The capital of Europe and the country that invented Belgian waffles, chocolate truffles, and 400 varieties of beer — where the Grand Place is the most beautiful medieval square in Europe and comics are an official art form
Brussels is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union, with a metropolitan population of 2.1 million, officially bilingual in French and Dutch at the linguistic fault line between Flanders and Wallonia. The Grand Place (Grote Markt) — a UNESCO World Heritage guild hall square lined with 17th-century Baroque facades — was called 'the most beautiful square in the world' by Victor Hugo. Belgium is also the world capital of comics (Tintin, The Smurfs, Lucky Luke all born here), Art Nouveau architecture (Victor Horta's UNESCO-listed four houses), and the Brussels chocol…
Brussels developed from a 10th-century fortification on an island in the Senne River, becoming capital of the Duchy of Brabant from 1183. Its greatest era came under the Burgundian Dukes (Philip the Good, Charles the Bold, 15th century) and Habsburg Netherlands — the Grand Place guild halls were built 1695–1705 to replace buildings destroyed by a three-day French artillery bombardment ordered by Louis XIV (who called Brussels 'my city'). Belgium declared independence from the Netherlands in 1830 after a performance of Auber's opera 'La Muette de Portici' at La Monnaie inspired a revolt; Bruss…