NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Symbols of Brussels

There are various symbols of the Brussels; a flag representing the City of Brussels (municipality), another flag representing the Brussels-Capital Region (region), and a coat of arms representing the settlement itself. The City of Brussels (Bruxelles-Ville or Ville de Bruxelles in French, Stad Brussel in Dutch) is one of the municipalities (the largest one) of the Brussels-Capital Region in Belgium. ... The Brussels-Capital Region (French: R gion de Bruxelles-Capitale, Dutch: Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, German: Region Br ssel-Hauptstadt) or Brussels Region (French: R gion Bruxelloise, Dutch: Brusselse Gewest) is one of the three regions of Belgium. ... This article is about the settlement itself. ...

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of the Brussels shows a golden Archangel Michael, the patron saint of Brussels, slaying a black Devil by piercing it with a spear shaped like a cross, on the red background of the shield. Guido Renis archangel Michael (in the Capuchin church of Sta. ... Guido Renis archangel Michael (in the Capuchin church of Sta. ... Saint Quentin is the patron saint of locksmiths and is also invoked against coughs and sneezes. ... This article is about the settlement itself. ...

City flag

The municipal flag of Brussels (City of Brussels), as flown from the Town Hall and other buildings is a square, horizontally divided green over red flag, with on its centre a very large version of the municipal logotype, a stylized, disc-shaped silhouette of St. Michael trampling the devil, in dark yellow. Ergo the same motif as the coat of arms. Image File history File links BEL_Brussels_flag. ... Image File history File links BEL_Brussels_flag. ... The City of Brussels (Bruxelles-Ville or Ville de Bruxelles in French, Stad Brussel in Dutch) is one of the municipalities (the largest one) of the Brussels-Capital Region in Belgium. ... Town Hall of Brussels The Town Hall (French: HÃ´tel de Ville, Dutch: Stadhuis) of Brussels, Belgium, stands on that citys famous Grand Place. ...

Region

The flag of the Brussels-Capital Region depicts the Iris pseudacorus (yellow iris), which is native to the Brussels area, against a blue backdrop. Image File history File links Flag_Belgium_brussels. ... Image File history File links Flag_Belgium_brussels. ... Binomial name Iris pseudacorus L. The iris bearing the Latin name Iris pseudacorus is known by the common names yellow iris, yellow flag, and bastard fleur de lys. ...

The valley of the river Senne has been housing Brussels for more than1,000 years. With time, the lower town has progressively spread through the marshy bottoms. In the Dukes of Brabant's times, the marshy plains covered with golden irises encircled the town walls. According to a legend, this simple plant gave a great strategic victory to the Duke's soldiers. Those knew that iris can grow immersed only in a few centimeters of water. They broke into a gallop through the flooded plains but carefully let their horses stamping iris hills. Their opponents, less knowledgeable in botanics and encouraged by the apparently careless gallop of the Duke's soldiers, got definitively bogged into the marshes.

Iris pseudacorus is the scientific name of the golden iris, the symbol of the region of Brussels-Capital, which is widely used (tramways, subway, taxis etc...) but ill-known.

The choice of this marsh iris as the symbol of Brussels did not occur for the creation of the region of Brussels-Capital (18 June 1989), as often believed. In 1924, R. Cornette wrote that "this flower was chosen because it grows in the marshes, recalling that the capital was funded on the marshy banks of the Senne river and its tributaries" (Maalbeek, Roodkloosterbeek, Geleytsbeek, Kerkebeek, Leybeek, Woluwe...). Nowadays, in spite of the ultra-rapid urbanisation, the iris can still be found in its naturel habit in the vale of Vuylbeek, in the forest of Soignes. The Woluwe is a stream that goes through several municipalities in the Southeast and East of Brussels and is a tributary of the Senne River (in Vilvoorde) and of the Maalbeek stream (in Kraainem). ...

On 5 March 1991, the Regional Council of Brussels-Capital decided to chose an iris as emblem for the region. A public contest was organized to define its design. After several adventures, the proposal of Jacques Richez was granted by the authorities."^[1]

The iris is a bulb that blossoms into large, decorative flowers. It grows particularly well in marshes, with which the territory of Brussels was originally covered. This flower was also prominent on the sceptre of the descendants of Charlemagne, including Charles of France, who set up his fortified camp in Bruocsella, which the emperor Otto II had invested as the Duchy of Basse-Lotharingie in 977. The site was chosen as capital by Charles of France in 979, a date considered to be that of the foundation of Brussels. So the iris is a symbol of Brussels ancient origin. And it was the inspiration for France fleur-de-lis. Note also that Brussels, shortly after its foundation, became the unfortunate rival of Paris in the struggle of the pretenders to the throne of France, the Carolingians and the Capetians.

The iris as "inspiration for France fleur-de-lis" is a widely used explanation, without any serious evidence. The case of the fleur-de-lis is deeply scrutinized by M. Pastoureau [pst98], in 16 pages of well-documented text. Whether the fleur-de-lis was inspired by a real iris, broom, furze or lotus is not known and not really important. Fleurs-de-lys on the flag of Quebec The fleur-de-lis (also spelled fleur-de-lys; plural fleurs-de-lis or -lys) is used in heraldry, where it is particularly associated with the France monarchy (see King of France). ...

Law of the 16th of May 1991. The emblem of the region is the iris flower. The flag is blue with a yellow iris flower bordered white. Proportions 2:3.

The law gives the possible different versions of the flag and emblem(colour specification according to Pantone system):

Flag colours

Emblem colours

References

See also

The Parliaments Paul-Henri Spaak building, as seen from Justus Lipsius Brussels (Belgium) is considered to be the de facto capital of the European Union, having a long history of hosting the institutions of the European Union. ... Construction of the covering and tunnels. ... The Atomium. ... The Heysel Stadium disaster occurred due to football hooliganism in which a retaining wall of the Heysel Stadium in Brussels collapsed on May 29, 1985 during a football match between Liverpool F.C. from England and Juventus F.C. from Italy. ... Parc Astrid (French) or Astridpark (Dutch) is an urban public park in Anderlecht, Brussels inaugurated on August 13, 1911. ... Parc de Bruxelles (French) or Warandepark (Dutch), wrongly called Parc Royal in French, is the largest urban public park in the center of Brussels. ... The Bois de la Cambre (Dutch: Ter Kamerenbos) is a 123-hectare urban park on the edge of the Forest of Soignes in Brussels, Belgium. ... The Cinquantenaire Arch in winter Cinquantenaire is a park in Brussels, Belgium. ... The Heysel Exhibition Park is the place in the north of the centre of Brussels, Belgium, where the Worlds Fair of 1935 and 1958 (the Expo 58) took place. ... The Ixelles Ponds (in French: Ã‰tangs dIxelles, in Dutch: Vijvers van Elsene) are two freshwater ponds in the Brussels municipality of Ixelles. ... The Josaphat park is a public park located in the municipality of Schaerbeek, Brussels. ... A view of the park Tenbosch (or Tenbos) is a public park in Ixelles, Brussels. ... The pond with the European Parliament building in the background Leopold Park (in French: Park LÃ©opold, in Dutch: Leopoldspark) is a public park in central Brussels adjacent to the Paul-Henri Spaak building, the seat of the European Parliament. ... Parc Malou (French) or Park Malou (Dutch) is an urban park in Brussels, Belgium. ... The Forest of Soignes or Sonian Forest (French: Forêt de Soignes, Dutch: Zoniënwoud) is a 43 km² forest on the southeast of Brussels, Belgium, which stretches out over the three regions of Belgium, the Brussels-Capital Region (38 %), the Flemish Region (56 %) and the Walloon Region (6 %). The... The Atomium (before renovation) Built for the 1958 Brussels Worlds Fair (Expo 58), the 103-metre (335-foot) tall Atomium monument represents a unit cell of an iron crystal (body-centred cubic), magnified 165 billion times, with vertical body diagonal, with tubes along the 12 edges of the cube... Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Brussels The Basilica of the Sacred Heart or Koekelberg Basilica (French: Basilique du Sacré-Coeur or Basilique de Koekelberg, Dutch: Basiliek van het Heilig Hart or Basiliek van Koekelberg) is the fifth largest church in the world, and is located in Brussels, Belgium. ... The Berlaymont building is an important governmental building in Brussels, Belgium. ... Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium The Brussels Stock Exchange (BSE) was founded in Brussels, Belgium by Napoleonic decree in 1801. ... The Belgian Federal Parliament is a bicameral parliament, it consists of two chambers. ... The Flemish Parliament (Dutch: Vlaams Parlement, and formerly called Flemish Council or Vlaamse Raad) constitutes the legislative power in Flanders, for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic region and a cultural and linguistic community of Belgium. ... The Heysel Stadium was a sports ground in north-west Brussels, Belgium. ... The Serre du Congo or Congoserre (left) and the Grote wintertuin or Grand Jardin dhiver (right) part of the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken The Royal Greenhouses of Laeken (in Dutch: Koninklijke Serres van Laken, in French: Serres Royales de Laeken), are a vast complex of monumental heated greenhouses in... The Royal Palace of Belgium The Royal Palace of Brussels (Dutch: Koninklijk Paleis van Brussel, French: Palais Royal de Bruxelles), sometimes known instead as the Royal Palace of Belgium is the official palace of the King of the Belgians in the centre of the nations capital Brussels. ... Town Hall of Brussels The Town Hall (French: HÃ´tel de Ville, Dutch: Stadhuis) of Brussels, Belgium, stands on that citys famous Grand Place. ... FaÃ§ade of De Munt / La Monnaie Logo of De Munt or La Monnaie The Koninklijke Muntschouwburg in short: De Munt (in Dutch), or ThÃ©Ã¢tre Royal de la Monnaie in short: La Monnaie (in French) is a theatre in Brussels, Belgium. ... Map of the Brussels metro system A station in the Brussels Metro Brussels, Belgium, has a metro network with three lines of metro (two of which share a common section), two lines of premetro (underground sections used by otherwise open-air tramway lines and designed so as to be convertible... For the airport in Charleroi, see Brussels South Charleroi Airport. ... Charleroi Brussels South, also called Brussels South Airport or Brussels South Charleroi Airport (BSCA), is located near Charleroi, 46 km from central Brussels, Belgium. ... The Brussels tram/streetcar) system is a successful medium-sized system, whose development demonstrates many of the quandaries that face local public transport planners. ... Rue dAerschot - Brussels, Belgium Located next to the North Station, one of the 4 main train stations in Brussels. ... Avenue Louise (in Dutch: Louizalaan) is one of the most important thoroughfares of Brussels. ... A view of Lange (The Angel) on the Grand Place The Grand Place (French: Grand-Place or Grand Place, Dutch: Grote Markt) is the central market square of Brussels. ...

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