Cities

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Antwerp, city in northern Belgium, administrative center of the province of Antwerpen, on the Schelde River, also called the Escaut River, near the North Sea and Brussels. One of Europe's major seaports, Antwerp is the chief port and second largest city of Belgium.

Among the outstanding features of Antwerp is its system of boulevards, which replaced the walls that formerly encircled the city. Points of interest in the city include the town hall completed in the 16th century, and the many guild houses dating from the Middle Ages that still line the marketplace. The city has a museum of fine arts with paintings by several of the Flemish masters and botanical and zoological gardens.

Antwerp became a port of commercial importance in the 15th century, when the first European stock exchange was founded in the city. The city rapidly became one of the foremost trading and manufacturing centers of Europe. During the early 16th century, the diamond industry was expanded by the arrival of Jewish craftspeople expelled from Portugal. The city was also an active cultural center, renowned particularly for the Antwerp school of painting. Antwerp rapidly declined as a result of religious troubles after 1576, the year mutinous Spanish troops sacked the city. This attack was followed by another in 1584, and the city was forced to surrender to the Spanish in 1585. In 1648 Antwerp suffered a further blow under the provisions of the treaty known as the Peace of Westphalia, which closed the Schelde River to navigation; it was reopened in 1795 by the French.

The development of the modern city of Antwerp started in 1863, when the Belgians redeemed their navigation rights through a cash payment to the Netherlands. During World War I, Antwerp was occupied by the Germans from October 1914 until the end of the war in 1918. During World War II (1939-1945), German troops again occupied the city and held it until September 1944. Antwerp then became an Allied supply base and was heavily bombed. In 1997 the Antwerp stock exchange closed its doors after almost 500 years of operation.

Arlon, chief town in the province of Luxembourg, in southeastern Belgium. Arlon lies 6 km (4 mi) west of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and 19 km (12 mi) north of the border with France, on the Brussels-Luxembourg railroad. Arlon is situated on a hill. The town is a market center for the agricultural produce of the region. Probably of Celtic origin, Arlon became the Roman station of Orolaunum on the road connecting the French towns Reims and Trèves. The provincial museum in Arlon contains relics of the Roman occupation.

Brussels (French Bruxelles), city in central Belgium, capital and largest city of the country. Bilingual Brussels became one of Belgium's three federal regions in 1993, along with Dutch-speaking Flanders (Flemish Region) and French-speaking Wallonia. The city is located on the Senne River, and boasts tree-shaded boulevards, splendid parks, imposing monuments, and beautiful buildings. Centrally situated in northern Europe, Brussels is internationally important as the headquarters of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Among the notable buildings are the Hôtel de Ville, in the Gothic style, dating from the 15th century; the royal palace; the 18th-century Palais de la Nation; the 19th-century Palais de Justice; and the Bourse. The cultural institutions include the Free University of Brussels (1834; since 1970 two universities, one Dutch-speaking and one French-speaking); the École Royale Militaire (1834); academies of letters, fine arts, and medicine; the Royal Library; and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts.

The name of the city is probably derived from Broekzelle, a Dutch word meaning “village of the marsh.” The town developed from Gallic-Roman settlements in the marshes of the Senne Valley before the 7th century ad. By the 12th century, commerce and handicrafts were flourishing. Trade and industry in Brussels benefited from the promulgation of the charters of 1312 and 1356 by the dukes of Brabant. By the terms of these documents the imposition of taxes was strictly limited, and the people were given a voice in the government. In 1383 Brussels replaced Leuven as the capital of the duchy of Brabant and continued to be a seat of government during the next four centuries. Brabant was absorbed in 1430 by the duchy of Burgundy and became a possession of the Austrian Habsburgs in 1477. The city was made the capital of the Netherlands in 1530.

During the next quarter of a century Protestantism gained many adherents in Brussels and other cities of the Netherlands, which had been inherited meanwhile by the Spanish branch of the Habsburg family. Religious strife finally culminated in insurrection. The Spanish general Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Third Duke of Alba, who was sent to the Netherlands in 1567 to suppress the revolutionary movement, established his headquarters in Brussels. In the ensuing reign of terror many Flemish patriots were executed in the city, including Lamoral, Comte d'Egmont; and Philip de Montmorency, Count of Hoorn. Brussels remained under Spanish control until 1576, when it joined the victorious Dutch Netherlands. In 1585 the city was captured by a Spanish army under the Italian general Alessandro Farnese and returned to Habsburg sovereignty. Brussels was severely bombarded in 1695, during the French invasion of the Spanish Netherlands. The city was captured in 1792 by a French army during the French Revolution and remained under French control until the termination of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. By the terms of the Treaty of Vienna (1815), Brussels became one of the capitals of the kingdom of the Netherlands, which comprised modern Belgium and the Netherlands.

The city was the center of the revolution for Belgian independence and was made the capital of the newly established kingdom of Belgium in 1831. During World War I the Germans held Brussels from August 1914 to November 1918. In World War II the city was again held by the Germans, from May 1940 to September 1944. A series of constitutional changes between 1970 and 1993 gave Belgium a federal government structure, with greater power ceded to Brussels and the other two federal regions.

Charleroi, town in southern Belgium, in Hainaut Province, located on the Sambre River, near Brussels (with which it is connected by canal). The Spanish founded the town on the site of the village of Charnoy in 1666, during their occupation of what is now Belgium, and named it after Charles II of Spain. It was subsequently a French possession in the 17th and again in the 18th centuries. During World War I a fierce battle took place between German and French troops at Charleroi in 1914, and the town was almost entirely destroyed.

Ghent or Gent (French Gand), city in western Belgium, capital of East Flanders Province, at the confluence of the Schelde (Escaut) and Lys rivers, near Brussels. The rivers and canals traversing the city divide it into a number of small islands, which are connected by a network of about 200 bridges. Two important ship canals connect Ghent's waterways with the sea. Ghent is the site of the flower shows called Floralies, held every five years, which attract visitors from all over the world.

The most important educational institution in the city is the University of Ghent (1817). The city is also the site of a noted art gallery. The Begijnhof, or Béguinage, a small walled town containing numerous small houses is situated in the suburbs of Saint Amandsberg. It is inhabited by 700 members of the Beguines, a lay sisterhood devoted to charitable work.

Ghent is mentioned as early as the 7th century, and in the latter half of the 9th century Baldwin I, count of Flanders, known as Bras de Fer (French for “Iron Arm”), built a fortress in Ghent as a defense against the coastal incursions of the Norse. The subsequent history of the city is closely integrated with that of Flanders. Seized by France in 1792, Ghent was made part of the Netherlands in 1814. In 1830 it became part of independent Belgium. Ghent has been a site for the signing of important treaties such as the Pacification of Ghent, which united the Low Countries against Spanish rule in 1576, and the Treaty of Ghent in 1814, which ended the War of 1812 between the United States and Britain. The city was occupied by German forces during World War I (1914-1918) and for most of World War II (1939-1945).

Liège, city in eastern Belgium, capital of Liège Province, on the Meuse River. The city is one of the most important river ports in Europe and the transportation and industrial center of eastern Belgium. Liège is the center of Walloon (French-speaking) culture in Belgium, and is the home of a well-known museum on Walloon life. In Liège are the University of Liège (1817); the 16th-century Palace of Justice; and several archaeological and art museums.

Liège was founded in the 8th century as a bishopric. The city was thereafter the scene of a long struggle between the prince-bishops and the burghers, but the prince-bishops retained almost constant control of their state until nearly the end of the 18th century. In 1468 Liège was sacked by Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy. In 1794 the city was occupied by the French, and in 1815 it was annexed to the Netherlands. Fifteen years later, the citizens of Liège fomented the revolution that led, in 1830, to the independence of Belgium. During World War I the city was heavily fortified, but from August 5 to August 16, 1914, it was besieged and finally captured by the German army. From 1940 to 1944, during World War II, the city was again occupied by the German army. Liège was heavily damaged by rocket fire during the Battle of the Bulge in late 1944 and early 1945. In recent years, financial difficulties have plagued some of the city's municipal projects.

Mechelen, also Malines, city, northern Belgium, in Antwerpen Province, on the Dyle River, near Brussels.

Mons (Dutch Bergen), city in southwestern Belgium, capital of the province of Hainaut, near Brussels. Mons is the seat of two universities. The city originated as a Roman stronghold in ancient times. In 804 it was made capital of the county of Hainaut by Charlemagne. A cloth market was established here in the 14th century. Between 1691 and 1830, when it became part of the kingdom of Belgium, Mons came under the rule of France, Austria, and the Netherlands. On August 23, 1914, Mons was the scene of the first battle between the British and the Germans during World War I (1914-1918). The outnumbered British were forced to retreat.

Oostende, also Ostend, town, northwestern Belgium, in West Flanders Province, on the North Sea, near Brugge (Bruges). Oostende is a leading Belgian port and has important fishing and shipbuilding industries.

Oostende, now a popular seaside resort, was founded as a fishing village in the 9th century. A wall was built around it in 1445, and it was fortified by Prince William I of Orange in 1583. Oostende was the last Dutch stronghold in Belgium. Between 1601 and 1604 the town heroically resisted a Spanish siege, in which 40,000 Spanish were killed, and the Flemish surrendered only after the town had been reduced to ruins. The Ostend Manifesto was drawn up here in 1854. During World War II the Germans used the town as an important submarine base until the British sealed the harbor by sinking a ship at its entrance.