Université libre de Bruxelles

Geschiedenis

The Université libre de Bruxelles is a French-speaking private research university in Brussels, Belgium. Founded in 1834, it is one of the most important Belgian universities. A major research center open to Europe and the world, it has about 24,200 students, 32% of whom come from abroad, and an equally cosmopolitan staff.NameBrussels has two universities whose names mean Free University of Brussels in English: the French-speaking Université libre de Bruxelles and the Dutch-speaking Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). Neither uses the English translation, since it is ambiguous.HistoryWhen the Belgian State was formed in 1830 by nine breakaway provinces from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, it had three state universities, in Ghent, Liège and Leuven, but no university in the new capital, Brussels. Since the government was reluctant to fund another state university, a group of Freemasons and intellectuals led by Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen and Auguste Baron planned to create a private university, which was permitted under the Belgian Constitution. After the Catholic Church sponsored the foundation of the Catholic University of Mechlin in 1834, the Université libre de Belgique (Free University of Belgium) opened on 20 November 1834. In 1836, it changed its name to Université libre de Bruxelles.