An interesting exhibition was held during the first quarter of 2003 at the Centre International pour la Ville, l'Architecture et le Paysage (CIVA) in Brussels: Fortifications-Bruxelles, l'émergence de la ville contemporaine (The emergence of the contemporary city). This exhibition led the visitors through a time journey from the 13th century, by means of ancient engravings, paintings, old photos, models, 3D virtual computer imagery, video films and, of course, maps. These showed how the medieval city outgrew its original fortifications from the 11th century (some remnants of which can still be seen down-town, like the Black tower near Sainte-Catherine's church).
The second wall was built from 1357 until 1379 and formed an 8 km long pentagon which encompassed a much larger territory than the first wall — which was not fully urbanized (as clearly shown on the map by Deventer), until the 19th century. Seven gateways were the only openings of the city to the outside world, bearing the names of the cities and regions there were facing: Hal, Anderlecht, Flanders, Laeken, Schaerbeek, Leuven and Namur.
This fortification was still medieval in concept and had to be adapted over the centuries to match the progress of artillery. Many plans and drawings showed how new bastions and moats were added outside the walls to enhance the fortifications; a separate fort de Monterey was also built in the Saint Gilles area at the end of the 17th century. The evolution of the geometry of Brussels fortification could be followed through many published maps (e.g. 1649 Blaeu's Atlas, De Fer's map of the French bombardment in 1695) and archives documents. In spite of these improvements, Brussels was taken by the French in 1746 and the fortifications were left in ruins.
In 1782, the Austrian Emperor Joseph II decided to dismantle the fortifications of Brussels and other cities in the Low Countries. The lengthy destruction and transformation process, spread over many years, through the French republican and imperial periods, until after Belgium's independence when the octroi fiscal system protecting Brussels was abandoned; this was illustrated by many archive documents: overall land redistribution, biding processes, alternative projects to replace the fortified gateways by crossroads facilitating communications with the suburbs, etc. Eventually, the fortifications were replaced by the ring of wide boulevards, which we still know today, albeit with a less peaceful atmosphere than the tree-lined promenades of that time!
All the bastions towers and gateways have been demolished except the gate of Hal which was used as a prison in the early 19th century; but is now looks rather different from what it was, since it has been improved around 1870 with the addition of a roof and a pointed tower.
Interested BIMCC members could find details of the many maps and plans illustrating the exhibition (from the 16th century Deventer map to contemporary cartography) in the exhibition catalogue, or enquire directly at CIVA from Mrs Astrid Lelarge who has published a book based on her universitary thesis on this subject.
CIVA - Rue de l'Ermitage 55 - 1050 Brussels - Tel 02 642 24 50
by Jean-Louis Renteux, 6 April 2003