The Legacy of King Leopold II

I had not read much about how much controversy surrounded King Leopold II until I came to university and discovered how many people really hate him. All I knew of King Leopold II was the stern figure of pictures and statues but what I associate the most with Leopold II was the many buildings he left behind. As a child I was taken to see the sights and remember it seemed as if everything really magnificent was built by King Leopold II. Because of that I assume is why the image in my mind I have of his reign was an image of splendor and greatness for the country, a time when Belgians were together in big dreams, big adventures and basically acting bigger than most countries so small would. I always like that. It is hard to view all of these tremendous buildings and not have an awesome feeling I think. I wish the coastal retreat had been finished, what I have heard makes me think that would have been magnificent but, here are some favorites I recall of the magnificent monuments left behind by the second King of the Belgians, the legacy of Leopold II.

The Chinese Pavilion at Laeken Palace

The Cinquantenaire

The Royal Greenhouse at Laeken

The Royal Museum for Central Africa

The Japanese Tower at Laeken

The Antwerp Central Railway Station

Belgians Send a Message

On Sunday more than 34,000 people attended a demonstration in Brussels to demand that politicians get off their butts and give us a government. Shame! on you politicians, stop behaving like children! This non-political rally was organized by five youths who were disgusted that Belgium has been so long without a government, in fact approaching the record set by war-torn Iraq! This is ridiculous and there is no excuse. As a non-political rally, the organizers asked people not to carry Belgian flags or signs with political slogans or messages -not everyone obeyed that. Black-yellow-red dotted the crowd which was much bigger than expected. From the Facebook and Twitter campaign over 20,000 expressed support so they thought 10,000 to show up for the demonstration but 34,000 came from both language communities, all ages and social backgrounds to support this message: enough is enough! Their slogan was, "Shame. No government, great country". I could get behind that. Also, for a non-political demonstration, which organizers went at lengths to be clear was not aimed at the Flemish nationalist party, some could not resist making their feelings clear abour Bart De Wever.

Speeches heard were mostly just calling for the government to be responsible and stop playing this game of cards with the future of the people, even the life of the country. It was a greater success than anyone expected and it is good encouragement to see so many and diverse people coming around to support government accountability and, I think, the unity of Belgium. I don't think that message can be ignored, political or not, these tens of thousands of people showed up to demonstrate that they love their country and want to preserve it. Some politicians seemed to get the message, others have tried somewhat to downplay the significance. Alexander De Croo of the Flemish liberal party said this was a clear expression of the will for Belgium to continue and that the end of the country is not about to happen. The N-VA yet said that while they share the concerns of the people, they also believe the people want a good government, not just any government and that the recent elections were a strong message too...in other words they interperet this to please them in their goals. The Christian Democrats also said that this should not be taken as an excuse to act hastily.

The people, I think, might like a little haste or at least a little sign of urgency on the part of the elected leaders. After 225 days I doubt anyone is including moving too fast among the things they are most worried about. People at the demonstration said much the same sort of things. They are having to face challenges and make tough decisions in their lives, but the politicians have an all-or-nothing attitude and that they are putting their own interests ahead of the good and welfare of the people and the country. I cannot see there being any argument for that, that is clearly obvious and is also clearly obvious I think where the problem lies. No one wants new elections right now, and I would not say that, I would want new elections if there could be new parties and new leaders (or maybe if the people would vote for some of the smaller unity parties) that could clear out the whole tired mess of these same old names and slogans, clear away the accumulated rubbish and really do the job of governing the country. But, I go on there I will only upset myself and today is a good day, Sunday was a great day of sending a clear signal to the government and shows the people care about politics and the future of Belgium! Vive Belgique Unie! Vive l'roi!

Parc du Cinquantenaire

The Parc du Cinquantenaire is one of the famous monuments of Brussels and one of the most beautiful in the world. It was planned, as the name implies, to be the center of celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Belgian independence and was commissioned by King Leopold II. He wanted something of simple design but sufficient grandeur and majesty to show that in those 50 years the Kingdom of Belgium had become a magnificent and prosperous country. Gideon Bordiau was the primary architect who labored on the project for 20 years until he died in 1904 after which King Leopold II employed the French architect Charles Girault to finish the job. However, it was a struggle to complete and meant a fight with the government that only one as firm and determined as Leopold II could win.

As with almost everything in those days the Belgian government did not want to spend alot of money on anything (as opposed to these days when the government wants to spend too much money on everything) and they fought Leopold II for every penny that was to go for the project and this put construction far behind schedule. The ground where it was built was originally an empty field where the Belgian army was drilled. The centerpiece of the parc was to be the magnificent triumphal arch, bigger even than the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. However, because of the struggles with the government over money this was not even finished when the 50th anniversary celebrations were held. A wooden temporary arch had to be put up for the occasion and the final version was not done until 1905 and so the full glory was at least available for the 75th anniversary of independence. Even then, it was only done when a frustrated King Leopold II paid the expenses from his own money to finish the parc.

Today the Cinquantenaire is still a monument of proud, independent Belgium. The main attractions now are the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History which goes back to 1910 when such displays were so popular a full museum was established. It houses artifacts from the entire military history of Belgium from the colonial forces of the Congo, both World Wars, volunteers sent to Mexico and Italy, expeditions to the Orient and modern peace-keeping missions. There is also a magnificent art museum displaying treasures from ancient Egypt, classical Greece and Rome, the Orient, the Middle East and creative objects and items from the local area back to the Middle Ages. There is a museum called Autoworld displaying historic automobile models from across Europe and the United States. In the northwest corner is the Great Mosque of Brussels. Originally a pavillion built in the Muslim-Arabic style, in 1967 to mark a visit by the King of Saudi Arabia to Belgium King Baudouin decided to turn the pavillion into a functioning mosque. It also has an Arabic language and Islamic religion schools.

The Cinquantenaire, as a parc, has undergone many modifications over the years from its begining as a setting for the exhibition and independence celebrations. It will surely undergo more modifications in the future depending on the need. It is a glorious spectacle, displaying well the accomplishments of the past and present alike. It must also be one of the most welcoming to visitors and interactive national monuments in the world. The country owes a debt of gratitude to King Leopold II for the laborious completion of this exceptionally beautiful tribute to the Kingdom of Belgium.

Belgium: Center of Europe

Everyone today knows that Belgium is "cockpit of Europe", the center of power, the headquarters of the European Union and the NATO alliance. What is not always realized is that this is nothing new, throughout the historie of western civilization Belgium has been at the center of power and a place where decisions were made that impacted peoples all across the continent and in some cases all around the world. The first great ruler in Western Europe after the fall of Rome was the Emperor Charlemagne, king of the Franks, who the Pope made the new western Emperor. He built his cathedral at Aix-la-Chapelle and kept his favorite residence there and when he was not out fighting barbarians (which was most of the time) he liked staying in Aix-la-Chapelle. Today this is just inside the border of Germany (Aachen) but for most of the history of Europe this area was considered to be part of Belgium, not on the very edge of Germany, but the heart of the Franco-German empire of Charlemagne that covered western Europe. Aix-la-Chapelle was long considered part of the diocese of the bishop of Liege whose territory even considered Emperor Charlemagne a saint. For many years this was the most important and central city to the Holy Roman Emperors.

For many, many years, especially in the 16th Century but some time before and long after, the city of Antwerp was the most important center of commerce probably in the world. No other city in Europe was as central to the economy of the whole continent as Antwerp was. This was because of its central and strategic location which is also why in earlier years King Edward III of England made his base there during the Hundred Years War and the famous Crusader and first King of Jerusalem, Godfrey de Bouillon (who has been blogged about) was also having the title of Marquis of Antwerp. When ships from all over Europe but especially the Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish ships but also French, English, Nordic and their Italian navigators in many cases were all going out to explore the oceans and discover the unknown parts of the world Antwerp was most often the home base and Antwerp then became the most important city for international global trade as French ships with furs from Canada, Dutch ships with rum from the Caribbean Sea and Portuguese ships with spice from the Far East and others brought their ships to Antwerp.

Finally of course there is Brussels which was a major center of power in Europe long before there was an EU or even a Kingdom of Belgium. The Dukes of Lower-Lorraine first started developing Brussels in the late 900's. After Margaret III of Flanders married the Bold Duke Philippe of Burgundy the houses of Valois and Hapsburg began to come together and because of that Brussels became the capital city of the whole region considered the Low Countries. The future Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was first proclaimed King Carlos I of Spain in Brussels and the city was the central hub in the Spanish-Austrian-Hapsburg empire that stretched all across Europe and even to the Americas. The palace at Coudenberg was where Charles V finally abdicated and, because of its location at the heart of Europe and because of the importance of the Flemish ports Brussels really was the unofficial first city of the continent and was certainly so during the era of Hapsburg rule.

Obviously, even when this began to change with the breaking away of the Dutch (so we have the Spanish Netherlands and Austrian Netherlands) Brussels was never going to be just another European city. After the French Revolutionary Wars when all the Low Countries were united under the Dutch House of Orange, in the Kingdom of the United Netherlands, Brussels, as the first city of Belgium, was to be the co-equal capital of the kingdom alongside Amsterdam. The intention was for Belgium and the Netherlands to be partners in the new kingdom but of course that did not work out and led to the Belgian Revolution eventually, which started in Brussels as well. However, the Prince of Orange (future King Willem II of the Netherlands) lived in Brussels, he had his son and heir there and was more sympathetic to the Belgians and more popular in the country than his father was.

The city of course became the capital of the first King of the Belgians, Leopold I, who tore down the city walls and started a new era of industrial buildup. Ever since the city has been on the cutting edge of advancement and, as most know, in 1949 became the headquarters of the NATO alliance against the forces of the communist Eastern bloc and as early as the 1960's was well on its way to becoming the capital of Europe with the first steps, starting economically, being taken toward what would become the European Union. I know a few people who would say that we have come from the Dark Ages to the new Dark Ages but, opinions aside, from all that time to this Belgium has been in the middle of things in the circles of power in Europe.

The Palace of Coudenberg favored by Emperor Charles V

Kings of the Belgians Royal Palace