly, and in this time many of its best institutions and public buildings were founded. In 1789 occurred the Brabant Revolution, under Joseph II., and scarcely had Austrian rule been reestab- lished, after a brief time of independence, when Brussels fell into the hands of the French, under Dumouriez (1792). After other changes of for- tune, Brussels, with the other parts of Belgium, was incorporated with the kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815, and so remained until the Revolution of 1830, when, after a four days'