Fortifications of Brussels

Geschiedenis

There were two stages of fortifications of Brussels, the first walls, built in the early 13th century, and the second walls, built in the late 14th century and later upgraded. Today, only a few sections of either remain.First wallsThe first walls of Brussels were a series of fortifications erected around the Belgian city of Brussels in the early 13th century. The city quickly outgrew them, and starting in 1356, a second, larger set of walls was built to better enclose and defend the city. The now superfluous walls were dismantled between the 16th to 18th centuries. Isolated portions of the first walls can still be seen today.ConstructionConstruction on the first walls of Brussels is estimated to have been at the beginning of the 13th century, under the reign of Henry I, the first duke of Brabant. The beginning and end dates are not clear, but construction would have lasted several decades. On the other hand, from historical maps and other documents that have been preserved, the precise former course of the walls is known.The walls were long. In the west, they encompassed the site of the city's founding and first development, Saint-Géry Island, the Grand Place and the first port on the Senne river. They extended to the heights in the east of the city, enclosing the first St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral (then a collegiate church) on Treurenberg hill and the ducal palace of Coudenberg.