Coudenberg or
Koudenberg is a small hill in
BrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the de facto capital city of the European Union and the largest urban area in Belgium...
where the Palace of Coudenberg was built.
For nearly 700 years, the Castle and then the Palace of Coudenberg were the seat of government of the counts, dukes, archdukes, kings, emperors and governors who from the 11th century until its destruction in 1731, exerted their sovereignty over the area of the
Duchy of BrabantThe Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. It consisted of not only the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp as well as the Brussels-Capital Region, but also the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.In Roman times, Brabant...
, now in the southern
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
and northern
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
.
Today, after several years of excavations, the archaeological vestiges of the palace, its foundations, can be visited.
In about 1100, the counts of Leuven and Brussels left the bottom of the valley of the
ZenneThe Zenne or Senne is a small river that flows through Brussels, left tributary of the Dijle/Dyle. Its source is in the municipality of Soignies. It is an indirect tributary of the Scheldt, through the Dijle and the Rupel...
and built their castle on the heights of Coudenberg from where they could dominate the small city.
Coudenberg or
Koudenberg is a small hill in
BrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the de facto capital city of the European Union and the largest urban area in Belgium...
where the Palace of Coudenberg was built.
For nearly 700 years, the Castle and then the Palace of Coudenberg were the seat of government of the counts, dukes, archdukes, kings, emperors and governors who from the 11th century until its destruction in 1731, exerted their sovereignty over the area of the
Duchy of BrabantThe Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. It consisted of not only the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp as well as the Brussels-Capital Region, but also the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.In Roman times, Brabant...
, now in the southern
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
and northern
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
.
Today, after several years of excavations, the archaeological vestiges of the palace, its foundations, can be visited.
History
In about 1100, the counts of Leuven and Brussels left the bottom of the valley of the
ZenneThe Zenne or Senne is a small river that flows through Brussels, left tributary of the Dijle/Dyle. Its source is in the municipality of Soignies. It is an indirect tributary of the Scheldt, through the Dijle and the Rupel...
and built their castle on the heights of Coudenberg from where they could dominate the small city. With the creation of the
Duchy of BrabantThe Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. It consisted of not only the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp as well as the Brussels-Capital Region, but also the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.In Roman times, Brabant...
in 1183 by the German Emperor
FrederikFrederick I Barbarossa was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1154, and finally crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV on 18 June 1155. He was crowned King of Burgundy at Arles on 30 June 1178...
Barbarossa, Coudenberg gained in importance and was included within the first great wall built around Brussels. The hunting park of the dukes led down the hill to the north, a remnant of which is now Brussels Park.
With the second enclosure of the city, following the 1356 occupation by
Louis II of FlandersLouis II of Flanders , also Louis III of Artois and Louis I of Palatine Burgundy, known as Louis of Male, was the son of Louis I of Flanders and Marguerite of France, and Count of Flanders....
, the castle was no longer necessary as a primary defence, and it was gradually converted from a military strongpoint into a residential palace. After 1430 when
BrabantThe Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. It consisted of not only the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp as well as the Brussels-Capital Region, but also the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.In Roman times, Brabant...
was annexed by inheritance to
BurgundyDuke of Burgundy was a title borne by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, a small portion of traditional lands of Burgundians west of river Saône which in 843 was allotted to Charles the Bald's kingdom of West Franks.-Bosonid dynasty:...
,
Philip the GoodPhilip the Good , also Philip III, Duke of Burgundy was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty . During his reign Burgundy reached the height of its prosperity and prestige and became a leading center of the arts...
built new wings for the palace, embellished the park, and built the
Aula Magna, the gigantic room for royal receptions and other pageantry. The first regular meetings of the States-General, composed of delegates from the middle class, clergy and nobility of the
Burgundian NetherlandsIn the history of the Low Countries, the Burgundian Netherlands refers to the period when the dukes of Burgundy ruled the area, as well as Luxembourg and parts of northern France, from 1384 to 1530.-Dynastic:...
, were held there in 1465.
It was in this room that in 1515 Margaret of Austria formally relinquished her regency over the Low Countries to
Charles von HabsburgCharles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I of Spain, of the Spanish realms from 1516 until his abdication in 1556...
, and the future emperor Charles V became the
Duke of BurgundyDuke of Burgundy was a title borne by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, a small portion of traditional lands of Burgundians west of river Saône which in 843 was allotted to Charles the Bald's kingdom of West Franks.-Bosonid dynasty:...
. It was in this same room that 40 years later Charles V abdicated in favour of his son, King
Philip II of SpainPhilip II was King of Spain and Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, during his wife Mary Tudor's reign, King of England and Ireland...
. During his reign, Charles V created Bailles Square (
Baliënplein or
Place des Bailles) in front of the palace, built galleries and rooms in Renaissance style and constructed the
Grand Chapel in late Gothic style in memory of his parents,
Philip the HandsomePhilip I , known as the Handsome or the Fair, was the son of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor...
and
Joanna of CastileJoanna , called Joanna the Mad reigned as Queen of Castile jointly with her husband Philip the Handsome and later also as Queen of Aragon jointly with her son the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. She is most famous for having been obsessed with her husband, never recovering from his loss...
.
In the 17th Century, under their reign as the sovereigns of the Spanish Netherlands, Archdukes Albert and Isabelle established their court on the Koudenberg. The archdukes restored the façade of the palace, transformed the buildings and refitted the apartments and gardens. The street which skirts the
Aula Magna and the chapel was extended up to the church of
Saint-Michael-and-GudulaThe St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral is located at the Treurenberg hill in Brussels, Belgium. In French, it is called Cathédrale Saints-Michel-et-Gudule and in Dutch Sint-Michiels- en Sint-Goedelekathedraal, usually shortened to "Sint-Goedele"....
, the future cathedral, and renamed Isabelle Street. As art lovers, the archdukes brought to their court the best artists of the time, Jan Brueghel and Rubens among them, to decorate the palace with their works.
On the night of February 3, 1731, fire broke out in the kitchens and quickly engulfed the entire palace. The freezing conditions made it difficult to deliver any water and the means of firefighting were very insufficient. In the morning, the palace was in ruins with many of the works of art destroyed along with the governmental archives. Only the chapel was saved. The court moved elsewhere. Unfortunately money was not available for rebuilding, so for more than 40 years, the ruins of the palace remained. It was only in 1774 that
Charles Alexander of LorrainePrince Charles Alexander of Lorraine was the son of Leopold Joseph, Duke of Lorraine and Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans.
...
proposed replacing the ruins with a Royal Square. Because of the architectural clash between the Gothic chapel and the surrounding buildings, the chapel was pulled down.
Modern
Just off the southwest corner of Brussels Park, lies the
Royal SquareThe Place Royale , Koningsplein , or Royal Square , is a historic square near the center of Brussels, Belgium.-History:...
(
Place Royale or
Koningsplein) which was built atop the ruins of the old Palace. Originally a statue of
Prince Charles Alexander of LorrainePrince Charles Alexander of Lorraine was the son of Leopold Joseph, Duke of Lorraine and Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans.
...
, the then (1780) governor of Austrian Netherlands, by
Peter Anton von VerschaffeltPeter Anton von Verschaffelt was a Flemish sculptor and architect.Verschaffelt designed, among other things in Mannheim, the High Altar of the Jesuit church , the arsenal and the Bretzenheim Palace, as well as the church Wallfahrtskirche Mariä Himmelfahrt in Oggersheim .-Life and work:Verschaffelt...
was placed in the square. The statue was not equestrian, but showed Charles-Alexander standing, attending to the affairs of government. Unfortunately, following the
French RevolutionThe French Revolution was a period of political and social upheaval and radical change in the history of France, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based...
and during the occupation of Brussels by the French, it was melted down for the value of the metal. The current equestrian statue is of a young
Godfrey of BouillonGodfrey of Bouillon was a medieval knight who was one of the leaders of the First Crusade from 1096 until his death. He was the Lord of Bouillon, from which he took his byname, from 1076 and the Duke of Lower Lorraine from 1087...
. A new statue of Charles-Alexander of Lorraine was eventually placed nearby in the Museum Square.
The Royal Square on the Coudenberg is faced by the beautiful (reformed) church of St. Jacob-on-the-Coudenberg. It was built by two French architects, Montoyer and Guimard, in classic style from 1776 to 1780. In the 19th century the dome and two side wings were added.
There are a number of other buildings on Coudenberg including Belgium’s General Accounting/Auditing Office (
Rekenhof or
Cour des Comptes); the Royal Chapel, built in 1761 with a Louis XVI - style interior; the Palace of Lorraine; and the
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of BelgiumThe Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium , is one of the most famous museums in Belgium....
.
Archaeological remains and partial restoration
The remains of the ancient palace and adjacent building have been extensively excavated below present ground level, and preserved with a partial concrete cover. The remains can be visited via the Bellevue museum, and provide an excellent presentation of this historical artefact. The main buildings of the palace stood on roughly the same site as the present-day museum and the very wide street (Rue Royale) which faces it. The adjacent Chapel and Aula Magna buildings stood on sites which are now respectively part of the Bozar centre and the north corner of Place Royale beside the Musical Museum. The former Rue Isabelle ran beside these buildings; it had a significant slope, but the present surface of Rue Royale which parallels it is level, as the whole area was levelled in the 18th century. The lower rooms of these buildings partially survived the fire, and are exposed in the archaeological site.
The preserved remains presently visitable comprise:
- the cellars of the main palace
- the rooms underlying the main banqueting hall in the Aula Magna
- the warehouse space that underlay the chapel
On the other side of Rue Isabelle all along its length lay the house of the influential Counts of Hoogstraeten, currently (2008) at an advanced stage of excavation, with a view to later opening to visitors, alongside the existing remains.
External links