The Palace of Coudenberg (french: Palais du Coudenberg, nl, Coudenbergpaleis) was a royal residence situated on the Coudenberg or Koudenberg (; Dutch for "Cold Hill"), a small hill in what is today the
Royal Quarter of
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.
For nearly 700 years, the Castle and then Palace of Coudenberg was the residence (and seat of power) of the counts, dukes, archdukes, kings, emperors or governors who, from the 12th century to the 18th century, exerted their sovereignty over the
Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was a State of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries, part of the Burgundian Netherlands from 1430 and of the Habsburg Neth ...
and later over all or part of the
Burgundian and then
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
and
Austrian Netherlands
The Austrian Netherlands nl, Oostenrijkse Nederlanden; french: Pays-Bas Autrichiens; german: Österreichische Niederlande; la, Belgium Austriacum. was the territory of the Burgundian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire between 1714 and 1797. The pe ...
.
The palace was completely destroyed in an accidental fire which broke out on the night of 3 February 1731. Only the underground parts remain today. After several years of recent excavations, the archaeological vestiges of the palace and its foundations are open to the public.
History
Early history
The exact date when the first castle of Coudenberg was built remains a subject of debate. It is generally fixed to the middle of the 11th century, when the
counts of Leuven and Brussels left the bottom of the valley of the river
Senne Senne may refer to:
Places
* Senne (Germany), a natural region of Germany
*Senne, a district of Bielefeld, Germany
* Senne (river), a river of Belgium
*Senné (disambiguation), places in Slovakia
People with the name
*Yōkō Senne, a 13th-centur ...
and built their castle on the heights of the Coudenberg, where there was a smaller risk of floods, and from where they could dominate Brussels. The choice of this site was also undoubtedly explained by its strategic position near urbanised areas, the road leading to
Leuven where their main residence was located, as well as the
Sonian Forest
The Sonian Forest or Sonian Wood ( nl, Zoniënwoud, french: Forêt de Soignes, ) is a forest at the southeast edge of Brussels, Belgium.
The Sonian Forest was a favorite hunting ground of the Habsburg Imperial family, and as such features promi ...
, an important reserve for
game and raw materials. In 1047, the transfer by
Count Lambert II of Leuven of the
relics of the
martyr
A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
Saint Gudula
Saint Gudula was born in the pagus of Brabant (in present-day Belgium). According to her 11th-century biography ( Vita Gudilae), written by a monk of the abbey of Hautmont between 1048 and 1051, she was the daughter of a duke of Lotharingia call ...
from Saint Gaugericus' chapel to the church that would later become the
Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, probably corresponded to the displacement of the seat of county power from the lower to the upper town. Still, the existence of the castle is well attested in the 12th century.
With the creation of the
Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was a State of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries, part of the Burgundian Netherlands from 1430 and of the Habsburg Neth ...
in 1183 by the
Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, the Coudenberg gained in importance and was included within the
first great wall built around the city. The hunting park of the dukes led down the hill to the north, a remnant of which is now
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 ...
.
Rise in importance
When at the start of the 13th century, the Duke of Brabant preferred Brussels to Leuven, the Coudenberg castle became the seat of the court. With the construction of the
city's second wall, following the 1356 occupation by
Count Louis II of Flanders, the castle was no longer necessary as a primary defence, and it was gradually converted from a military strong point into a residential palace to fit its new prestigious role. From that time on, links were woven between the ducal house and the city, which took charge of some embellishment works for the palace which has become by then the dukes' principal seat of government and a leisure home.
After 1430, when Brabant was annexed through inheritance by
Burgundy,
Philip the Good ordered the building of new wings for the palace, further embellishments to the park, and the building of the , a gigantic hall 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 Netherlands
In the history of the Low Countries, the Burgundian Netherlands (french: Pays-Bas bourguignons, nl, Bourgondische Nederlanden, lb, Burgundeschen Nidderlanden, wa, Bas Payis borguignons) or the Burgundian Age is the period between 1384 and ...
, were held there in 1465. It was in this room that in 1515
Duchess Margaret of Austria formally relinquished her
regency
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
over the
Low Countries
The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
to
Charles von Habsburg, and the future emperor Charles V became the
Duke of Burgundy
Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsburg ...
. It was also in this same room that, 40 years later, Charles V abdicated in favour of his son,
King Philip II of Spain. During his reign, Charles V ordered the creation of a large market square, known as the /, in front of the palace. In the palace itself, he instructed the building of galleries and rooms in
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
style and the construction of the ''Grand Chapel'' in
late Gothic style, in memory of his parents,
Philip the Handsome
Philip the Handsome, es, Felipe, french: Philippe, nl, Filips (22 July 1478 – 25 September 1506), also called the Fair, was ruler of the Burgundian Netherlands and titular Duke of Burgundy from 1482 to 1506, as well as the first Habsburg Ki ...
and
Joanna of Castile
Joanna (6 November 1479 – 12 April 1555), historically known as Joanna the Mad ( es, link=no, Juana la Loca), was the nominal Queen of Castile from 1504 and Queen of Aragon from 1516 to her death in 1555. She was married by arrangement to P ...
.
In the 17th century, under their reign as the sovereigns of the
Spanish Netherlands, the Archdukes
Albert VII and
Isabella established their court on the Coudenberg. The archdukes restored the facade of the palace, transformed the buildings and refitted the apartments and gardens. For the protection of the Archduchess, as she made her way to her devotions in the cathedral (this being the height of the
Wars of Religion
A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...
), the street which skirts the and the chapel was extended almost as far as the
Church of St. Michael and St. Gudula (now Brussels' cathedral), and renamed the / ("Isabella 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.
File:Paleis op de Koudenberg.jpg, ''The Palace of Coudenberg'', Jan Brueghel the Younger
Jan Brueghel (also Bruegel or Breughel) the Younger (, ; ; 13 September 1601 – 1 September 1678) was a Flemish Baroque painter. He was the son of Jan Brueghel the Elder, and grandson of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, both prominent painters who ...
,
File:Gezicht op Hof van Brussel - Cour de Brusselles - Koudenberg (Atlas van Loon).jpg, The Palace of Coudenberg depicted in the '' Atlas van Loon'', 1649
File:Palais du Coudenberg 1659.jpg, ''The palace and gardens of Coudenberg in 1659'', L. Vorsterman the Younger
File:Martin-coudenberg-1726.jpg, ''View of the Coudenberg Palace in Brussels'', Andreas Martin, 1726
Fire and destruction
This impressive complex suffered several fires over the centuries. In 1679, a fire destroyed part of the roof. On the night of 3 February 1731, a 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 court chapel and the walls of the were somewhat spared.
[Rudi Schrever, ''Paleis op de Coudenberg'']
in: Historiek, 28 September 2014
After the fire, the court moved to the Palace of
Orange-Nassau, on the site of today's
Palace of Charles of Lorraine, which from then on was known as the "New Court". Funds were not available for rebuilding, so for more than 40 years, the old palace remained in a state of ruins, known under the name of ("Burnt Court"). Several projects for the redevelopment of this space were proposed, including the reconstruction of a palace, which did not go beyond the stage of sketches, for lack of money. In 1769, the idea germinated to clear and level the ruins of the Place des Bailles and to convert it into an esplanade intended for military parades. The plan was on the verge of completion in 1772, when another project rendered it obsolete.
It was only in 1774 that
Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine,
Governor of the Austrian Netherlands, proposed replacing the ruins with a monumental ''royal square'' inspired by French models such as the
Place Stanislas in
Nancy (1755) and the
Place Royale in
Reims (1759), of which it is almost an exact replica. The project was approved that same year by
Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, who authorised the demolition. The first draft of the project, designed by the engineers-architects Louis-Joseph Baudour and had planned to keep the
Gothic chapel of the former palace, which had been spared by the fire. Due to the architectural clash with the surrounding neoclassical buildings, however, it was pulled down.
File:Auwerkerken coudenberg.jpg, ''The Fire of 1679 in the Coudenberg Palace'' by Gillis van Auwerkercken
File:Anoniem, Vue dans la cour - le Palais de Brusselle détruit par le feu le 3 février 1731, 46,7 x 63 cm (KBR).jpg, View of the palace's courtyard after the fire on 3 February 1731
File:Anoniem, Veue du cote du parc du Palais de Brusselle detruit par le feu le 3 fevrier 1731, 46,8 x 62,3 cm (KBR).jpg, View of the ruins from the park
Present day
Nowadays, on the Coudenberg, just off the south-western corner of
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 ...
, lies the
Place Royale/Koningsplein, the
neoclassical square built between 1775 and 1782 atop the ruins of the old palace. At the centre of the square is an
equestrian statue
An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a d ...
of
Godfrey of Bouillon, the leader of the
first crusade
The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic r ...
in 1096. This square is also faced by the neoclassical
Church of St. James on Coudenberg, which was designed by the architects
Gilles-Barnabé Guimard and
Louis Montoyer
Louis Montoyer (1747, Mariemont, Austrian Netherlands, now Belgium – 5 June 1811, Vienna) was an 18th-century Belgian-Austrian architect, principally active in Brussels and Vienna.
Life
He worked in Brussels as an architect and building co ...
and built from 1776 to 1787. In the 19th century, a
dome and
bell tower, as well as a coloured
fresco, were added to the church.
Around the Place Royale, one can find many cultural institutions of Brussels; the
BELvue Museum
The BELvue Museum (french: Musée BELvue, nl, BELvue Museum) is a museum in central Brussels, Belgium, that focuses on the history of Belgium. It is managed by the King Baudouin Foundation (KBF).
The museum is located in the Hôtel Bellevue, ...
, the
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, the
Musical Instruments Museum (MIM) (the entrance of which is through the
Old England building), and the
Magritte Museum. There are a number of other notable buildings on the Coudenberg including the
Court of Audit of Belgium; the Royal Chapel, built in 1760–61 with a
Louis XVI-style interior; the
Palace of Charles of Lorraine; and the
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. Other major tourist attractions are located within walking distance;
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
Royal Palace, and the
Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula.
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
BELvue Museum
The BELvue Museum (french: Musée BELvue, nl, BELvue Museum) is a museum in central Brussels, Belgium, that focuses on the history of Belgium. It is managed by the King Baudouin Foundation (KBF).
The museum is located in the Hôtel Bellevue, ...
, and provide an excellent presentation of this historical site. The main buildings of the palace stood on roughly the same location as the present-day museum and the
Rue Royale/Koningstraat which faces it. The adjacent chapel and buildings stood on sites which are now respectively part of the
Centre for Fine Arts (BOZAR/PSK centre) and the north corner of the
Place Royale/Koningsplein beside the
Musical Instruments Museum (MIM). The former / ran beside these buildings; it had a significant slope, but the present surface of the Rue Royale, which parallels it, is flat, 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 , as well as the warehouse space that underlay the chapel. On the other side of the Rue Isabelle, all along its length lay the house of the influential Counts of Hoogstraeten, currently at an advanced stage of excavation, with a view to later opening to visitors, alongside the existing remains.
File:Brussel Paleis op de Koudenberg 2-7-2014 15-40-37.JPG, Model of the palace
File:Coudenberg-item-36 2013-12-13.jpg, Stairs
File:Coudenberg passage 2013-12-13.jpg, Passage
File:Coudenberg foundations 2013-12-13.jpg, Foundations
File:Site du Coudenberg 08.JPG, Statue of an Apostle, 15th century
File:Site du Coudenberg 09.JPG, Under the Chapel
See also
*
List of castles and châteaux in Belgium
*
History of Brussels
References
General note
* ''This article is based in part on material from the
French Wikipedia
The French Wikipedia (french: Wikipédia en français) is the French-language edition of Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia. This edition was started on 23 March 2001, two months after the official creation of Wikipedia. It has articl ...
''.
Notes
Bibliography
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External links
Former Palace of Brussels – The Archaeological Site of Coudenberg''
{{coord , 50.84263, N, 4.36009, E, region:BE, display=title
Palaces in Brussels
Tourist attractions in Brussels
Archaeological sites in Belgium
Royal residences in Belgium
Burned buildings and structures
Demolished buildings and structures in Belgium
Former buildings and structures in Belgium
City of Brussels
History of Brussels
11th-century establishments in Belgium
Buildings and structures completed in the 17th century
Buildings and structures demolished in 1731