The ( French, ) or ( Dutch, ), meaning "Martyrs' Square", is a historic

square In geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...

in central

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, Belgium. Its current name refers to the martyrs of the ''September Days'' of the

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was a 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. The ...

of 1830. Originally, the square was called the / after

Saint Michael Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...

, patron saint of the

City of Brussels The City of Brussels is the largest List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, municipality and historical City centre, centre of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, as well as the capital of the French Community of Belgium, the ...

. 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 lie buried in a

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

beneath the

cobblestone Cobblestone is a natural building material based on Cobble (geology), cobble-sized stones, and is used for Road surface, pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Sett (paving), Setts, also called ''Belgian blocks'', are often referred to as " ...

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

Flemish Government The Flemish Government ( ) 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 of Flanders, Minister-President and accountable to the Flemish Par ...

, 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. This area is served by the metro and '' premetro'' (underground tram) station De Brouckère on lines 1, 4, 5 and 10.

History

Early history

The Place des Martyrs was built on what was formerly ''Den Blijck'', a

bleachfield A bleachfield or bleaching green was an open area used for spreading cloth on the ground to be purified and whitened by the action of the sunlight. Bleaching fields were usually found in and around mill towns in Great Britain and were an integral ...

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

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 A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...

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,

Guillaume Geefs Guillaume Geefs (10 September 1805 – 19 January 1883), also Willem Geefs, was a Belgian sculptor. Although known primarily for his monumental works and public portraits of statesmen and nationalist figures, he also explored mythological s ...

, 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 /. According to the historian Guillaume Des Marez, the statue is "undeniably too large in size and harms the primitive design of the work". 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 1861. In 1897–98, two smaller monuments were erected there, one in honour of the actor and poet Jenneval, and the other of the Count Frédéric de Mérode. In the following years, political demonstrations were occasionally held on the square. On 23 September 1884, 3000

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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

German occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

. 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 Day under the

, 21 July 1915

Contemporary (1945–present)

The Place des Martyrs, including the façades and roofs of the buildings, as well as the Pro Patria Monument, received protected status through a

royal decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, royal figure, or other relevant authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislative laws, or customary l ...

issued 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 de Mérode 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. In modern usage, it also refers to posts installed to control road traffic and posts designed to pre ...

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. Nowadays, 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 sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of a lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be private or shared - mixe ...

and a five-star hotel in the buildings at the corner of the Rue Saint-Michel. There is also a

masonic Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

temple nearby on the Rue du Persil.

Layout

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

neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture, sometimes referred to as Classical Revival architecture, is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy, France and Germany. It became one of t ...

. 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 ( ; or ) is the largest urban public park in central Brussels, Belgium. The park was formerly known and is still sometimes colloquially referred to as the Royal Park ( ; ). It was the city's first public park, being originally ...

, 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 façades in ash grey and the doors and windows in pearl grey. The layout of the façades 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 In classical Greek architecture, a stylobate () is the top step of the crepidoma, the stepped platform upon which colonnades of temple columns are placed (it is the floor of the temple). The platform was built on a leveling course that fl ...

. The ground floor supports

pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

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

frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...

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

metope A metope (; ) is a rectangular architectural element of the Doric order, filling the space between triglyphs in a frieze , a decorative band above an architrave. In earlier wooden buildings the spaces between triglyphs were first open, and ...

s 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. It is also known as a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because they fill the space between the ceiling of a building's t ...

. The façades 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'' ( or , plural , , ), 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 other parts of the building.Curl, James Stev ...

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. They come in four main pairs of shapes, as given in the box to the right, which also gives their n ...

s and surrounded by

festoon A festoon (from French ''feston'', Italian ''festone'', from a Late Latin ''festo'', originally a festal garland, Latin ''festum'', feast) is a wreath or garland hanging from two points, and in architecture typically a carved ornament depicti ...

s File:Place des Martyrs 1212.JPG,

Frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...

with

s and

s 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

and Louis Roelandt (1836–1838) * the Monument to Jenneval, honouring Alexandre Dechet (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 ...

) by Alfred Crick and Émile Anciaux (1897) * the Monument to Count Frédéric de Mérode, in

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

style, dedicated to Count Frédéric de Mérode, 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 1 ...

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:Belgique - Bruxelles - Monument à Jenneval - 01.jpg, Monument to Jenneval (Crick and Anciaux, 1897) File:Belgique - Bruxelles - Monument à Jenneval - 02.jpg, Closeup of white

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

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

medallion bearing Frédéric de Mérode's image

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * *

External links

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