The Iris Festival is the official festival of the Brussels-Capital Region and is held annually in spring. [206] The International Fantastic Film Festival of Brussels (BIFFF) is organised during the Easter holidays [207] and the Magritte Awards in February. The Festival of Europe, an open day and activities in and around the institutions of the European Union, is held on 9 May. On Belgian National Day, on 21 July, a military parade and celebrations take place on the Place des Palais/ Paleizenplein and in Brussels Park, ending with a display of fireworks in the evening. As well as the European Union, Brussels is home to the headquarters of several different worldwide organizations, like NATO. Because of this, there are more journalists and ambassadors in Brussels than in Washington D.C! 29. Europe's Largest Dinosaur Collection Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert – Inventaire du patrimoine architectural". monument.heritage.brussels (in French) . Retrieved 26 October 2023.

Philip died in 1506, and he was succeeded by his son Charles V who then also became King of Spain (crowned in the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula) and even Holy Roman Emperor at the death of his grandfather Maximilian I in 1519. Charles was now the ruler of a Habsburg Empire "on which the sun never sets" with Brussels serving as one of his main capitals. [56] [57] It was in the Coudenberg Palace that Charles V was declared of age in 1515, and it was there in 1555 that he abdicated all of his possessions and passed the Habsburg Netherlands to King Philip II of Spain. [58] This palace, famous all over Europe, had greatly expanded since it had first become the seat of the Dukes of Brabant, but it was destroyed by fire in 1731. [59] [60] The Grand-Place after the 1695 bombardment by the French army The Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company (STIB/MIVB) is the local public transport operator in Brussels. It covers the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region and some surface routes extend to the near suburbs in the other two regions, linking with the De Lijn network in Flanders and the TEC network in Wallonia.The new flag and emblem were presented in a Bill tabled on 2 October 2014 at the Parliament ( text). The Preamble explains that the change in the corporate image of the Region was initiated on 12 July 2012 by the Government. The new communication should be based on the thematic "be. Brussels" and a modernized version of the iris.

Old England – Inventaire du patrimoine architectural". monument.heritage.brussels (in French) . Retrieved 26 October 2023. Brussels experiences mild weather, with the warmest months being June, July and August. Temperatures average between 15°C (59°F) and 22°C (72°F) in the summer. The coldest months are January and February, when temperatures range from 1°C (34°F) to 7°C (45°F). Brussels weather tends to be rainy year-round. The rainiest month is December, with an average of 121 millimeters (4.8 inches) of rain. What is the worst time to visit Brussels? Boyle, Robyn (25 September 2016). "Underwear Museum moves from Brussels to Lessines". The Bulletin . Retrieved 27 August 2018. Following independence, Brussels underwent many more changes. It became a financial centre, thanks to the dozens of companies launched by the Société Générale de Belgique. The Industrial Revolution and the opening of the Brussels–Charleroi Canal in 1832 brought prosperity to the city through commerce and manufacturing. [66] The Free University of Brussels was established in 1834 and Saint-Louis University in 1858. In 1835, the first passenger railway built outside England linked the municipality of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean with Mechelen. [67] The Place Royale/Koningsplein in the late 19th century The Oldmasters Museum is the perfect place for anybody interested in seeing some classic Flemish art. Works by the likes of Bruegel, Van der Weyden, and Hieronymus Bosch are on display here, as well as some temporary exhibitions that are constantly on rotation in the museum.a b "The walls of the comic strip walk in detail". Archived from the original on 3 August 2018 . Retrieved 3 August 2018. Palais des Beaux-Arts – Inventaire du patrimoine architectural". monument.heritage.brussels (in French) . Retrieved 26 October 2023. Musée Fin-de-Siècle Museum - brusselscard". visit.brussels. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021 . Retrieved 19 December 2021. Rue des Bogards – Inventaire du patrimoine architectural". monument.heritage.brussels (in French) . Retrieved 26 October 2023.

The Brussels-Capital Region has three main train stations: Brussels-South, Brussels-Central and Brussels-North, which are also the busiest of the country. [34] Brussels-South is also served by direct high-speed rail links: to London by Eurostar trains via the Channel Tunnel (1hr 51min); to Amsterdam [271] by Thalys and InterCity connections; to Amsterdam, Paris (1hr 50min and 1hr 25min respectively as of 6April2015 [update]), and Cologne by Thalys; and to Cologne (1hr 50min) and Frankfurt (2hr 57min) by the German ICE.The church also offers excellent views of Brussels. Climbing up to the terrace will give you access to 180-degree views of the city, and it allows you to really see the whole of the surrounding areas. Article 2 of the Ordinance of 16 May 1991 establishing the emblem and the flag of the Region of Brussels-Capital shall be substituted by the following: