 
|
| |
Brussels Uncovered
For those who are willing to venture outside of the EU quarter, Brussels holds a wealth of hidden treasures. Each week The Brussels Connection will bring one of these gems to light.
Pages:
«
1
»
Rose-ringed parakeet “invasion” in Brussels
The Brussels’ rose-ringed parakeet population has grown to reach some 10,000 individuals, said Olivier Beck from the Brussels’ Institute for Environmental Protection, in La Capitale.
-
The first of those parakeets were set free in Brussels in 1987, when the Meli zoo and attraction parc next to the Atomium was closed down to allow the building of Bruparc. The same type of parakeet has also adapted to urban environments in the Netherlands, and can be ...
|
|
|
|
The Royal Greenhouses open to the public
Like every year, the Royal Greenhouses of Laken are accessible to the public again. For the next three weeks, visitors can expect a variety of rare, exotic and beautiful flowers on view. This year, the geraniums are particularly in the spotlight.
The Royal Greenhouses were erected at the end of the 19th century, based on a design by architect Alphonse Balat. Entirely made out of metal and glass, the greenhouses were exceptionally progressive for their time.
The building of the Royal Greenhouses was ordered by King Leopold II, who passed ...
|
read more
|
|
|
|
read more
|
Résidence Palace to be a model for sustainable development
The Résidence Palace building of the EU Council which will be the new home of the European Summits and the meetings of Ministers starting from 2013, “ will be a reference for sustainable development” according to the EU Council.
The new building will meet the security and functionality requirements indispensable for the organisation of high-level meetings, thus enabling the Council to work more effectively. Furthermore, journalists covering the Council's activities will have work spaces more suited to their needs, as additional areas have been planned for the press.
...
|
|
|
|
Brussels Goes Online
Come 2008 and www.bruxelles.be has finally arrived on the scene!
With 50,000 visits a month it already has it regulars.
The idea behind the new site is simple: to make useful information about the city available to its citizens, help visitors get around whether they‘re here for work or just to have a good time.
There are sections on:
Political life – ranging from information on public policies ...
|
read more
|
|
|
|
read more
|
EU quarter to receive a makeover
The European quarter is to benefit from a major revamp. Joint plans were unveiled by Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas and Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region Charles Picqué in Brussels on 5 September.
The plan shows the Commission's desire to rationalise the location of its buildings and the way in which it manages its real estate, as well as their wish to revitalise the European quarter in general. It also confirms the decentralisation of certain services and envisages the development of three further ...
|
|
|
|
Brussels celebrates Hergé
Today marks the 100 year birthday anniversary of Belgium's most famous cartoonist, Hergé. Around the city, different events are taking place in order to mark the occasion, including the creation of a proper museum and a special exhibition.
Yesterday, his widow, 73-year-old Fanny Rodwell, laid the first stone for a brand new Hergé museum just outside Brussels and today, a special Hergé exhibition on his drawing skills was opened at the BELvue Museum, which is normally dedicated to Belgium's royal family – a fitting to tribute to one ...
|
read more
|
|
|
|
read more
|
Brussels tops Competitiveness league table
The news is out! Apparently, we are all amongst the most competitive in Europe. On Saturday the 25th, it was announced that the Greater Brussels Region has topped this year’s league table of competitiveness of Europe’s city regions. The European Competitiveness Index, which is a biennial measure of the competitiveness of Europe’s regions and nations, has placed the Greater Brussels Region on first place, up from third place last year. All in all 118 locations were compared in the Index.
According to the British European Competitiveness Index, our roaring capital comes in ahead of Helsinki and Paris on second and third spot respectively. On fourth place is the Swedish capital of Stockholm, which has dropped from Second place last year. Interestingly, the Greater London Area only came ninth, trailing Germany’s ...
|
|
|
|
Monopoly Towing Tariffs
For those of us brave enough to bring our own cars to Brussels, a city notorious for the amount of wrecked cars running around not to mention drivers who appear not to have mastered the basics, the discovery that your car is not where you left it the night before can be a crushing blow to your weekend or indeed week. However 9 times out of 10 your car will have been towed by the 'authorities'. The process to recover your car will not be an easy one, especially on a Sunday, where towing tariffs are doubled and police motivation is minimal. Don't pass go, don't get 200 euros, go straight to the impound lot where you will be fined as much!
Let me set the scene...last Sunday morning after having been to collect the paper and go for my customary coffee I was disturbed (to say the least) to find my car was not where I had left it at 23.00 the night before. Visions flashed before my eyes of my ...
|
read more
|
|
|
|
read more
|
Conversation with Mr Freddy Thielemans
Mr. Freddy Thielemans, Mayor of Brussels in charge of Finances and former MEP, shares some of his views about Belgium and the “Capital of Europe” with The Brussels Connection readers.
Belgium, one of the EU’s founding countries, has always been pro-European. Countries often have either a social or an economic approach to Europe. Over time these two approaches to European affairs are bound to converge.
Belgium can serve as an example of how two different communities (the Flemish and ...
|
|
|
|
Tour et Taxis
A century ago the Tour & Taxis site was first transformed from marshland into a crossroads of dynamism, mobility and trade. Now Tour & Taxis is at the beginning of a second transformation into a brand new 21st Century urban environment for the city of Brussels.
-
History of the Site
The imposing Tour & Taxis site has played an important role in Brussel’s economic development. The site originally belonged to the Austrian princely family of Thurn und Tassis, who used the area as a base for the first European postal service, which ran ...
|
read more
|
|
|
|
read more
|
Flagey
Located on Place Flagey, near the Ixelles ponds, the former National Institute for Radio (NIR) building is a focal point of the Brussels cultural scene.
The establishment of the NIR in 1930 marked the end of radio's pioneering years. Developments in this medium meant that a modern broadcasting building became an absolute necessity. At the end of 1933, a competition was organised that was won by the Belgian architect Joseph Diongre. His design combined architectural ...
|
|
|
|
Brasserie Cantillon
Using centuries old brewing techniques, the Brasserie Cantillon transports visitors 100 years into the past.
-
The Brasserie Cantillon, located in Anderlecht, is a family brewery that continues to use the same traditional ingredients, tools and processes as when it first opened in 1900.
The Van Roy-Cantillon family make the typically Bruxellois Lambic beer. This beer, which is made from 100% organic wheat, ...
|
read more
|
|
|
|
read more
|
Plaizier
Are you trying to find postcards of Brussels that don't feature the Atomium or Mannekin Pis? Then head to Plaizier near the Grand Place!
For art and design lovers, Plaizier is an unmissable delight. This small poster and postcard shop, located on the rue des Eperonniers near the Grand Place, stocks everything from retro postcards to posters to books on design and art history.
Wijnand Plaizier opened his business in the 1970’s, initially ...
|
|
|
|
Marché aux Puces
A Sunday morning stroll through the “Marché aux Puces”
-
On the Place du Jeu de Balle, on Saturday and Sunday mornings, the “Marché aux Puces” attracts mixed crowds of tourists, students, expats and locals. Here you can find everything your heart desires, often at affordable prices. From 7h to 14h30 – during the week, as well as at ...
|
read more
|
|
|
|
read more
|
Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate
TBC uncovers one of Brussels' most delicious museums
The first thing you notice when entering the Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate is the aroma. The smell of molten chocolate permeates the opulent 18th Century building on Brussels’ Grand Place. Founded 1998 in the Palace of the Dukes of Brabant, the Museum has recently relocated to the other side ...
|
|
Pages:
«
1
»
|
|
|
