Life in the centre of power (The Leopold Quarter and European Quarter)

This DIY walk from Brukselbinnenstebuiten takes you to the Leopold Quarter and the Maalbeek valley. This was once the neighbourhood towards which the wealthier inhabitants of Brussels gravitated in order to escape the unhealthy city centre. Later on it became an office district where the Belgian government set its sights on housing the European institutions. This process opened up tears in the urban fabric that have only been repaired in recent years.

Over the past 50 years, Brukselbinnenstebuiten’s guides have collected thousands of images of Brussels: photos, slides, old maps and district plans. Their main aim has been to create a visual record of the changing city, and sometimes also to draw attention to disappearing heritage and other problems of urban development. Some of the illustrations for this walk come from the Brukselbeeldenbank.