The ( nl, Martelaarsplein, italic=no) is a historic square in central

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, Belgium. Its current name, meaning "Martyrs' Square", refers to the martyrs of the ''September days'' of the

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. T ...

of 1830. Originally, the square was called the / after Saint Michael, patron saint of the

City of Brussels The City of Brussels (french: Ville de Bruxelles or alternatively ''Bruxelles-Ville'' ; nl, Stad Brussel or ''Brussel-Stad'') is the largest municipality and historical City centre, centre of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, as well a ...

. It was laid out in a uniform neoclassical style between 1774 and 1776, based on the designs of the architect . Over 400 heroes of the Belgian Revolution of 1830 lie buried in a

crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...

beneath the

cobblestone Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Setts, also called Belgian blocks, are often casually referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct fro ...

s. Many lie not far from where they were shot, in fierce battles amid the Brussels streets and barricades. Today, the square is home to cabinet offices of the

Flemish Government The Flemish Government ( nl, Vlaamse regering ) is the executive branch of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region of Belgium. It consists of a government cabinet, headed by the Minister-President and accountable to the Flemish Parliament, a ...

, including those of the Flemish Minister-President, as well as a theatre; the ''Théâtre des Martyrs''. The Place des Martyrs is located in the Marais–Jacqmain Quarter, near the Rue Neuve/Nieuwstraat, Belgium's second busiest shopping street. It is served by the

metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...

and '' premetro'' (underground tram) station De Brouckère on lines 1, 3, 4 and 5.

History

Early history

The Place des Martyrs was built on what was formerly ''Den Blijck''; a bleachfield for washed textiles. In 1773, the

, which had acquired this plot of land, commissioned the architect , controller of the works of the city, to design in its place a new neoclassical square. The works, which also involved digging several arteries, lasted from 1774 until 1776. The square was originally named the / ("Saint Michael's Square"), after Saint Michael, the city's patron saint. This hodonym indicates the importance that the city's authorities attached to the operation, which was a first in Brussels, where it marked a radical break, aesthetically, typologically and urbanistically, with traditional practices. In 1776, the then-director of the Théâtre de la Monnoye, Ignaz Vitzthumb, obtained permission to erect a "portable theatre" on the square; a small wooden building, light and removable, on which he gave plays in Dutch. Losing money, the operation resulted in the sale of the theatre in March 1777. In 1795, under the French regime, street and place names with any sort of religious connotation were changed, and the square was temporarily renamed the / ("Laundry Square"), reminiscing the site's original usage. File:Blijck-derons.jpg, ''Den Blijck'', a bleachfield in Brussels, drawing by Derons, 1748 File:Place-michel-fricx.jpg, The / from ''Description de la ville de Bruxelles enrichie du plan de la ville et de perspectives'', 1782 File:Ambroise Orio naar Bernard Ridderbosch, 1783.jpg, The Place Saint-Michel, aquarelled engraving by Ambroise Orio after a drawing by Bernard Ridderbosch, 1783

Later development

The square's layout was modified several times over the centuries. Originally, it was a paved and "empty" square, as seen in engravings from the late 18th century. In 1802, linden trees were planted in its centre. In 1830, after the first victims of the

had been buried there, the provisional government decided, in 1831, to turn the square into a national commemoration place for the victims of the Revolution. The Monument to the Martyrs of the 1830 Revolution, also known as the Pro Patria Monument, was erected in 1836–1838. Carved by the court sculptor of

King Leopold I * nl, Leopold Joris Christiaan Frederik * en, Leopold George Christian Frederick , image = NICAISE Leopold ANV.jpg , caption = Portrait by Nicaise de Keyser, 1856 , reign = 21 July 1831 – , predecessor = Erasme Loui ...

, Guillaume Geefs, it includes a statue and

. The construction of the Pro Patria Monument led to a radical alteration of the square by eliminating the perspective of the / towards the /, and the square's name was changed definitively to the / ("Martyrs' Square"). In 1839, the addition of two small fenced flowerbeds surrounded by lampposts on both sides of the Monument changed the square's appearance once again, as did the installation of fountains in 1841, which were replaced by pools in 1864. In 1897–98, two smaller monuments were erected there, one in honour of the actor and poet Jenneval, and the other in that of the Count Frederic of Merode. In the following years, political demonstrations were occasionally held on the square. On 23 September 1884, 3000

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

s disrupted a national commemoration there by singing ''The Marseillaise'' and ''The Carmagnole''. The leaders of the demonstration, Jean Volders and Louis Bertrand, were arrested. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, traditional celebrations were banned, but the population spontaneously gathered on the square to openly protest against the

German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...

. File:Anonieme aquarel, c. 1810, Stadsmuseum Brussel.jpg, The / covered in linden trees, File:Bruxelles (1910) (14770472351).jpg, The square, . Note the gardens and pools on both sides of the Monument. File:Protestviering-martelaarsplein-21-juli-1915.jpg, Civilians gather on the square on the first national holiday under the

, 21 July 1915

Contemporary (1945–present)

The Place des Martyrs, including the facades and roofs of the buildings, as well as the Pro Patria Monument, were designated a historic site on 10 June 1963. In 1979–80, the square was partially restored to its original appearance and was repaved. On that occasion, the monuments to Jennevel and to the Count of Merode were moved further north and south, respectively. The redevelopment also included the replacement of the flowerbeds with new paving and the installation of

bollard A bollard is a sturdy, short, vertical post. The term originally referred to a post on a ship or quay used principally for mooring boats. It now also refers to posts installed to control road traffic and posts designed to prevent automotive v ...

s, public benches and lampposts. In recent years, several cabinet offices of the

, including those of the Flemish Minister-President set up residence on the Place des Martyrs. In 1998, a theatre; the ''Théâtre des Martyrs'', was inaugurated. Today, the square is also home to two bookshops, a

youth hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared ba ...

and a five-star hotel in the buildings at the corner of the Rue Saint-Michel. There is also a masonic temple nearby on the Rue du Persil.

Layout

The Place des Martyrs has a sober and severe appearance, characteristic of

neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

. It is modelled after the so-called French ''royal square'', as developed at the end of the 17th century. It has a double symmetry, which is best perceived when approaching it from the Rue Saint-Michel. It is divided by two axes, one of which passes through the centre of the long sides, from the Rue Saint-Michel to the Rue du Persil, while the other passes through the centre of the pediments of the short sides. As is the case for the Place Royale/Koningsplein and the buildings along

Brussels Park Brussels Park (french: Parc de Bruxelles, ; nl, Warandepark) is the largest urban public park in central Brussels, Belgium. Formerly known and still sometimes colloquially referred to as the Royal Park (french: Parc royal, nl, Koninklijk Park ...

, the plots of the Place des Martyrs had been encumbered with an architectural servitude testifying to the concern of the authorities to build and preserve a homogeneous ensemble. This homogeneity is achieved in particular by requiring the owners to coat and paint the facades in ash grey and the doors and windows in pearl grey. The layout of the facades is also uniform: the ground floor has partitions, the depth of which is equal to half that of the incisions, which underline the horizontality of the ensemble. The windows have arched bays. Between the ground floor and the first floor runs a continuous stylobate. The ground floor supports

pilaster In classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the ...

s over a floor and a half. The whole is surmounted by a frieze with

triglyph Triglyph is an architectural term for the vertically channeled tablets of the Doric frieze in classical architecture, so called because of the angular channels in them. The rectangular recessed spaces between the triglyphs on a Doric frieze are ...

s and metopes and crowned with an

attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building; an attic may also be called a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because attics fill the space between the ceiling of the ...

. The facades have a continuous

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

roof. File:Place des Martyrs 1210.JPG,

Avant-corps An ''avant-corps'' ( it, avancorpo or , plural , german: Risalit, pl, ryzalit), a French term literally meaning "fore-body", is a part of a building, such as a porch or pavilion, that juts out from the ''corps de logis'', often taller than othe ...

of a corner building towards the Rue Saint-Michel File:Place des Martyrs 1211.JPG, Balcony resting on

bracket A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. Typically deployed in symmetric pairs, an individual bracket may be identified as a 'left' or 'r ...

s and surrounded by festoons File:Place des Martyrs 1212.JPG, Frieze with

s and metopes surmounted by an openwork

File:Place des Martyrs 1213.JPG, Corner of the avant-corps surmounted by a frieze, an attic and a vase

Monuments

Several commemorative monuments are located on the Place des Martyrs: * the Monument to the Martyrs of the 1830 Revolution or Pro Patria Monument, commemorating the victims of the

, by Guillaume Geefs and

Louis Roelandt Louis Roelandt or ''Lodewijk Joseph Adriaan Roelandt'' with his full Dutch name, was a Belgian architect that played an important role in the evolution of Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Classical architecture in Belgium. During the period that Belg ...

(1836–1838) * the Monument to Jenneval, honouring

Alexandre Dechet (Hyppolyte) Louis Alexandre Dechet (alternatively, spelled Dechez; Lyon, 20 January 1801 - Lier, Belgium, Lier, 18 October 1830) was a French actor and is regarded the author of the lyrics of the Brabançonne, the Belgian national anthem. His ps ...

(commonly known as Jenneval), the author of the text of ''The Brabançonne''; Belgium's

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...

, by Alfred Crick and Émile Anciaux (1897) * the Monument to Count Frederic of Merode, in

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

style, dedicated to Count Frederic of Merode, by

Paul Du Bois Paul Du Bois (; 1859–1938) was a Belgian sculptor and medalist, born in Aywaille, and died in Uccle, a municipality of Brussels (Belgium). Du Bois was a student of Eugène Simonis and Charles van der Stappen. He studied from 1877 to 1883 ...

and

Henry Van de Velde Henry Clemens van de Velde (; 3 April 1863 – 15 October 1957) was a Belgian painter, architect, interior designer, and art theorist. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar, he is considered one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Belgium.'' ...

(1898) File:Pro Patria monument, Brussels - IMG 4495.JPG, Monument to the Martyrs of the 1830 Revolution ( Geefs, 1836–1838) File:Monument à Jenneval 01.JPG, Monument to Jenneval (Crick and Anciaux, 1897) File:Monument à Jenneval 04.JPG, Closeup of white

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

plaque with the effigy of Jenneval File:Monument au comte Frédéric de Mérode 01.jpg, Monument to Count Frederic of Merode ( Du Bois and

Van de Velde Van de Velde, Vande Velde, or Vandevelde is a Dutch toponymic surname meaning "from the field". Van de Velde is the 32nd most common name in Belgium, with 8,903 people in 2008, while in 2007 there were 3,319 people named "Van de Velde" in The Neth ...

, 1898) File:Monument au comte Frédéric de Mérode 06.JPG, Closeup of the

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

medallion bearing Frederic of Merode's image

References

Notes

{{Authority control Squares in Brussels City of Brussels Protected heritage sites in Brussels 19th century in Brussels Car-free zones in Europe 1774 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire