The European Quarter
That Brussels has been labelled as the capital of Europe has a lot to do with the Leopold District or the European Quarter: the main European institutions have their headquarters here.
Three of the main institutions of the European Union have their base in the Leopold district. The European Commission has its headquarters in the Berlaymont building, the Council of the European Union is in the Justus Lipsius building. Although the European Parliament may have its official office in Strasbourg, the Espace Léopold complex actually houses many of this European institution’s meetings. Furthermore, the area also includes the European Economic and Social Committee, a branch of the European Court of Auditors (the headquarters are in Luxembourg) and the European Committee of the Regions.
Neighbourhood and park named after King Leopold I
There were no ideological motives underpinning the decision to use the name of King Leopold. It owes its existence to the Societé civile pour l’agrandissement et l’embellissement de la capitale de la Belgique. In 1837, Ferdinand de Meeûs, together with representatives from political and financial circles, established this association. They designed plans for the establishment and upgrading of the district, which also provided for the construction of a park that was designed by architect Tilman-François Suys. King Leopold I supported the project and allowed it to bear his name. Hence we now talk about the Leopold District and the Leopold Park.
The designers originally had a very specific audience in mind: the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie. The integration of the European Union and Belgium's unique central location in Europe however changed all of this.
The best of two worlds
The Leopold district increasingly became Europe’s administrative centre. This development runs parallel with the deterioration of the neighbourhood as a residential area. Post-modern and international looking office buildings popped up like mushrooms in order to house employees of the various European institutions.
This evolution has been on the wane in recent years, however. New plans for the district show a change in attitude: the district must once again offer more than merely European institutions. The residential aspect should return to the foreground and not just the hotels, restaurants and offices. Thus, the European Quarter may well end up offering the best of two worlds.