Part of a series on the
History of Belgium
Prehistory Neolithic flint mines of Spiennes 4300–2200 BC
Ancient Belgae, Eburones & Treveri ~51 BC Gallic Wars 58–50 BC  • Ambiorix's revolt 54–53 BC Roman rule 51 BC–c.500 AD
Early Middle Ages Franks   Merovingians 481–751 Carolingians 751–987 Prince-Bishopric of Liège 980–1789
Middle Ages Franco-Flemish War 1297–1305 Burgundian rule 1384–1482  • Wars of Liège 1465–68 Habsburg rule 1482–1556
Early Modern Northern Renaissance 15th–16th century Spanish rule 1556–1714  • Seventeen Provinces 1549–81  • Dutch Revolt 1568–1648  • Southern Netherlands Austrian rule 1714–93  • Brabant Revolution 1789–90  • Liège Revolution 1789–91 French rule 1793–1815
19th century Dutch rule 1815–30 Belgian Revolution 1830–31 Reign of Leopold I 1831–65  • Treaty of London 1839 Reign of Leopold II 1865–1909  • School War 1879–84  • Congo Free State 1885–1908
20th and 21st centuries Belgian Congo 1908–60 Reign of Albert I 1909–34 World War I 1914–18  • Invasion 1914  • Atrocities 1914  • German occupation 1914–18 Ruanda-Urundi 1922–62 Reign of Leopold III 1934–51 World War II 1940–45  • Invasion 1940  • German occupation 1940–44  • Holocaust 1941–44 Royal Question 1944–50 Reign of Baudouin 1951–93 Reign of Albert II 1993–2013 Reign of Philippe 2013~
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The following is a timeline of the history of Brussels, Belgium.

Prehistory[edit]

• 10,000–2600 BCE – Polished silex from the Mesolithic era are located in the Nekkersgat.^[1]
• 3000–2200 BCE – First known settlements in the region during the Neolithic era, located in the Sonian Forest.^[2]
• 1000–800 BCE – Celtic tribes settle in what is now Brussels.^[3]

Roman Period[edit]

• A fairly important Roman settlement in existence in Stalle [nl; fr].^[1]
• 1st century CE – A Roman villa is constructed in Anderlecht, located near today's Allée de la Villa Romaine/Romeinse-Villadreef.^[4]
• 2nd century CE – A Gallo-Roman villa is constructed in Jette, located in today's King Baudouin Park.^[5]
• 175 CE – A Roman villa in existence in Laeken.^[3]

Middle Ages[edit]

• 4th–6th centuries CE
  • Frankish tribes occupy territories between the Meuse and Scheldt rivers.^[3]
  • A Frankish tomb is build on the Zeecrabbeweg.^[1]
• 580 – Saint Gaugericus builds a chapel on an island in the river Senne, laying the origin of the settlement which was to become Brussels.^[6]
• 843 – 10 August: The region becomes part of Lotharingia after the signing of the Treaty of Verdun.^[3]
• 870 – First mention of the County of Uccle or Brussels [nl; fr] in the Treaty of Meerssen.
• 959 – The city becomes part of Lower Lotharingia.^[3]
• 977–979 – A castrum is constructed on Saint-Géry/Sint-Goriks Island.^[3]

• 979 – Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine, transfers the relics of Saint Gudula to the chapel built by Saint Gaugericus, marking the city's official founding.
• 1001 – Otto, Duke of Lower Lorraine, becomes Count of Uccle or Brussels [nl; fr].^[3]
• 1012 – Saint Guy dies in Anderlecht on his return home from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.^[7]
• 1015–1020 – Oldest written record of the city by Olbert of Gembloux [nl; fr].^[8]
• 1041–1047 – The Palace of Coudenberg begins construction.^[3]
• 1047 – The relics of Saint Gudula are transferred from Moorsel to the original Church of St. Michael.^[3]
• 1063–1100 – The city's first fortifications are built.
• 1095 – Dieleghem Abbey is first attested.
• 1105 – Forest Abbey is founded.
• 1125 – The Amman of Brussels [nl; fr] is first attested.^[3]
• 1129 – The Lindekemale Mill is first attested.
• 1142 or 1147 – The Battle of Ransbeek [fr] takes place.
• 1174 – The Grand-Place/Grote Markt is first attested as the Forum inferior or Nedermerckt.^[9]
• 1183 – The Duchy of Brabant is formed after the merger of the Counties of Uccle or Brussels [nl; fr] and Leuven and the Landgraviate of Brabant.
• 1190 – Richard I of England passes through the city.^[3]
• 1195 – Saint John Clinic is established.
• 1196 – La Cambre Abbey is founded.
• 1209 – The Lordship of Carloo [nl; fr] is first attested.^[1]
• 1225 – The current Church of St. Michael and St. Gudula begins construction.^[3][10]
• 1229 – 10 June: Henry I, Duke of Brabant, issues a charter of rights [nl] for the city.^[11]
• 1250 – The Great Beguinage of Brussels is formalised by John the Victorious.^[12]
• 1252 – The Beguinage of Anderlecht [nl; fr] is founded.

• 1258 – The Convent of Boetendael [nl; fr] first attested.^[1]
• 1267 – John the Victorious relocates the capital of the Duchy of Brabant from Leuven to the city.
• 1282 – First mention of the Drapery Court.^[3]
• 1292 – John the Victorious grants the town the right to revenues collected at the city gates.^[3]
• 1295 – John the Peaceful authorises aldermen to collect duty on beer as a town revenue.^[3]
• 1296 – 14 February: Obbrussel becomes part of the Coop of Brussels [nl; fr].
• 1303–1306
  • Unsuccessful revolt [nl] by the Guilds of Brussels to secure power-sharing with the patriciate.
  • First democratic government.^[3]
• 1304 – The Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon is founded.^[13]
• 1306 – The Seven Noble Houses of Brussels are first attested.^[3]
• 1308 – The Meyboom is first attested.^[14]
• 1342 – The city bans the construction of thatched roofs to prevent fires.^[15]
• 1348 – The Ommegang begins as a Marian procession.^[16]
• 1349
  • The Black Death arrives in the city.^[3]
  • A pogrom against the Jewish population takes place.^[3]
• 1356
  • The Joyous Entry of Joanna and Wenceslaus into the city takes place.
  • 17 August: Battle of Scheut [nl; fr]: Louis II, Count of Flanders defeats Joanna, Duchess of Brabant, who then besieges the city.
  • 24 October – The city is liberated by group of Brabantian patriots led by Everard 't Serclaes, Lord of Kruikenburg.^[3]
  • The expansion of the city's fortifications begins.
• 1360–1364 – Unsuccessful revolts [nl] by the Guilds to secure power-sharing with the patriciate.
• 1367 – The Red Cloister is founded.^[3]
• 1370 – The Sacrament of Miracle occurs, killing 6–20, followed by the expulsion of the city's remaining Jewish population.
• 1380 – Geert Pipenpoy becomes the city's first mayor.
• 1383 – The original Halle Gate is built.
• 1388 – 31 March: Everard t'Serclaes dies at the L'Étoile/De Sterre guildhall on the Grand-Place.

• 1400 – Population: c. 20,000.^[3]
• 1401
  • The Town Hall begins construction on the Grand-Place.
• 1406
  • Joyous Entry of Anthony the Great Bastard into the city takes place.^[3]
  • 14 April: Fire destroys part of the Chapel Church and the surrounding neighborhood.^[15]
• 1420 – 5 February: The chamber of rhetoric Den Boeck [fr] is recognized by John IV, Duke of Brabant.
• 1421
  • Popular uprising.^[3]
  • The guilds are represented in the city government alongside the patrician lineages of the Seven Noble Houses.^[17]
• 1436 – Rogier van der Weyden appointed city artist.^[3]
• 1455
  • The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament of the Miracle is built.
  • The Town Hall is completed.^[3]
• 1464 – Population: c. 39,000.^[3]
• 1476 – The first printing press is in operation in the city.^[18]
• 1477
  • The Habsburgs come to power in the Burgundian Netherlands, with the city as their capital.^[19]
  • March: Popular insurrection [nl] under Willem van Marbais, Jan Bogaert and Willem van Ruysbroeck (son of architect Jan van Ruysbroeck).^[3]
  • 4 June: Joyous Entry of Mary of Burgundy into the city takes place.
• 1479 – 13 October: De Corenbloem [fr] chamber of rhetoric is first attested.^[20]
• 1486
  • De Lelie [fr] chamber of rhetoric is first attested following the Joyous Entry of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor.^[21]
  • 6 May: De Violette [fr] chamber of rhetoric is first attested.^[22]
• 1499 – 25 February: The Brotherhood of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows [nl] is established by members of De Lelie and De Violette.

16th–18th centuries[edit]

• 1507 – 15 September: The chamber of rhetoric 't Mariacranske [nl; fr] is established following the merger of De Lelie [fr] and De Violette [fr], with Jan Smeken [nl; fr] becoming its first factor.^[23]
• 1511 – The Miracle of 1511 takes place.
• 1515 – 28 January: Joyous Entry of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and Philip the Prudent into the city takes place.
• 1516 – 4 December: The Treaty of Brussels is signed; Ending the War of the League of Cambrai.
• 1521 – May–October: Erasmus moves to Anderlecht for health, political, and religious reasons and stays in the house of Canon Peter Wijchmans.
• 1522
  • September: The Amigo Prison [nl] is built.
  • 8 February: The Treaty of Brussels between Charles V and Archduke Ferdinand concerning the latter’s sovereignty over the Austrian Hereditary Lands.
• 1523 – 1 July: Jan van Essen and Hendrik Vos are burned at the stake at the Grand-Place, becoming the first victims of the Inquisition in the Netherlands.
• 1526 – 20 October: Fire destroys 3 houses in the Rue des Six Jetons/Zespenningenstraat.^[15]
• 1536 – The original King's House is built on the Grand-Place for the Duke of Brabant.^[24]
• 1555 – 25 October: Charles V abdicates in the Aula Magna of the Palace of Coudenberg.^[3]
• 1561 – The city's port and the Willebroek Canal are opened.^[25]
• 1565 – The wedding of Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, and Maria of Portugal, Hereditary Princess of Parma, takes place.^[26]
• 1567
  • 22 August: Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba, arrives in the city.^[3]
  • 9 September: The Council of Troubles is established.

• 1568 – 5 June: The Counts of Egmont and Horn are executed [nl] at the Grand-Place.
• 1575 – A plague outbreak kills thousands.^[3]
• 1576 – 4 September: The Calvinist Republic of Brussels [nl; fr] is founded.
• 1577 – 24 September: The Joyous Entry of William the Silent [nl] into the city takes place.
• 1580 – 9–10 July: The city tries to capture [nl] Halle under command of Olivier van den Tympel [nl; fr].
• 1585 – 10 March: The city is besieged [nl; fr] by the Army of Flanders.^[27][28]
• 1594 – 30 January: Joyous Entry of Archduke Ernest of Austria into the city takes place.^[29]
• 1599 – 5 September: Joyous Entry of Albert VII, Archduke of Austria, and Isabella Clara Eugenia into the city takes place.^[3]
• 1595
  • The Kaiserliche Reichspost postal service is established in the city.
  • 13 September: Josyne van Beethoven [nl; fr] is burned at the stake at the Grand-Place for wichcraft.^[30]
• 1604 – 16 July: St John Berchmans College is established.
• 1607 – The Brussels Carmel is founded.

• 1619
  • The original Manneken Pis statue is commissioned.
  • 12 July: A riot breaks out after the city imposes a tax on wine and beer (the gigot).^[3]
• 1622 – The funeral of Archduke Albert VII takes place.
• 1646
  • The Small Beguinage of Brussels [nl] is founded.
  • 6 October: Purple rain falls on the city; the downpour elicits scientific examination and explanation.^[3]
• 1654 – The Barony of Jette is formed.^[31]
• 1659 – The Barony of Jette is elevated to a county.^[31]
• 1672 – Fort of Monterey [nl; fr] is built.
• 1690 – 11–12 October: Fire breaks out in La Louve/De Wolvin [fr].

• 1695 – 13–15 August: The city is bombarded by the French, destroying a third of its buildings, including the Grand-Place.

• 1697–1698: Reconstruction of the Grand-Place is largely completed.^[3]
• 1698 – 1 May: Manneken Pis receives his first costume from the Governor of the Austrian Netherlands, Maximilian II Emanuel of Bavaria.^[32][33]
• 1700 – The first Theatre of La Monnaie, then spelled La Monnoye, is built.
• 1701 – Nassau Palace suffers extensive damage from a fire.
• 1705 – Fort Jaco [nl; fr] is built.
• 1706 – The English–Dutch army enters Brussels.^[3]
• 1711 – 30 September: The Royal Academy of Fine Arts is established.^[3]
• 1714
  • The Belfry of Brussels collapses.
  • March 6: Treaty of Rastatt is signed; the city becomes part of the Austrian Netherlands.^[3]
• 1717 – 14–18 April: Peter the Great visits the city.^[3][34]
• 1719 – François Anneessens is executed at the Grand-Place.
• 1724 – March: The Senne floods: The lower city is 3 feet underwater.^[35]
• 1731 – 3–4 February: The Palace of Coudenberg is destroyed by fire.^[3]
• 1744 – Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine enters the city.

• 1746 – The city is besieged and captured by the French.
• 1749 – January: The city is returned to Austria with the rest of the Austrian Netherlands following the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.
• 1755 – Population: 57,370.^[3]
• 1772
  • The Imperial and Royal Academy is established.^[36]
  • The Opéra flamand is established.
  • Faro is first attested.
• 1774 – The Rue Royale/Koningsstraat is laid out.^[13]
• 1775
  • Brussels Park is laid out.
  • The Place des Martyrs/Martelaarsplein, then called the Place Saint-Michel/Sint-Michielsplein, is laid out.^[3]
• 1778 – The Palace of the Nation begins construction.
• 1779 – The Brussels Arsenal is built.
• 1781 – Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor visits the city.
• 1782
  • The Place Royale/Koningsplein is laid out.
  • The Royal Park Theatre opens.
• 1787 – The Vauxhall opens.
• 1783 – The Royal Palace of Brussels begins construction.
• 1784
  • The city's gates are demolished, except for the Halle Gate.
  • The Palace of Schonenberg is built.
• 1787 – The Church of St. James on Coudenberg is consecrated.
• 1789 – The Brabant Revolution reaches the city and makes the Austrian authorities flee.

• 1790
  • 11 January: The city becomes the capital of the United Belgian States.
  • 2 December: The Austrians take the city back and pledge to reverse the reforms of Joseph II.
• 1792 – 14 November: General Charles-François Dumouriez enters the city.^[3]
• 1795 – The French rule begins; the city becomes part of the department of the Dyle.
• 1796
  • The Guilds of Brussels are suppressed.^[37]
  • La Cambre Abbey and Forest Abbey are abolished.
  • The Church of St. Gaugericus is demolished.
• 1800 – Population: 66,297.^[3]

19th century[edit]

• 1801 – 8 July: The Brussels Stock Exchange is founded by decree of First Consul Napoleon.^[3]
• 1803
  • The Museum of Fine Arts opens.^[38]
  • Napoleon visits the city.^[3]
• 1805 – D'Ieteren is established by master coachbuilder Joseph-Jean D'Ieteren.
• 1806 – 25 March: The Academy of Brussels, an academy of the Imperial University of France, is established.
• 1810
  • Official visit by Emperor Napoleon.^[3]
  • 19 May: Ordinance to build the Small Ring.^[3]
• 1811 – 4 November: The first Brussels Salon is held.
• 1813 – The Royal Conservatory of Brussels is founded.

• 1815
  • 15 June: The Duchess of Richmond's ball takes place.
  • The city becomes the joint capital of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
• 1817: 19 February: William III of the Netherlands is born in the Palace of the Nation.
• 1819
  • 25 May: The new Theatre of La Monnaie is inaugurated.
  • The city is illuminated by gas.^[3]
• 1822 – The Société Générale de Belgique is headquartered in the city.^[39]
• 1826
  • The Botanical Garden of Brussels is founded.
  • 8 June: The Royal Observatory of Belgium is founded.
• 1829
  • The Delvaux leather luxury goods brand is established by Charles Delvaux.
  • Maison Dandoy [fr] biscuiterie is established on Rue au Beurre/Boterstraat by Jean-Baptiste Dandoy.

• 1830
  • 25 August: The Belgian Revolution starts in the city.^[40]
  • 22 October: Nicolas-Jean Rouppe is appointed the first Mayor of Brussels in an independent Belgium by royal decree.
  • The Royal Theatre Toone is founded.
  • Population: 98,279 city; 120,981 metro.^[41]
• 1831
  • 7 February: The Constitution of Belgium is ratified; the city becomes the capital of the Kingdom of Belgium.^[19]
  • 25 February: Érasme-Louis Surlet de Chokier takes the constitutional oath at the Palace of the Nation.
  • 21 July: King Leopold I takes the constitutional oath at the Place Royale/Koningsplein.
• 1832
  • A cholera epidemic kills over 3,000.^[3]
  • 22 September: The Brussels–Charleroi Canal is officially opened.^[42]
• 1834
  • 7 February: The Royal Military Academy is founded.
  • 5–6 April: The city's nobility is looted [nl] by pro-Belgian protesters on the Orangist nobility.
  • 20 November: The Free University of Brussels is founded.^[3]

• 1835 – 5 May: The first passenger train on a public railway in continental Europe departs from the Allée Verte/Groendreef railway station.
• 1837 – 19 June: The Royal Library of Belgium is founded.^[43]
• 1838 – 13 September: Guillaume-Hippolyte van Volxem is appointed mayor by royal decree.
• 1841 – 14 April: François-Jean Wyns de Raucour is appointed mayor by royal decree.
• 1845
  • Saint Mary's Royal Church begins construction.
  • First telegraph line links the city with Antwerp.^[3]
• 1846
  • 31 March: The Museum of Natural Sciences is founded.
  • Population: 123,874 city.^[44]
• 1847
  • The Avenue Louise/Louizalaan is commissioned.
  • May: Systematic construction of sidewalks begins.^[3]
  • 20 June: The Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries open.^[3]
  • August: The German Workers' Society is founded in the city by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
• 1848
  • September: The second International Peace Congress is held in the city.
  • 5 October: Charles de Brouckère becomes mayor.

• 1850
  • Population: 142,289 city; 222,424 metro.^[41]
  • 5 May: The National Bank of Belgium is established by Minister Walthère Frère-Orban, replacing the Société Générale de Belgique as fiscal agent of the Belgian Government.
• 1853 – 7 April: The European Quarter is annexed from Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Etterbeek and Schaerbeek by the City of Brussels.

• 1855
  • Brussels-Luxembourg railway station is built.
  • Last public execution is held at the Halle Gate.^[3]
• 1856 – The reconstructed Royal Theatre of La Monnaie opens.
• 1857
  • The Ancienne Belgique opens.
  • Saint-Louis University moves to the city from Mechelen.
  • First municipal water service is established.^[3]
• 1859 – The Congress Column is erected.
• 1860
  • Duties and tolls on goods entering the city are abolished.
  • Population: 185,982 city; 300,341 metro.^[41]
  • 21 April: André-Napoléon Fontainas becomes mayor.
• 1861 – The Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos is laid out.
• 1863 – 15 December: Jules Anspach is appointed mayor by royal decree.^[3]
• 1864
  • The Avenue Louise and Bois de la Cambre are annexed from Ixelles by the City of Brussels.
  • 26 September: Nadar launches the hot air balloon Le Géant from the Botanical Garden. To ensure the crowd's safety, Jules Anspach erects mobile barriers, thereby inventing crowd control barriers.
  • 3 October: The Isabelle Gatti de Gamond Royal Atheneum is established as the first non-denominational educational institution for girls in Belgium.
• 1865 – 17 December: King Leopold II takes the constitutional oath at the Palace of the Nation.
• 1866 – Population: 157,905 city.^[3]

• 1867
  • The covering of the Senne begins.
  • The Legend of Thyl Ulenspiegel and Lamme Goedzak is published by Charles De Coster.
• 1868
  • The Antoine Wiertz Museum opens.
  • 1 March: The Société Libre des Beaux-Arts is established.
• 1869 – 1 May: Trams begin operating in the city.
• 1871
  • The covering of the Senne is completed; the Central Boulevards are laid out.
  • The Bank of Brussels is established.^[39]
  • The Halle Gate is renovated in the neo-Gothic style.^[45]
• 1872 – The Church of Our Lady of Laeken is consecrated.
• 1873
  • The new building for the Brussels Stock Exchange is completed.
  • The daily Old Market on the Place du Jeu de Balle/Vossenplein is established.
• 1874
  • The Royal Greenhouses of Laeken begin construction.
  • Brussels Cemetery is laid out.
  • 2 May: First Conference of Mayors is held.^[46]
  • 23 December: Les Tramways Bruxellois is formed.
• 1877
  • Ixelles Cemetery is created.
  • 6 May: The Musical Instruments Museum opens.
• 1878
  • 12 January: The Cirque Royal/Koninklijk Circus opens.
  • 20 September: The Great Synagogue of Brussels is consecrated.
• 1879 – 20 May: Felix Vanderstraeten is appointed mayor by royal decree.

• 1880
  • A National Exhibition is held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Belgian independence;^[3] the Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark is laid out.
  • The White slave trade affair scandal is exposed and attracts international attention.
  • The Midi Fair begins.
• 1881
  • L'Echo newspaper begins its publication.^[47]
  • 17 December: Charles Buls is appointed mayor by royal decree.
• 1882 – 7 January: The accountant Guillaume Bernays [fr] is killed by Léon Peltzer [fr] on behalf of his brother Armand Peltzer at 159 Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat.
• 1883 – The Palace of Justice of Brussels is inaugurated.
• 1884 – 3 September: 80,000 Catholics gather in support of the Law Jacobs. Local residents disperse them by dumping sacks of laundry bluing.^[3]
• 1885
  • 15 June: Saint-Gilles Prison opens.^[3]
  • Population: 171,751 city.^[44]
• 1886
  • The city is linked by telephone to Paris.^[3]
  • Le Cirio [fr] is established on Rue de la Bourse/Beursstraat by Francesco Cirio.
• 1887
  • Le Soir newspaper begins its publication.^[47]
  • The Palace for Fine Arts is built.
  • The Brussels City Museum opens in the King's House.
  • 1 October: The Brussels Arsenal reopens as the Royal Flemish Theatre.
• 1888
  • Het Laatste Nieuws newspaper begins its publication.^[47]
  • 24 November: The first Saint Verhaegen/Sint-Verhaegen takes place as a student protest against a reorganisation of the Free University.
• 1889 – 18 November: The Brussels Anti-Slavery Conference begins.
• 1890
  • The Abattoirs of Anderlecht [fr] enter service as a central abattoir for the whole city.
  • The Square du Petit Sablon/Kleine Zavelsquare is laid out.
• 1891
  • August: The International Socialist Labor Congress is held in the city.
  • 12 December: The Compagnie intercommunale des eaux de l'Agglomération bruxelloise [nl; fr] (CIE) is established.

• 1893
  • The Paris–Brussels cycle race begins.^[48]
  • The Hôtel Tassel is built.
  • The Hankar House is built.
  • The Autrique House is built.
• 1894 – The Société Belge d'Études Coloniales is headquartered in the city.
• 1895 – The Hotel Métropole opens at the Place de Brouckère/De Brouckèreplein.
• 1896
  • The King's House is rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style.
  • The Villa Bloemenwerf is built.
  • 1 March: The first public showing of moving pictures takes place in the Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries.
• 1897
  • The Brussels International world's fair is held.
  • The Avenue de Tervueren/Tervurenlaan is laid out.
  • The Oriental Pavilion is built.
  • 1 November: Royale Union Saint-Gilloise is founded.
  • 16 December: Emile De Mot is appointed mayor by royal decree.
• 1898 – The Saint Roch Quarter is demolished.
• 1899
  • The Maison du Peuple/Volkshuis is built.
  • 1 October: The Pavilion of Human Passions is inaugurated.
• 1900
  • The Cantillon brewery is founded.
  • New Saint John Clinic is built.^[49]
  • 4 April: Edward, Prince of Wales, is shot at by Jean-Baptiste Sipido at Brussels-North railway station.^[3]
  • Population: 183,686 city.^[3]

20th century[edit]

1901–1913 – La Belle Époque[edit]

• 1901 – The Maison & Atelier Horta is built.
• 1902
  • À la Mort Subite café is built.
  • The Sino-Belgian Bank is established at the request of King Leopold II.
  • 15 November: Attempted assassination [nl; fr] of King Leopold II by Gennaro Rubino.
• 1904 – 26 June: Josaphat Park opens.

• 1905
  • The Cauchie House is built.
  • Busses begin operating in the city.^[3]
  • 25 September: The Cinquantenaire Arcade is completed.^[3]
• 1906
  • 13 January: Besix is founded by the Stulemeijer family.
  • 7 February: The dismembered body of Jeanne Van Calck is found at 22 Rue des Hirondelles/Zwaluwenstraat.
  • 24 February: Chilean diplomat Ernesto Balmaceda Bello is shot and killed by Carlos Waddington the brother of his fiancé Adelaida Waddington.
• 1908
  • The Chapel of the Resurrection is built.
  • 27 May: R.S.C. Anderlecht is founded.
• 1909
  • 6 December: Adolphe Max is appointed mayor by royal decree.
  • 23 December: King Albert I takes the constitutional oath at the Palace of the Nation.
• 1910
  • The Hôtel Astoria opens.
  • 10 March: Le Mariage de mademoiselle Beulemans first preformed at the Théâtre de l'Olympia.
  • 23 April–1 November: The Brussels International world's fair is held.

• 1911
  • The Stoclet Palace is built.
  • The North–South connection begins construction.^[3]
  • 30 October–3 November: The first Solvay Conference is held.

1914–1918 – First World War[edit]

• 1914
  • 11 May–4 June: The Great Zwanz Exhibition [nl] is held.
  • 21 August: World War I: The city is captured and occupied by the German Army.^[3]
  • 26 August: The city becomes the seat of the Imperial German General Government of Belgium.
  • The Imperial German Air Service establishes Flugplatz Brüssel military airfield in Haren.
• 1915
  • 7 June: A Zeppelin hangar on Flugplatz Brüssel is partially destroyed during an attack on airship LZ38.
  • 12 October: Edith Cavell is executed by firing squad at the Tir National/Nationale Schietbaan.
• 1917 – The Constant Vanden Stock Stadium opens.
• 1918
  • 10 November: The Brussels Soldiers' Council is established by German troops in German-occupied Belgium.
  • 22 November: King Albert I returns to the city.

1919–1939 – Interwar period[edit]

• 1919
  • The Lignes Farman airline begins operating its Paris–Brussels route.^[50]
  • Population: 685,268 metro.^[51]
• 1920
  • The Oscar Bossaert Stadium opens.
  • 20 August: Belga news agency is established by Pierre-Marie Olivier and Maurice Travailleur in Schaerbeek.
• 1921 – 30 March: Haren, Laeken and Neder-Over-Heembeek are annexed by the City of Brussels.^[3]
• 1922
  • The Experimental Garden Jean Massart [fr] is established.^[52]
  • 12 November: Tour & Taxis officially opens. ^[53]
• 1923
  • The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History opens.
  • Brugmann Hospital [fr] opens.
  • 23 May: The Societé anonyme belge d'Exploitation de la Navigation aérienne (Sabena) is established.^[3]
• 1925 – St Andrew's Church is consecrated.
• 1926
  • The École nationale supérieure des arts visuels de La Cambre (ENSAV) is established.
  • The Comme chez Soi restaurant is established.
• 1927 – 24–29 October: The fifth Solvay Conference, perhaps the most famous, is held.
• 1928
  • The Charlier Museum opens.
  • The Villa van Buuren is built.^[54]
• 1929
  • 4 January: Tintin first appears in Le Petit Vingtième.
  • 19 October: The Centre for Fine Arts opens.
• 1930
  • The Hotel Le Plaza opens.
  • 18 June: The National Institute for Radio Broadcast [nl; fr] (NIR) is established.
  • 23 August: The Jubilee Stadium opens.
  • Population: 200,433 city.^[3]
• 1931 – The Brussels Symphony Orchestra is founded.
• 1933 – 6 April: The Synagogue of Anderlecht is consecrated.
• 1934
  • The Villa Empain is built.
  • The Citroën Garage is built.
  • 22 February: The funeral of King Albert I takes place.
  • 23 February: King Leopold III takes the constitutional oath at the Palace of the Nation.

• 1935
  • The Brussels International world's fair is held; the Palais des Expositions is built.
  • The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is consecrated.
• 1937 – The Queen Elisabeth Competition begins.
• 1938
  • The Royal Belgian Film Archive is established.
  • The Flagey Building is built.
  • Scabal is established as a cloth merchant and supplier of fabrics by Otto Hertz.
• 1939
  • The Constantin Meunier Museum opens.
  • 28 November: Joseph Van De Meulebroeck is appointed mayor by royal decree.

1939–1945 – Second World War[edit]

• 1940
  • 17 May: World War II: The German occupation begins;^[3] the Belgian Government [nl] flees the city to Bordeaux.^[55]
  • 31 May: The German Military Administration in Belgium and Northern France is headquartered in the city.^[55][56]
  • 1 July: The Zéro [fr] intelligence network in formed by employees of the Bank of Brussels.^[55]
  • 20 July: The Frontstalag 110 prisoner-of-war camp is established by the Germans.^[57][58]
  • 31 July: The Radio Bruxelles [fr] and Zender Brussel [nl] radio stations are established by the Military Administration.^[55]
  • 15 August: La Libre Belgique clandestine newspaper begins its publication.^[55]
  • 17 December: The Belgian National Movement is established.^[55]
• 1941
  • 1 February: Le Drapeau Rouge [nl; fr] and De Roode Vaan [nl] clandestine newspapers begin their publication by the Communist Party of Belgium.^[55]
  • 13 March: The Frontstalag 110 POW camp is dissolved.^[57][58]
  • 29 May: The 'Hunger march for the release of prisoners of war', 3,000 women rally behind slogans and march trough the city.^[55]
  • 30 June: Joseph Van De Meulebroeck is arrested and deported; Jules Coelst [nl; fr] is designated deputy mayor.
  • 18 August: The Comet Line starts operating.^[59]
  • 10 October: Bombing of the Rex headquarters on the Rue de Laeken/Lakensestraat [fr]; Jean-Joseph Oedekerken is killed.^[55]
  • 25 November: The Free University of Brussels closes.^[55][60]
• 1942
  • January: Groupe G is formed by a group of former students of the Free University.
  • 10 March: Violence erupts in the city during a parade of the Walloon Legion before leaving for the Eastern Front, marked by bombings and attacks from communist militants against collaborators and military targets.^[61]
  • 3 September: A razzia occurs in the Marolles/Marollen, 718 are arrested and transported to Dossin.^[62]
  • 24 September: Greater Brussels [nl] is formed by merging 18 municipalities into the City of Brussels; Jan Grauls is appointed mayor.^[55]
• 1943
  • 20 January: Attack on the Gestapo headquarters by Baron Jean de Selys Longchamps DFC.
  • 14 April: Paul Colin is assassinated by Arnaud Fraiteur.^[63]
  • 7 September: The city is bombarded [nl] by the Allies, killing 342.

• 1944
  • 28 February: Alexandre Galopin is assassinated by Flemish collaborators from DeVlag.
  • 1 August: Attacks in the city against the Germans and collaborators; they retaliate and execute 30 people.^[55]
  • 23 August: 15 people are executed by the Germans.^[55]
  • 3–4 September: The city is liberated by the Welsh Guards; the Palace of Justice is burnt by the Germans to destroy legal records during their retreat.
  • 8 September: The Belgian government in exile returns to the city after four years in London.
  • 20 September: Prince Charles, Count of Flanders takes the constitutional oath at the Palace of the Nation, and becomes regent.^[64]
  • 20 November: The Free University reopens.
  • 15 December: The District of Brussels, formed by Nazi Germany, is no longer in control of the territory.

1946–1979 – Post-war era[edit]

• 1948
  • The Treaty of Brussels, founding the Western Union (WU), is signed.
  • Brussels Airport opens in Zaventem.
• 1950
  • 1 August: King Leopold III ask the Government and Parliament to vote on a law delegating his powers to Prince Baudouin, Duke of Brabant.^[65]
  • 11 August: Prince Baudouin takes the constitutional oath and for the first time and becomes the Prince Royal.^[65]
• 1951 – 17 July: King Baudouin takes the constitutional oath for the second time at the Palace of the Nation, and becomes the King of the Belgians.^[65][66]
• 1952 – The North–South connection is completed; Brussels-Central railway station and Brussels-South railway station open.
• 1953 – Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles is formed replacing Les Tramways Bruxellois as the city's main public transport operator.
• 1956
  • The Atomium starts construction.
  • 14 February: Lucien Cooremans is appointed mayor by royal decree.
• 1957 – Delhaize inaugurates the first supermarket on the European continent at Place Eugène Flagey/Eugène Flageyplein.^[67]

• 1958
  • 17 April–19 October: Expo 58 world's fair is held.
  • The city becomes one of the seats of the European Community.
  • The Pro-Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is consecrated.
  • September 1958 – The European School, Brussels I (ESB1) opens.
• 1959 – The State Administrative Centre [nl; fr] begins construction.^[3]
• 1960
  • The city hosts the Congolese Round Table Conference.
  • Ballet of the 20th Century contemporary dance company is established.
  • 1 November: The city becomes the seat of the Secretariat-General of the Benelux [nl].^[68]
  • 15 December: The wedding of King Baudouin and Fabiola de Mora y Aragón takes place.
• 1961
  • 15 February: Sabena Flight 548 crashes on approach to Brussels Airport, killing all 72 people on board and one person on the ground.^[3]
  • 27 February: The Royal Association of the Descendants of the Lineages of Brussels is established.
  • 21 December: The Film Museum [nl; fr] is founded.
• 1962
  • The Royal Institute for Theatre, Cinema and Sound [nl; fr] (RITCS) is established.
  • The Vicariate of Brussels [nl; fr] is established.
• 1963 – 2 August: Brussels becomes part of the bilingual Brussels-Capital administrative area.^[69]
• 1965 – The Maison du Peuple/Volkshuis is demolished and is replaced with the Sablon Tower [nl; fr].^[3]
• 1967
  • The South Tower is built.
  • 1 May: The European Commission starts moving into the Berlaymont.
  • 22 May: The À L'Innovation department store is destroyed by fire.^[3]
  • 16 October: NATO's headquarters are established in the city.
• 1968 – May: Student demonstrations at the Free University.^[3]
• 1969
  • The Brussels Hilton opens.
  • 8 September: The El Al airline offices are bombed.
  • 1 October: The Free University splits along linguistic lines into the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).
• 1970
  • 12 September: While pasting election posters in Laeken, Jacques Georgin [nl; fr] is attacked by members of the Order of Flemish Militants and later died of a heart attack.
  • 8 October: Forest National/Vorst Nationaal opens.
• 1971
  • The Flower carpet begins at the Grand-Place.
  • 7 May: The Bulletin initiates a petition calling for a car-free Grand-Place, signed by many Brusselers, including Jacques Brel. Despite city council resistance, The Bulletin organized a picnic protest, blocking car access to the square. Months later the Mayor yielded.^[70]
  • 26 July: The Brussels Agglomeration [fr; nl] is created.^[71]
  • 25 November: First and only elections of the Brussels Agglomeration Council [nl].^[3]
• 1974 – The Brussels Independent Film Festival begins.
• 1975
  • The Université catholique de Louvain's Jardin des plantes médicinales Paul Moens [fr] is established.
  • Trademart Brussels is established.
  • 30 July Bank Brussels Lambert is established.
  • 30 August: Pierre Van Halteren is elected mayor.

• 1976
  • 20 September: The Brussels Metro begins operating.
  • 28 September: The Brussels Planetarium opens.
• 1978
  • The Brussels Ring is constructed.
  • The RTBF Symphony Orchestra is formed.^[72]
  • The Oriental Pavilion is transformed into the Great Mosque of Brussels.
• 1979
  • The Archives of the City of Brussels moves into the former Magasins Waucquez [fr].^[73]
  • The city celebrates the 1,000th anniversary of its founding.^[3]
  • 28 August: The Brussels bombing occurs, injuring 18.

1980–2000[edit]

• 1980
  • The Flemish Community and the French Community of Belgium each designate Brussels as their capital city.
  • Population of the Brussels-Capital Region: 1,008,715.^[74]
  • 4 December: A French-Algerian man is killed by members of the Front de la Jeunesse, sparking a massive anti-racist demonstration. Justice Minister Philippe Moureaux introduces a law against racism in Parliament, which is adopted a few months later.^[75]
• 1981
  • 21 March: King Baudouin Park [nl; fr] is laid out.^[3]
  • 1 April: Studio Brussel is established as a regional radio station of the BRT.
  • 1 July: Naïm Khader is assassinated in the early hours in front of his home in Ixelles.
  • 18 July: Fernand Spaak is shot dead in his flat by his estranged wife Anna-Maria Farina with a hunting rifle.
  • 4 December: The Wittockiana is founded by Michel Wittock.
  • 31 December: A burglary by the Brabant Killers at the Gendarmerie barracks in Etterbeek stealing weapons, ammunition, and a car, some of which were allegedly found later in Madani Bouhouche's garage.
• 1982 – The Brussels Urban Transport Museum is established.
• 1983
  • 9 January: Robbery and murder of Greek-born taxi driver Constantin Angelou by the Brabant Killers. The car and body are later found in Mons.^[76][77]
  • 28 January: Raymond Dewee's Peugeot 504, along with his ID and driving licence, are stolen at gunpoint in Watermael-Boitsfort. Two weeks later, the car is used in an armed robbery at a Genval Delhaize, linked to the Brabant Killers.^[78]
  • 25 February: The Brabant Killers carry out an armed robbery at a Delhaize in Fort Jaco [fr], stealing less than 600,000 BEF with no fatalities.^[79]
  • 4 March: Hervé Brouhon is elected mayor.
  • 17 May: La Fonderie, Brussels Museum of Industry and Labour, is established.
  • 14 July: Assassination of Turkish administrative attaché Dursun Aksoy near his home on Avenue Franklin Roosevelt/Franklin Rooseveltlaan.
• 1984
  • 13 February: The body of Christine Van Hees [nl] is discovered in a abandoned mushroom farm in Auderghem.
  • 2–8 October: The Cellules Communistes Combattantes (CCC) carry out three attacks against companies cooperating with NATO, resulting in minimal damage.^[80]
  • 15 October: Attack on the liberal Paul Hymans Institute in Ixelles by the CCC.^[80]
• 1985
  • 15 January: The CCC attacks a NATO/SHAPE support group in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert.^[80]
  • 1 May: The CCC attacks the Federation of Belgian Enterprises offices on Rue des Sols/Stuiversstraat [nl], killing two firefighters and injuring 13 others.^[80]
  • 6 May: The CCC carries out an attack against a Gendarmerie building, blaming them for the death of the two firefighters on May 1.^[80]
  • 16 May: Pope John Paul II visits the city.^[81]
  • 29 May: The Heysel Stadium disaster takes place.^[81]
  • 8 October: The CCC attacks the headquarters of electricity producer Intercom.^[81]
  • 4 November: The CCC attacks the bank BBL in Etterbeek.^[81]
  • 21 November: During Ronald Reagan's visit to NATO headquarters in Evere, a bomb explodes in an office building targeting Motorola for its cooperation with the military.^[80]
  • 14 December: The French-language television station Télé Bruxelles [nl; fr] is established.
• 1986 – 29 September: Autoworld opens.
• 1987
  • Jeanneke Pis statue is erected as counterpoint to Manneken Pis.
  • 9 May: The 32nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is held at Brussels Expo.
• 1988 – Kinepolis Brussels opens.
• 1989
  • 9 March: The Jewish Museum of Belgium opens.
  • 29 March: Saudi Arabian Imam Abdullah al-Ahdal is fatally shot at the Great Mosque of Brussels by members of the Lebanese Soldiers of the Right.
  • 12 June: Mini-Europe opens.
  • 18 June: The Brussels-Capital Region is formed; the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region is established.^[82]
  • 12 July: Charles Picqué becomes the first Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region.
  • 14 July: The Flemish, French and Common Community Commissions are established.^[83]
  • 6 October: The Belgian Comic Strip Center opens.
• 1990
  • 25 February: Kosovar human rights activist Enver Hadri is assassinated while he stopped at a traffic light by three Yugoslavs working for State Security Administration.
  • 22 March: Assassination of Canadian engineer Gerald Bull by Mossad outside his apartment in Uccle.
  • 26 October: The first Le Pain Quotidien opens on Rue Antoine Dansaert/Antoine Dansaertstraat [nl; fr] by Alain Coumont.
  • 23 December: The Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company is formed by the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region replacing Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles.
  • Population of the Brussels-Capital Region: 964,385.^[74]
• 1991
  • First comic strip murals is created on the Rue du Marché au Charbon/Kolenmarkt.
  • 5 March: The Brussels-Capital Region adopts its first flag.
• 1992 – 5 August: Loubna Benaïssa [nl; fr] disspapears on her way to the supermarket.
• 1993
  • The Espace Léopold opens.
  • 20 January: The kidnapping of Ulrika Bidegård takes place.
  • 20 July: Michel Demaret is appointed mayor by the City Council.
  • 7 August: The funeral of King Baudouin takes place.
  • 9 August: King Albert II takes the constitutional oath at the Palace of the Nation.
  • 15 September: The Dutch-language television station TV-Brussel is launched from the Royal Flemish Theatre.^[84]
• 1994
  • The City of Brussels is designated capital of Belgium and seat of the Federal Government.^[85]
  • 28 April: Freddy Thielemans is elected mayor for the first time.^[86]
  • 16 April: The Fuse nightclub opens.
  • May: The Kunstenfestivaldesarts (KFDA) begins.
  • 30 June: The Performing Arts Research and Training Studios (P.A.R.T.S.) contemporary dance school is established by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and Bernard Foccroulle.^[87]
  • 14 November: The international terminal of Brussels-South railway station opens.
• 1995
  • The Erasmus Brussels University of Applied Sciences and Arts (EhB) is established.
  • 1 January: The Province of Brabant is split into Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant; The Governor of the Administrative Arrondissement Brussels-Capital is established.
  • 5 May: Brussels Pride [nl] is established.
  • 21 May: François-Xavier de Donnea is appointed mayor by the City Council.
• 1996
  • The South Tower is renovated.
  • 20 October: The White March takes place as a protest against the mishandling of the Dutroux affair.^[88]
• 1997 – 5 March: The remains of Loubna Benaïssa [nl; fr] are found in the basement of Patrick Derochette [nl].
• 1998
  • The Musical Instruments Museum (MIM) relocates to the Hôtel de Spangen and the former Old England department store.
  • 2 December The Grand-Place is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[3][89]
• 1999
  • Het Zinneke statue is erected by analogy of Manneken and Jeanneke Pis.
  • 5 June: The René Magritte Museum opens.
  • 15 July: Jacques Simonet becomes Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region.
  • 8 September: The Clockarium is established.
  • 4 December: The wedding of Prince Philippe and Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz takes place.
• 2000
  • The city is named European Capital of Culture alongside eight other European cities.^[90]
  • The Hôtel Tassel, Hôtel Solvay, Hôtel van Eetvelde and Maison & Atelier Horta are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
  • 27 May: The first Zinneke Parade is held.
  • 28 July: The city is divided in 5 police zones.^{[91][92][93][94][95]}
  • 18 October: François-Xavier de Donnea becomes Minister-President.

21st century[edit]

• 2001
  • Tour & Taxis begins redevelopment.
  • 16 January: Freddy Thielemans is elected mayor for the second time.
  • 28 April: Police Zone: Brussels - Ixelles [nl] is formed as the 6th police zone in the city.^[96]
  • 13 July: The Lambermont Accord [nl; fr] is signed, increasing the representation of Dutch speakers in Parliament.
  • 25 October: Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant is born at Erasmus Hospital.
• 2002
  • 7 May: Ahmed Isnasni and Habiba El-Hajji were shot and killed by their neighbor, Hendrik Vyt, at their residence on Rue Vanderlinden/Vanderlindenstraat in Schaerbeek. Vyt also wounded two of their sons before committing self-immolation.^[97][98]
  • 10 December: The Film Museum [nl; fr] in integrated into CINEMATEK.
• 2003
  • 6 June: Daniel Ducarme becomes Minister-President.
  • 20 September: The Wittockiana opens to the public.
• 2004
  • The North Galaxy Towers are built.
  • 18 February: Jacques Simonet becomes Minister-President for the second time.
• 2005 – 19 July: The BELvue Museum opens in the Hôtel Belle-Vue; Charles Picqué becomes Minister-President for the second time.
• 2006
  • The Atomium is renovated.^[99]
  • 12 April: Joe Van Holsbeeck is fatally stabbed at Brussels Central Station in an attempted robbery of his MP3 player.
  • 29 August: Benjamin Rawitz-Castel is murdered during a robbery by Junior Kabunda.
  • 17 September: The Cyclocity bicycle-sharing system is launched in the Pentagon.^[100]
  • 23–29 September: Riots break out after Fayçal Chaaban was found dead in his cell.

• 2007
  • The Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel (HUB) is established.^[101]
  • 25 March: Brussels Airlines is formed.
  • 25 May: The WIELS contemporary art centre opens in the former Wielemans-Ceuppens brewery.
  • 28 September: The Manga murder happens.
• 2008 – Denis-Adrien Debouvrie wealthy local restaurant owner and creator of Jeanneke Pis is stabbed in the throat by the Tunisian restaurant owner Tarek Ladhari.^[102]
• 2009
  • The Stoclet Palace is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • 16 May: Cyclocity is rebranded to Villo! and expanded to the whole Region.
  • 2 June: The Magritte Museum opens.
  • 17 November: Olivier Bastin is appointed the first Architect of the Brussels-Capital Region [nl].^[103]
  • 12 December: The funeral of Queen Fabiola takes place.
• 2010
  • 26–29 November: The European Assembly for Climate Justice is held.
  • Population of the Brussels-Capital Region: 1,089,538.^[74]
• 2012
  • 13 March: Muslim scholar Abdullah al-Dahdouh is murdered in an unprovoked attack in the Islamic Center of Imam Reza.
  • 10 June: First Picnic the Streets [nl; fr] occurs.

• 2013
  • 7 May: Rudi Vervoort becomes Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region.
  • 21 July: King Philippe takes the constitutional oath at the Palace of the Nation.
  • 6 December: The Fin-de-Siècle Museum opens.
  • 13 December: Yvan Mayeur is elected mayor.
• 2014
  • 1 January: Odisee [nl; fr] is established.
  • 10 March: Vlaams-Brusselse Media forms.
  • 23 May: Choco-Story Brussels is established.
  • 24 May: The Jewish Museum of Belgium shooting occurs, killing 4.
  • 18 June: The .brussels generic top-level domain is added to the DNS root zone.
  • 1 July: The Governor of the Administrative Arrondissement Brussels-Capital is replaced with the Senior Official of the Administrative Arrondissement Brussels-Capital.^[104]
• 2015
  • 9 January: The Brussels-Capital Region adopts a new flag.
  • 25 September: Train World opens in Schaerbeek railway station.
  • 21–25 November: The Brussels lockdown occurs, the Federal Government imposes a security lockdown, due to information about potential terrorist attacks in the wake of the November 2015 Paris attacks by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on 13 November.
  • 11 December: Design Museum Brussels opens.
  • 13 December: The Brussels S Train begins operating.^[105]
• 2016
  • 7–11 January: The Call Brussels initiative occurs, promoting the city after the November 2015 Paris attacks and subsequent lockdown of the city.
  • 8 March: The CIVA [fr] architectural centre is established.
  • 15–18 March: Police raids are conducted in connection to the attacks in Paris four months earlier.
  • 22 March: The Brussels bombings occur, killing 34 and injuring 230.^{[106][107][108][109]}
  • 4 April: The Schuman-Josaphat tunnel opens.
  • 5 October: The Brussels stabbing attacks occur, 4 injured including the suspect.

• 2017
  • Parts of the Sonian Forest becomes part of the transnational Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • 6 May: The House of European History (HEH) opens.
  • 25 May: NATO's new headquarters open.^[110]
  • 9 June: Philippe Close is appointed mayor by the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region.^[111]
  • 20 June: The Brussels-Central bombing occurs, the perpetrator is killed.
  • 25 August: the Brussels stabbing attack occurs, the perpetrator is killed and 2 injured.
  • 7 December: 45,000 people gather in the city for Wake Up Europe! in support of Catalan independence.

• 

  2018
  • 5 May: KANAL - Centre Pompidou opens in the former Citroën Garage.
  • 12 May: Manneken Pis receives his 1000th costume created by fashion designer Jean-Paul Lespagnard.^[112]
  • 5 June: The murder of Nigerian sex worker Eunice Osayande happens.
  • 20 November: The Brussels stabbing attack occurs, injuring 2 including the perpetrator.
• 2019
  • 26 May: Brussels regional elections are held.
  • 6 July: The 2019 Tour de France starts in the city.
  • 12 October: The MigratieMuseumMigration opens.
• 2020
  • 2 February: The first recorded case of COVID-19 in Belgium after nine Belgian nationals living in Hubei were repatriated.
  • 11 March: First COVID-19 related death in Belgium is confirmed of a 90-year-old female patient from who was being treated in Etterbeek.^[113]
  • 18 March: The city joins the rest of Belgium in a nationwide lockdown that lasts until 8 June in an attempt to reduce the number of cases.
  • 7 June: About 10,000 protesters gather as part of the George Floyd protests in Belgium.^[114][115]
• 2022
  • 24 January: More than 50,000 people protest against COVID-19 rules.
  • 30 September: Haren Prison opens.
  • 4 October: The Suzan Daniel Bridge [nl] opens over the Brussels–Scheldt Maritime Canal.
  • 10 November: The Brussels stabbing occurs, killing 1 and 2 injured including the perpetrator.

• 2023
  • 14 September: The Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles becomes part of Université catholique de Louvain.^[116]
  • 16 October: The Brussels shooting occurs, killing 3 including the perpetrator and injuring 1.
• 2024 – 9 June: Brussels regional elections are held.

Evolution of the Brussels map[edit]

16th century[edit]

• 
  1555
• 
  1567

17th century[edit]

• 
  1610
• 
  ~1657

18th century[edit]

• 
  ~1700
• 
  ~1711
• 
  1740
• 
  ~1745
• 
  1777

19th century[edit]

• 
  1830
• 
  1837
• 
  1843
• 
  1876
• 
  1894

20th century[edit]

• 
  1900
• 
  1907

See also[edit]

• History of Brussels [fr; nl]
• List of mayors of the City of Brussels (largest municipality in the Brussels-Capital Region)
• List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region
• Timeline of Belgian history
• Timelines of other municipalities in Belgium: Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Leuven, Liège

References[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]

• Europeana. Items related to Brussels, various dates.