Place Royale, Brussels

Coordinates: 50°50′32″N 04°21′34″E / 50.84222°N 4.35944°E / 50.84222; 4.35944
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Place Royale, Reims.

  • Place Royale (
    Gilles-Barnabé Guimard

The Place Royale (French:

Palace of Coudenberg, it was part of an urban project including Brussels Park.[3]

The Place Royale is one of oldest architecturally consistent and monumental public squares, as well as an excellent example of 18th-century urban architecture. Rectangular and symmetrical in shape, it measures 77 by 113 metres (253 by 371 ft),

Church of St. James on Coudenberg
, as well as some of the main museums in the city.

The Rue de Namur/Naamsestraat enters the square from the south, the Rue de la Régence/Regentschapstraat from the south-west, and the Rue Montagne de la Cour/Hofbergstraat and the

Trône/Troon (on lines 2 and 6
).

History

Early history

Further information: Palace of Coudenberg

The Place Royale was built on the former site of the Place des Bailles/Baliënplein, the main market square adjacent to the former Castle and then Palace of Coudenberg,[3][5] which was the residence (and seat of power) of the counts, dukes, archdukes, kings, emperors or governors who, from the 12th century to the 18th century, exerted their sovereignty over the Duchy of Brabant and later over all or part of the Burgundian and then Spanish and Austrian Netherlands.[6] This first square, whose initial enclosure was made of wood (1434), was provided in 1509 with a new stone fence designed by the court architects Antoon I Keldermans and Antoon II Keldermans.[7]

Palace of Coudenberg
and the Place des Bailles/Baliënplein, between 1679 and 1700

The palace burned down on the night of 3 February 1731 in a fire that took much of the original royal complex.[3][8] Funds were not available for rebuilding, so for more than forty years, it remained in a state of ruins, known as the Cour brûlée ("Burnt Court").[9] Several projects for the redevelopment of this space were proposed, including the reconstruction of a palace, which did not go beyond the stage of sketches, for lack of money.[10] The construction of a new palace also seemed to be all the less necessary since, in the meantime, the court had moved to the Palace of Orange-Nassau, on the site of today's Palace of Charles of Lorraine.[11] In 1769, the idea germinated to clear and level the ruins of the Place des Bailles and to convert it into an esplanade intended for military parades.[10] The plan was on the verge of completion in 1772, when another project rendered it obsolete.[3]

Clearance and development

Plan of the Place Royale and Brussels Park by Joachim Zinner [fr], 1780

It was only in 1774 that Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Governor-General of the Austrian Netherlands, proposed replacing the ruins with a monumental royal square inspired by French models such as the Place Stanislas in Nancy (1755) and the Place Royale in Reims (1759), of which it is almost an exact replica.[3][12][13] The project was approved that same year by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, who authorised the demolition.[14] If at the beginning, this space, intended to be decorated with a statue of the governor, was sometimes called the Place de Lorraine ("Lorraine Square") in his honour, it is finally the name Place Royale ("Royal Square") that was retained, according to the predominant model in France, which appeared more suitable to represent political power.[15]

Construction of the new buildings around the square took from 1775 to 1782, using the

Gilles-Barnabé Guimard, who received that commission in 1769 and who carried out the detailed plans.[2] The first draft of the project, designed by the engineers-architects Louis-Joseph Baudour and Claude Fisco [fr][2] had planned to keep the Gothic chapel of the former palace, which had been spared by the fire. Due to the architectural clash with the surrounding neoclassical buildings, however, it was pulled down. This plan was modified around 1780 by the Austrian landscape architect Joachim Zinner [fr], who imagined connecting the square to the new Palace of Charles of Lorraine and Brussels Park (housing a statue of Empress Maria Theresa, which was never carried out).[2] The new district, known today as the Royal Quarter
, and designed on a structure connecting these three strategic points, also aimed to relieve congestion in this part of the city.

The Place Royale/Koningsplein in 1778, shortly before completion

The former statue of Charles Alexander of Lorraine, which stood at the centre of the square, was made by the

Napoleonic Empire.[4][16][18]

19th and 20th centuries

The Place Royale in the late 19th century

In the following centuries, official ceremonies and political demonstrations were occasionally held on the square.

Church of St. James on Coudenberg.[4][18] The funerals of King Leopold III and Prince Charles
, prince-regent between 1944 and 1950, also took place on the square.

Remaining empty for several decades, from 1848, the centre of the square was once again occupied by a monument (still present today), an equestrian statue of Godfrey of Bouillon,[4] built at a time when the young Belgian State was in search of patriotic landmarks.[16] The blue stone posts connected by iron chains that originally lined the square disappeared in the middle of the 19th century and were replaced by sidewalks.[4] By the turn of the 20th century, the square increasingly became a hub of intense traffic, first with the addition of a horse-drawn tramway (later electrified), then through the rise of the automobile; the statue having roundabout function, from 1921, for north–south and east–west traffic.[20]

Present day and future

Palace of Justice
in the background

Nowadays, in the north-western corner of the Place Royale lies an archaeological area. Under the paving stones of the square, excavated between 1995 and 2000 and then covered by a concrete slab, are the remains levelled at the end of the 18th century during the development of the square, as well as of the Aula Magna, the great hall of the former

Coudenberg Palace. Classified as a historical monument, these remains are part of a larger ensemble accessible from the BELvue Museum.[21][22] Below the square also lies the so-called Rue Isabelle/Isabellastraat ("Isabella Street"),[3] a former street that connected the Palace to the Church of St. Michael and St. Gudula
(now Brussels' cathedral). Guimard had the street vaulted as part of the square's construction, with the intention of converting it into cellars. The lower rooms of these buildings also partially survived the fire, and are exposed in the archaeological site.

In 2014, the City of Brussels announced plans to restore the square's buildings and atmosphere, with wider sidewalks, new lighting and better enhancement of the facades.[23] The work was scheduled to start in 2019 and end in 2020. However, the project did not see the light of day. New plans were put forward in 2021 with the public inquiry led by the City, the heritage organisation Beliris, and the Brussels Secretary of State for Urbanism and Heritage, Pascal Smet (one.brussels). If currently, 20% of the Place Royale is devoted to pedestrians and 80% to motorised traffic, the objective of the redevelopment project is to reverse this trend. Most of the square will therefore be on one level and the traffic lanes will be modified. The natural stone sidewalks, dating from the 18th century, will be preserved, as will the lampposts and paving stones already installed. Final plans were put to public consultation in 2021,[24][25] and work began in 2023.[26]

Layout

Rectangular and symmetrical in shape (approximately 77 by 113 metres (253 by 371 ft)[1]), the Place Royale follows the neoclassical principles, and is modelled after the so-called French royal square, as developed at the end of the 17th century. Its buildings being burdened with an architectural servitude, it has undergone few changes since its creation in the 18th century: the statue of Godfrey of Bouillon has replaced that of Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine and the original colonnade that enclosed it to the south was destroyed during the opening of the Rue de la Régence/Regentschapstraat in 1827.[4]

Plan of the Place Royale

Around the square, one can find many museums and cultural institutions:[18] the BELvue Museum, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, the Musical Instruments Museum (MIM) (the entrance of which is through the Old England building), the remains of the former Coudenberg Palace (whose entrance is through the BELvue Museum), and the Magritte Museum. Other major tourist attractions are located within walking distance of the square: Brussels Park, the Royal Palace, and the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula.

Church of St. James on Coudenberg

Main article:
Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg
Church of St. James on Coudenberg

The principal building on the square is the neoclassical

Gilles-Barnabé Guimard after the designs of Jean-Benoît-Vincent Barré.[20][27] It succeeds two neighbouring places of worship: the chapel of the Coudenberg Palace and the Coudenberg's abbey church, both demolished by command of Charles Alexander of Lorraine during his expansive urban planning projects, despite having escaped the great fire of 1731 that destroyed the palace.[8] The first stone was solemnly laid by Charles Alexander of Lorraine on 12 February 1776, and the portico was finished in 1780. The nave, transept, choir and sacristy were built under supervision of Louis Montoyer in 1785–86.[20][27]

During the

Jean Portaels on the pediment.[28]

The church's interior and facade have been

royal decree since 2 December 1959.[29]

Statue of Godfrey of Bouillon

Statue of Godfrey of Bouillon (Simonis, 1848)

At the centre of the square is an equestrian statue of Godfrey of Bouillon, the leader of the first crusade in 1096. The first equestrian statue to adorn Brussels,[30] it was sculpted by Eugène Simonis and inaugurated on 15 August 1848 to replace the statue of Charles Alexander of Lorraine by Peter Anton von Verschaffelt,[17][20] which had been melted down for the value of the metal during the French rule over Brussels.[16] A new statue of Charles Alexander of Lorraine was eventually placed nearby on the current Place du Musée/Museumplein.

The statue represents Godfrey of Bouillon as he leaves for the First Crusade; the hero waves the standard and cries Dieu le veut ! ("God wills it!"). In 1897, two

bas-reliefs by Guillaume de Groot were built into the statue's pedestal.[7] One represents the Assault on Jerusalem led by Godfrey, who took the city on 15 July 1099. The other represents the Assizes of Jerusalem, a collection of laws and ordinances that were never promulgated by him.[20]

Pavilions

The eight corner pavilions, built between 1776 and 1782, represent a remarkable Louis XVI style neoclassical ensemble. Bearing numbers from 1 to 14, they are arranged symmetrically around the square:[31]

  • Hôtel du Lotto or Hôtel Altenloh (no. 1–2)
    Hôtel du Lotto or Hôtel Altenloh (no. 1–2)
  • Hôtel des Brasseurs or Hôtel Gresham (no. 3)
    Hôtel des Brasseurs or Hôtel Gresham (no. 3)
  • Hôtel de Coudenberg (no. 7–8)
    Hôtel de Coudenberg (no. 7–8)
  • Hôtel de Grimbergen (no. 10)
    Hôtel de Grimbergen (no. 10)
  • Hôtel de Spangen (no. 11–14)
    Hôtel de Spangen (no. 11–14)

Porticoes

At the corners of the square, porticoes provide a link between the pavilions towards the Impasse du Borgendael/Borgendaalgang, the Rue de Namur/Naamsestraat and the Rue du Musée/Museumstraat, the height, arrangement and decoration of which are almost identical to those of the ground floor of the pavilions.[33][18]

  • Portico of the Impasse du Borgendael/Borgendaalgang
    Portico of the Impasse du Borgendael/Borgendaalgang
  • Portico of the Rue du Musée/Museumstraat
    Portico of the Rue du Musée/Museumstraat
  • Portico of the Rue de Namur/Naamsestraat
    Portico of the Rue de Namur/Naamsestraat

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d Mardaga 1994, p. 223.
  2. ^ a b c d Wasseige 1995, p. 15.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Mardaga 1994, p. 222.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Mardaga 1994, p. 225.
  5. ^ Wasseige 1995, p. 4.
  6. ^ Anagnostopoulos & Houssiau 2006, p. 2–5.
  7. ^ a b "Place Royale – Inventaire du patrimoine architectural". monument.heritage.brussels (in French). Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  8. ^ a b Wasseige 1995, p. 6–7.
  9. ^ Wasseige 1995, p. 13.
  10. ^ a b Wasseige 1995, p. 8.
  11. ^ Wasseige 1995, p. 7.
  12. ^ Wasseige 1995, p. 10.
  13. ^ Fletcher 1996, p. 821.
  14. ^ Mardaga 1994, p. 222–223.
  15. ^ Loir 2009, p. 275.
  16. ^ a b c d e Wasseige 1995, p. 16–17.
  17. ^ a b Smolar-Meynart & Vanrie 1998, p. 184.
  18. ^ a b c d Gérard 2023, p. 37.
  19. ^ "L'attaque du Parc de Bruxelles par les Volontaires en 1830". B1830.be. Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  20. ^ a b c d e f Mardaga 1994, p. 226.
  21. ^ Anagnostopoulos & Houssiau 2006, p. 8–11.
  22. ^ a b "Museum about Belgium and its history and centre for democracy | BELvue". belvue.be. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  23. ^ Laporte, Christian (23 November 2014). "Une place encore plus… royale". La Libre Belgique. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  24. ^ "Bruxelles : une place Royale piétonne à 80% et qui n'est plus un rond-point". RTBF Info (in French). 11 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  25. ^ "La place Royale tient son projet de rénovation : elle va devenir piétonne à 80%". BX1 (in French). 11 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  26. ^ "Buxelles : les travaux de la Place Royale ont débuté, les lignes de tram impactées". Le Soir (in French). 11 October 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  27. ^ a b Wasseige 1995, p. 19.
  28. ^ Wasseige 1995, p. 19–20.
  29. ^ "Bruxelles Pentagone – Eglise Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg – Place Royale 6a – GUIMARD Barnabé". www.irismonument.be. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  30. ^ Ephrem, Bruxelles retrouvé 1, Bruxelles-Ville (in French), Alice éditions, 2005, p. 93
  31. ^ Mardaga 1994, p. 230.
  32. ^ "Home – Magritte Museum". www.musee-magritte-museum.be. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  33. ^ Mardaga 1994, p. 230–231.

Bibliography

External links

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