Editing Brussels (section)

==Architecture==
The architecture in Brussels is diverse, and spans from the clashing combination of [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]], [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]], and [[Louis XIV style|Louis XIV]] styles on the [[Grand-Place]] to the [[Postmodern architecture|postmodern]] buildings of the [[Brussels and the European Union|EU institutions]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Brussels Architecture Sights|url=https://www.brussels.info/architecture/|access-date=18 October 2017|website=brussels.info|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019060341/https://www.brussels.info/architecture/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Bruxelles Manneken Pis.jpg|thumb|right|upright|''[[Manneken Pis]]'', a well-known public sculpture]]

Very little [[medieval architecture]] is preserved in Brussels. Buildings from that period are mostly found in the historical centre (called the {{lang|fr|Îlot Sacré|italic=no}}), [[Saint-Géry Island|Saint Géry/Sint-Goriks]] and {{lang|fr|Sainte-Catherine|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Sint Katelijne|italic=no}} neighbourhoods. The [[Brabantine Gothic]] [[Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula]] remains a prominent feature in the skyline of downtown Brussels. Isolated portions of the [[First walls of Brussels|first city walls]] were saved from destruction and can be seen to this day. One of the only remains of the [[Second walls of Brussels|second walls]] is the [[Halle Gate]]. The Grand-Place is the main attraction in the city centre and has been a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] since 1998.<ref>{{cite web|title=La Grand-Place, Brussels|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/857|access-date=6 February 2017|website=whc.unesco.org|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|archive-date=10 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910064028/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/857|url-status=live}}</ref> The square is dominated by the 15th century [[Flamboyant]] [[Brussels Town Hall|Town Hall]], the [[neo-Gothic]] ''[[Museum of the City of Brussels|Breadhouse]]'' and the Baroque [[guildhall]]s of the former [[Guilds of Brussels]]. ''[[Manneken Pis]]'', a fountain containing a small [[bronze]] sculpture of a urinating youth, is a tourist attraction and [[symbol]] of the city.<ref>{{cite web|title=Manneken Pis|url=http://be.brussels/culture-tourism-leisure/brussels-folklore/mannekenpis|access-date=3 February 2017|website=be.brussels|archive-date=13 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170513052516/http://be.brussels/culture-tourism-leisure/brussels-folklore/mannekenpis|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Parterre de fleurs Grand-place de Bruxelles 2016.jpg|thumb|center|upright=2.75|The [[Grand-Place|Grand-Place of Brussels]], a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]]]

The [[Neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]] style of the 18th and 19th centuries is represented in the [[Royal Quarter]]/[[Palace of Coudenberg|Coudenberg]] area, around [[Brussels Park]] and the [[Place Royale, Brussels|Place Royale/Koningsplein]]. Examples include the [[Royal Palace of Brussels|Royal Palace]], the [[Church of St. James on Coudenberg]], the [[Palace of the Nation]] (Parliament building), the [[Academy Palace]], the [[Palace of Charles of Lorraine]], the [[Palace of the Count of Flanders]] and the [[Egmont Palace]]. Other uniform neoclassical ensembles can be found around the [[Place des Martyrs, Brussels|Place des Martyrs/Martelaarsplein]] and the {{lang|fr|Place des Barricades|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Barricadenplein|italic=no}}. Some additional landmarks in the centre are the [[Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries]] (1847), one of the oldest covered shopping arcades in Europe, the [[Congress Column]] (1859), the former [[Brussels Stock Exchange]] building (1873) and the [[Law Courts of Brussels|Palace of Justice]] (1883). The latter, designed by [[Joseph Poelaert]], in [[Eclecticism in architecture|eclectic]] style, is reputed to be the largest building constructed in the 19th century.<ref>{{cite web|title=Le Palais de Justice de Bruxelles|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5357/|access-date=3 February 2017|website=whc.unesco.org|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|archive-date=28 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128225333/http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5357/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Located outside the historical centre, in a greener environment bordering the [[Brussels and the European Union#European Quarter|European Quarter]], are the [[Cinquantenaire|Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark]] with its [[Arcade du Cinquantenaire|memorial arcade]] and nearby museums, and in [[Laeken]], the [[Royal Palace of Laeken]] and the Royal Domain with its large [[Royal Greenhouses of Laeken|greenhouses]], as well as the [[Museums of the Far East]].

Also particularly striking are the buildings in the [[Art Nouveau in Brussels|Art Nouveau]] style, most famously by the Belgian architects [[Victor Horta]], [[Paul Hankar]] and [[Henry Van de Velde]].<ref>{{cite web|title=10 must-visit world-class Art Nouveau buildings in Brussels!|url=https://visit.brussels/en/article/10-must-visit-world-class-art-nouveau-buildings-in-brussels|access-date=18 October 2017|website=visit.brussels|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019061230/https://visit.brussels/en/article/10-must-visit-world-class-art-nouveau-buildings-in-brussels|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Stambolic|first=Ana|title=The Most Remarkable Art Nouveau Houses In Brussels|work=Culture Trip|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/belgium/articles/the-most-remarkable-art-nouveau-houses-in-brussels/|access-date=18 October 2017|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019061209/https://theculturetrip.com/europe/belgium/articles/the-most-remarkable-art-nouveau-houses-in-brussels/|url-status=live}}</ref> Some of Brussels' municipalities, such as [[Schaerbeek]], [[Etterbeek]], [[Ixelles]], and [[Saint-Gilles, Belgium|Saint-Gilles]], were developed during the heyday of Art Nouveau and have many buildings in that style. The [[Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta]]—[[Hôtel Tassel]] (1893), [[Hôtel van Eetvelde]] (1898), [[Hôtel Solvay]] (1900) and the [[Horta Museum]] (1901)—have been listed as a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] since 2000.<ref name=":6">{{cite web|title=Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta (Brussels)|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1005|access-date=14 February 2017|website=whc.unesco.org|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|archive-date=13 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513225235/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1005|url-status=live}}</ref> Another example of Brussels' Art Nouveau is the [[Stoclet Palace]] (1911), by the Viennese architect [[Josef Hoffmann]], designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in June 2009.<ref>{{cite web|title=Stoclet House|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1298|access-date=8 January 2017|website=whc.unesco.org|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|archive-date=21 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160721005708/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1298|url-status=live}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160px" caption="[[Art Nouveau in Brussels]]">
File:Victor Horta Hotel Tassel.JPG|[[Hôtel Tassel]] by [[Victor Horta]] (1893)
File:Tassel House stairway-00.JPG|Stairway in the Hôtel Tassel
File:Hôtel Ciamberlani (DSCF7523).jpg|[[Hôtel Albert Ciamberlani]] by [[Paul Hankar]] (1897)<!-- Brighter image, less shadows -->
File:Old England facade, Brussels (DSCF7544).jpg|Former [[Old England (department store)|Old England]] department store by [[Paul Saintenoy]] (1899)<!-- Brighter image, view more from the front -->
File:Maison Saint-Cyr (DSCF7558).jpg|[[Saint-Cyr House]] by [[Gustave Strauven]] (1903)<!-- Brighter image, less shadows -->
File:Maison Cauchie-445.jpg|[[Cauchie House]] by [[Paul Cauchie]] (1905)
File:Maison Cauchie sgraffitopaneel.jpg|''[[Sgraffito]]'' panel in the Cauchie House
File:20120923 Brussels PalaisStoclet Hoffmann DSC06725 PtrQs.jpg|[[Stoclet Palace]] by [[Josef Hoffmann]] (1911)<!-- Empty street, no distractions -->
</gallery>

[[File:Ancien Institut national de Radiodiffusion - vue d'ensemble.JPG|thumb|right|[[Flagey Building]] in [[Ixelles]]]]

[[Art Deco in Brussels|Art Deco]] structures in Brussels include the Résidence Palace (1927) (now part of the [[Europa building]]), the [[Centre for Fine Arts]] (1928), the [[Villa Empain]] (1934), the [[Forest Town Hall|Town Hall of Forest]] (1938), and the [[Flagey Building]] (also known as the ''Radio House'') on the [[Place Eugène Flagey|Place Eugène Flagey/Eugène Flageyplein]] (1938) in Ixelles. Some religious buildings from the [[interwar era]] were also constructed in that style, such as the [[Church of St. John the Baptist, Molenbeek|Church of St. John the Baptist]] (1932) in Molenbeek and the [[Church of St. Augustine, Forest|Church of St. Augustine]] (1935) in Forest. Completed only in 1969, and combining Art Deco with [[neo-Byzantine]] elements, the [[Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Brussels|Basilica of the Sacred Heart]] in [[Koekelberg]] is one of the [[List of largest church buildings in the world|largest churches by area in the world]], and its [[cupola]] provides a panoramic view of Brussels and its outskirts. Another example are the exhibition halls of the Centenary Palace, built for the [[Brussels International Exposition (1935)|1935 World's Fair]] on the [[Heysel Plateau|Heysel/Heizel Plateau]] in northern Brussels, home to the Brussels Exhibition Centre ([[Brussels Expo]]).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.brusselslife.be/en/article/top-10-of-art-deco-buildings-in-brussels|title=Top 10 of Art Deco buildings in Brussels|work=Brussleslife|access-date=18 October 2017|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019061616/https://www.brusselslife.be/en/article/top-10-of-art-deco-buildings-in-brussels|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Laeken Atomium 06.jpg|thumb|The [[Atomium]]]]

The [[Atomium]] is a symbolic {{cvt|103|m|ft|adj=mid|-tall}} [[Modern architecture|modernist]] structure, located on the Heysel Plateau, which was originally built for the 1958 World's Fair ([[Expo 58]]). It consists of nine steel spheres connected by tubes, and forms a model of an [[iron]] [[crystal]] (specifically, a [[unit cell]]), magnified 165&nbsp;billion times. The architect [[André Waterkeyn]] devoted the building to science. It is now considered a [[landmark]] of Brussels.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.beneluxguide.com/belgium/atomium-the-iron-landmark-of-brussels/|title=Atomium – the iron landmark of Brussels|website=beneluxguide.com|access-date=3 February 2017|archive-date=4 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204165901/http://www.beneluxguide.com/belgium/atomium-the-iron-landmark-of-brussels/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/the-atomium-molecular-brussels-landmark-gets-a-polish-a-860096.html|title=The Atomium: How Do You Clean a Massive Molecule?|newspaper=Spiegel Online|date=8 October 2012|access-date=3 February 2017|archive-date=4 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204090001/http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/the-atomium-molecular-brussels-landmark-gets-a-polish-a-860096.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Next to the Atomium, is [[Mini-Europe]] [[miniature park]], with 1:25 scale [[maquette]]s of famous buildings from across Europe.

Since the second half of the 20th century, modern office towers have been built in Brussels ([[Madou Tower]], [[Rogier Tower]], [[Proximus Towers]], [[Finance Tower]], the [[World Trade Center (Brussels)|World Trade Center]], among others). There are some thirty towers, mostly concentrated in the city's [[central business district|main business district]]: the [[Northern Quarter (Brussels)|Northern Quarter]] (also called ''Little Manhattan''), near [[Brussels-North railway station]]. The [[South Tower (Brussels)|South Tower]], standing adjacent to [[Brussels-South railway station]], is the [[List of tallest structures in Belgium|tallest building in Belgium]], at {{cvt|148|m}}. Along the [[North–South connection]], is the State Administrative Centre, an administrative complex in the [[International Style]]. The postmodern buildings of the [[Espace Léopold]] complete the picture.

The city's embrace of modern architecture translated into an ambivalent approach towards historic preservation, leading to the destruction of notable architectural landmarks, most famously the [[Maison du Peuple, Brussels|Maison du Peuple/Volkshuis]] by Victor Horta, a process known as [[Brusselisation]].{{sfn|State|2004|p=51–52}}{{sfn|Stubbs|Makaš|2011|p=121}}