Brussels Park: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{shortShort description|Park in Brussels, Belgium}}

{{Use British English|date=October 2021}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}

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| photo_caption = Brussels Park's monumental entrance from the [[Rue de la Loi|Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat]]

| type = Public park

| location = [[City of Brussels]], [[Brussels-Capital Region]], [[Belgium]]

| coords = {{coord|50|50|40|N|4|21|50|E|type:landmark_region:BE|display=inline,title}}

| area = {{convert|13.1|ha|abbr=on}}<ref name="Parc de Bruxelles">{{Cite web|url=https://environnement.brussels/fiche/parc-de-bruxelles-0|title=Parc de Bruxelles|date=2015-03-31|website=Bruxelles Environnement|language=fr|access-date=2019-11-01}}</ref>

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===Origins===

Brussels Park lies on the site of the gardens of the former [[Palace of Coudenberg]], which had been used since the [[Middle Ages]] as a hunting ground by the [[Dukes of Brabant]]. These grounds were divided into two parts: a large park known as the ''Warande'' ([[Game (hunting)|game]] reserve), which extended, towards the end of the reign of [[Holy Roman Emperor]] [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]], as far north as the {{lang|fr|Rue de Louvain|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Leuvensestraat|italic=no}} and south as the ramparts at the [[Namur Gate]]; and a small park, located in the Koperbeek valley, between the back of the palace and the [[Sonian Forest]]. This small park included a private ornamental garden, which, in the course of its successive redevelopments, was sometimes called ''leafy'', sometimes ''labyrinth'' because its landscaping, porticos and basins evoked the [[Corinth]]ian [[labyrinth]]. The opposite hill was occupied by a vineyard whichthat was used until the 16th century, an [[orangery]] and [[Aviary|aviaries]] with exotic birds. Further in the valley, the park was embellished with a flower garden and a pond. With its water basins, fountains, imitation rock caves and numerous statues, this Warande Park, as [[List of governors of the Habsburg Netherlands|Governor-General]] [[Archduchess Maria Elisabeth of Austria (governor)|Maria Elisabeth of Austria]] would have known it, was one of the most beautiful in Europe.<ref name="Parc de Bruxelles" />

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">

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===Destruction and redesign===

The palace burned down on the night of 3 February 1731 in a fire that took much of the original royal complex.{{sfn|Mardaga|1994|p=222}}{{sfn|Wasseige|1995|p=6–7}} This left behind a field of ruins and a neglected park. Some proposed a partial reconstruction of the site, but the money was lacking. It was not until April 1775, in commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of [[Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine]]'s reign as Governor-General of the Austrian Netherlands, that the [[States of Brabant]];, the representation of the three estates ([[nobility]], [[clergy]] and [[Commoner|commoners]]) to the court of the [[Duke of Brabant]], proposed to erect a statue in his honour. [[Georg Adam, Prince of Starhemberg|Georg Adam von Starhemberg]], minister [[plenipotentiary]] to [[Maria Theresa|Empress Maria Theresa]], suggested placing it before the ruins that had been levelled for the occasion. In the process, he proposed enlarging the former square in front of the palace, lining it with regular buildings and redesigning the park.

At the same time, the Viennese representative informed the Brussels' authorities of the governor's wish for the old park to be given a new shape "in order to increase the comfort of the public in this way and at the same time contribute to the embellishment of the capital and to make it by this means worthy of the stay of the Court and the curiosity of foreigners".<ref name=":1" /> The Empress granted conditional approval on 1 July 1775, provided that the City of Brussels would bear the costs. The city undertook the levelling of the ground for the construction of the park and the three adjacent roads; theroads—the [[Rue Royale, Brussels|Rue Royale/Koningsstraat]], the Rue du Brabant/Brabantstraat (now the [[Rue de la Loi|Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat]]) and the {{lang|fr|Rue Ducale|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Hertogstraat|italic=no}}, while—while the government took charge of the development of the park itself.

The new park was designed and laid out between 1776 and 1783 in a [[Neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]] style by the French architect [[Gilles-Barnabé Guimard]] and the Austrian [[landscape architect]] {{ill|Joachim Zinner|fr|Joachim Zinner}}, as part of an urban project including the [[Place Royale, Brussels|Place Royale/Koningsplein]].{{sfn|Mardaga|1994|p=222}} This park resolutely marked a break with the past, everything having been flattened and redone for the occasion; 1218 trees were felled to trace the new paths and another 3284 were planted. This marked the first major work of proactive urban planning carried out in Brussels to completely renew an entire district of the city.

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The park witnessed many events unfold during its history. In 1793, [[French Revolution]]aries known as the ''[[sans-culottes]]'' destroyed the sculptures and overthrew the [[Bust (sculpture)|bust]]s of the [[List of Roman emperors|Roman emperors]] that adorned it. The City of Brussels, which had managed the park since 1797 before becoming its owner by [[royal decree]] of 23 April 1817, took it upon itself to repair the damage and soon repopulated the park with its current statues and busts. Lack of money led the city to organise a public subscription, after which management of the park's maintenance was entrusted to the good care of the thirty most generous donors. The results greatly exceeded expectations and the victorious patrons elected seven representatives to form the park's management committee. In 1830, during the [[Belgian Revolution]], which led to the separation of the [[Southern Netherlands]], it served as a refuge for the army of the [[United Kingdom of the Netherlands]].

Since the 19th century, the park has been surrounded by a double row of [[Tilia|lime tree]]s, which emphasiseemphasises the perspectives on either side. The establishment of the [[Academy Palace]] and the [[Royal Palace of Brussels|Royal Palace]] modified its western flank in the 1820s. The monumental railings surrounding the park were installed in 1849, using public funding and based on the designs by the architect [[Tilman-François Suys]]. The southern entrance to the central path was designed by the architect [[Joseph Poelaert]] in 1857 and executed in 1858, before being moved further north in 1904–1908.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Parc de Bruxelles – Inventaire du patrimoine architectural |url=https://monument.heritage.brussels/fr/Bruxelles_Pentagone/Parc_de_Bruxelles/10001122 |access-date=2022-05-01 |website=monument.heritage.brussels |language=fr}}</ref>

In the 20th century, a large number of buildings surrounding the park were demolished and rebuilt, sometimes without respecting their original appearance and swapping the painted coating for a white stone facing. The first sports activities were organised in the park in 1920.<ref name="Parc de Bruxelles" /> In the 1930s, it was fitted with [[Art Deco]] lampposts and a [[bunker]] was built underneath it, connected by tunnels to the [[Belgian Federal Parliament|House of Parliament]]. In the 1960s, an entrance was built in the north-western corner to access the underground [[Park metro station|Parc/Park metro station]].<ref name=":0" /> Classified as a [[Heritage registers in Belgium|protected site]] in 1972, the park now belongs to the Brussels Region, which manages and maintains it. It was most recently renovated between 2000 and 2002.<ref name=dienstleefmilieu/>

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===Vauxhall bandstand===

The Vauxhall's wooden [[bandstand]], built in 1913, is located along the enclosure at the building's rear end. It is a refurbished bandstand in [[Moorish Revival architecture|neo-Moorish style]] whichthat housed the summer concerts of the [[La Monnaie|Royal Theatre of La Monnaie]] from 1852. At the request of the City of Brussels, which was seeking to relaunch a breathless entertainment venue, the stage pavilion topped with an imperial dome and decorated with wooden trellises was rebuilt in 1913 by the architect Malfait. Lacking the expected success, it was abandoned ten years later. An enlightened amateur, Éric d'Huart, undertook the restoration from 1987 to make it his home.

===Bandstand===

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==Sculptures==

Brussels Park contains around sixty sculptures, primarily inspired by [[Classical mythology|Greco-Roman mythology]], created by sculptors including [[Gabriël Grupello]], {{ill|Jan-Baptiste van der Haeghen|nl|Jan Baptist van der Haeghen}}, [[Laurent Delvaux]], {{ill|François-Joseph Janssens|fr|François-Joseph Janssens}}, [[Gilles-Lambert Godecharle]], [[Thomas Vinçotte]] and [[Jean-Michel Folon]]. The oldest, for the most part, come from the park of the {{ill|Castle of Tervuren|nl|Kasteel van Tervuren}} from which they were moved at the time of the death of its owner;, [[Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine]]. Paying a heavy price for wars, vandalism and pollution, they have mostly been replaced by copies.

Originally, the statues were painted in grey or French stone tones. It was not until 1921 that, yielding to a fashion, a systematic stripping programme was put in place.

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==Remarkable trees==

The park's central path is mainly lined with [[Platanus|plane tree]]s. As for the two paths leading to Place Royale and Place du Trône, they are respectively planted with [[Chestnut|chestnut tree]]s and a varied mixture of high-stemmed trees (e.g. [[maple]]s, [[beech]]es, plane trees, chestnut trees, etc.). The two transverse paths are adorned with [[elm]]s and beeches. All around the park, there is also a double row of [[Trellis (architecture)|trellised]] [[Tilia|lime tree]]s, which reinforces the elaborate appearance of this green ensemble.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Parc de Bruxelles – Inventaire du Patrimoine Naturel |url=https://sites.heritage.brussels/fr/sites/125#:~:text=Espace%20vert%20h%C3%A9rit%C3%A9%20du%20Moyen,est%20devenu%20un%20espace%20architectur%C3%A9. |access-date=2022-05-01 |website=sites.heritage.brussels |language=fr}}</ref>

Below are some of the park's remarkable trees listed by the Monuments and Sites Commission:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kcml.irisnet.be/|title=CRMS-KCML|website=www.kcml.irisnet.be|access-date=2019-05-25}}</ref>

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==See also==

{{portalPortal|Belgium}}

* [[List of parks and gardens in Brussels]]

* [[History of Brussels]]

* [[Belgium in "the long nineteenth century"]]

==References==

===Footnotes===

{{notelistNotelist}}

===Citations===

{{reflistReflist}}

===Bibliography===

{{refbeginRefbegin|60em}}

* {{cite book|last=Des Marez|first=Guillaume|title=Guide illustré de Bruxelles|volume=1|location=Brussels|language=fr|publisher=Touring Club Royal de Belgique|year=1918}}

* {{cite book|last=Heymans|first=Vincent|title=Le Palais du Coudenberg à Bruxelles : Du château médiéval au site archéologique|location=Brussels|language=fr|publisher=Éditions Mardaga|year=2014|isbn=978-2-8047-0156-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rMMIDAAAQBAJ}}

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* {{cite book|last=Wasseige|first=Manoëlle|title=Le Quartier Royal|series=Bruxelles, ville d'Art et d'Histoire|volume=15|location=Brussels|language=fr|publisher=Éditions de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale|year=1995|url=http://patrimoine.brussels/liens/publications-numeriques/versions-pdf/bvah/le-quartier-royal}}

* {{cite book|ref={{harvid|Mardaga|1994}}|title=Le Patrimoine monumental de la Belgique: Bruxelles|volume=1C: Pentagone N-Z|location=Liège|language=fr|publisher=Pierre Mardaga|year=1994|url=https://monument.heritage.brussels/files/cities/1000/documents/03-vol-c-fr-def_k.pdf}}

{{refendRefend}}

==External links==

* {{commonsCommons category-inline}}

{{Authority control}}