Origins Brussels Park lies on the site of the gardens of the former
Palace of Coudenberg, which had been used since the
Middle Ages as a hunting ground by the
Dukes of Brabant. These grounds were divided into two parts: a large park known as the
Warande (
game reserve), which extended, towards the end of the reign of
Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, as far north as the / and south as the ramparts at the
Namur Gate; and a small park, located in the Koperbeek valley, between the back of the palace and the
Sonian Forest. This small park included a private ornamental garden, which, in the course of its successive redevelopments, was sometimes called
leafy, sometimes
labyrinth because its landscaping, porticos and basins evoked the
Corinthian
labyrinth. The opposite hill was occupied by a vineyard that was used until the 16th century, an
orangery and
aviaries with exotic birds. Further in the valley, the park was embellished with a flower garden and a pond. With its water basins, fountains, imitation rock caves and numerous statues, this Warande Park, as
Governor-General Maria Elisabeth of Austria would have known it, was one of the most beautiful in Europe. File:Ignatius van der Stock Coudenberg.jpg|
Hunting scene in the park of the Coudenberg Palace,
Ignatius van der Stock, early 17th century
Destruction and redesign The palace burned down on the night of 3 February 1731 in a fire that took much of the original royal complex. This left behind a field of ruins and a neglected park. Some proposed a partial reconstruction of the site, but the money was lacking. It was not until 1769, in commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of
Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine's reign as Governor-General of the Austrian Netherlands, that the
States of Brabant, the representation of the three estates (
nobility,
clergy and
commoners) to the court of the
Duke of Brabant, proposed to erect a statue in his honour.
Georg Adam von Starhemberg, minister
plenipotentiary to
Empress Maria Theresa, suggested placing it before the ruins that had been levelled for the occasion. In the process, he proposed enlarging the former square in front of the palace, lining it with regular buildings and redesigning the park. At the same time, the Viennese representative informed the Brussels' authorities of the governor's wish for the old park to be given a new shape "in order to increase the comfort of the public in this way and at the same time contribute to the embellishment of the capital and to make it by this means worthy of the stay of the Court and the curiosity of foreigners".
Later history The park witnessed many events unfold during its history. In 1793,
French Revolutionaries known as the
sans-culottes destroyed the sculptures and overthrew the
busts of the
Roman emperors that adorned it. The City of Brussels, which had managed the park since 1797 before becoming its owner by
royal decree of 23 April 1817, took it upon itself to repair the damage and soon repopulated the park with its current statues and busts. Lack of money led the city to organise a public subscription, after which management of the park's maintenance was entrusted to the good care of the thirty most generous donors. The results greatly exceeded expectations and the victorious patrons elected seven representatives to form the park's management committee. In 1830, during the
Belgian Revolution, which led to the separation of the
Southern Netherlands, it served as a refuge for the army of the
United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Since the 19th century, the park has been surrounded by a double row of
lime trees, which emphasises the perspectives on either side. The establishment of the
Academy Palace and the
Royal Palace modified its western flank in the 1820s. The monumental neoclassical railings surrounding the park were installed in 1849, using public funding and based on the designs by the architect
Tilman-François Suys. The southern entrance to the central path was designed by the architect
Joseph Poelaert in 1857 and executed in 1858, before being moved further north in 1904–1908. In the 20th century, a large number of buildings surrounding the park were demolished and rebuilt, sometimes without respecting their original appearance and swapping the painted coating for a white stone facing. The first sports activities were organised in the park in 1920. In the 1960s, an entrance was built in the north-western corner to access the underground
Parc/Park metro station. Classified as a
protected site in 1972, the park now belongs to the Brussels Region, which manages and maintains it. It was most recently renovated between 2000 and 2002. File:Attaque du parc de Bruxelles.jpg|
Assault on the Park of Brussels, a scene from the
Belgian Revolution (
Constantinus Fidelio Coene, 1830) File:Vu du bassin du parc de Bruxelles.jpg|Brussels Park's fountain in 1870, etching from ''
L'Illustration Européenne'' File:Franz Gilliard - La promenade.Jpeg|
La promenade (, 1896), with the park as setting ==Buildings and monuments==