Day 11: Farewell, Luxembourg. Hello, Belgium!

Today we bid farewell to the small country of Luxembourg and hopped on a train to Brussels. After a long train ride, we were given a city tour by Jeffrey Tyssens, a Professor of History at the University of Brussels.

Brussels was very different in the 1900s than it is now due to what he described as "mismanagement by administration". In earlier times, Brussels was considered the capital of art nouveau, an art style which gave rise to beautiful architecture that gained international recognition. Every art noveau building was planned uniquely, but all had many glass and metal ornaments creating a fluidity and natural look to it. This style was deemed outdated in the 1500s and 1600s, and many of these buildings were torn down. While this was happening, there was a policy of facadism: if you have a protected building, you only need to preserve the front (and thus you can tear down the back part). The art noveau buildings that remain are in the process of being restored.

Brussels had two stations: one in the north, and the other in the south. These stations did not go through the city, so a plan to combine the two stations through the city was made in the early 20th century. Belgium had a mining tradition, so the ground was not suited for the project. Builders therefore just split the city in half, tearing through neighborhoods and leaving a huge "concrete desert" of a scar. This is an effect that can be noted in the population of the city center. The population dropped dramatically since the project, though this is beginning to change with the gentrification policy as of 25 years ago. Many quarters of the city center are currently undergoing renovation. The Palace of Justice, one of the largest buildings of its time, is an example of this renovation, which started in 1886. Even though the north-south junction destroyed a lot of buildings, it opened up the city to food traffic as well.

Brussels used to have a distinct dialect, but it is dying out. It can still be heard in some cafes, though.

Belgium was the second country to start an Industrial Revolution. The 1960s brought on urban resistance near the Palace of Justice by the population, who refused further expansions. There are many funny and interesting elements to this resistance, but it was an overall successful movement.

There were two political tendencies within Brussels, and Catholics and liberals constantly fought. Brussels has always been a fairly liberal city, though. The park we visited is an example of people wanting to leave a vision of political pride. The statues within it are symbolic, as the two men depicted were beheaded for leading the revolt. They are treated as martyrs of sorts and are the symbols of the revolt against Catholicism (even though many honored were Catholic themselves). The statues bordering the park represent guilds, while the white statues surrounding the fountain are of very famous men who were non-neutral in the political sense. One of them is apparently of William of Orange, but I couldn't find it.

The Brussels royal square used to be known as Cold Mountain because it was so windy. The palace itself used to be a simple fortress, but gradually grew to become the biggest palace in the 15th through 17th centuries. The king would depose of his crown here. This building is no longer a palace, as it was abandoned in the 19th century. The palace has since moved location and is only used for official occasions.

The city walls of Brussels have been partially conserved. They date back to the late 12th century. The second wall established already had a pentagon shape, which is the modern shape of Brussels. It is within the first wall where the largest concentration of the Brussels population is. It's really interesting to see modern houses juxtaposed against these city walls.

Let's pretend that I don't fail with cameras, okay?

Next stop was Mannekin Pis, the iconic statue of Brussels. It was a lot smaller than I thought it was going to be.

The statue dates back to 1618, but was damaged and restored in the 19th century. There are a few theories as to the meaning of this statue.

• There is a story of a young boy from a bourgeois family who got lost in the city. When the family found him, he was peeing in that corner.
• A much more interesting story is that a young boy extinguished a firecracker and saved the city by peeing on it. This saved the city since many of the buildings at the time were made of wood.

Overall, the statue is a symbol of the city's anarchistic attitude. This anarchistic attitude is also evident in a story about their Jewish community. Brussels had a large community of Jews in Belgium, probably only second to Antwerp. When the Germans came through, the citizens of Brussels refused to collaborate with the Germans (unlike Antwerp). More than half the Jewish population was saved through this action.

We then walked through what I like to call the Epic Square. It quite literally took my breath away when I first walked through it.

I'm afraid pictures don't really do it justice.

In 1695, there was a fire in Brussels due to a military operation. Due to the location of Belgium between France and Germany, the city was bombed later with fire bombs. Everything except the stone buildings were destroyed. Most of the buildings were restored in the 19th century, after political disagreements had lead to a similar destruction. Therefore, most of the buildings look really old, but are actually only from the 1800s or so.

The Sen River used to run through Brussels, but it caused many problems. The river was dangerous when flooding and was also the open sewer, leaving the city vulnerable to many diseases. The Sen River was then covered up.

Everyone says this is an ugly city, but I actually kind of like it here. I don't like this hostel so much, though. Still, I guess with a 10am lockout, we have more time to explore the city.