9/17/21: Brussels' Matonge & Place Royale

I think both Steven and I were surprised to learn that approximately one in every ten Brussels residents had African ancestry. Many of them lived in a district called Matonge located close to the European Union complex. The large square next to Matonge was named after Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the independent Democratic Republic of the Congo after it had been a colony of Belgium. He was assassinated in 1961.

We learned that Matonge had links to the African continent before any Africans moved there because when the Belgian Congo was a colony, many of its administrative offices were there. Do you remember photos from my first Brussels post about the Atomium, which had been constructed for the 1958 World's Fair? 

If yes, after a Congolese choir performed at the Fair, several members returned to study in Belgium and lived in a residential building in the Matonge area purchased by a local aristocrat. As more and more Africans relocated to the neighborhood, it was nicknamed Matonge after a market in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa. 

Because of its great location near the EU, its charming architecture, the wealth of restaurants, and independent shops, Matonge has become a trendy area and a magnet for younger people of means to move into. I wonder how the original inhabitants feel about the gentrification of 'their' neighborhood.

Across the street from the theater was a bustling indoor African market that was like a world away from the rest of Brussels.

The sign said, "Smile, You're in Matonge!"

This had to be just one of about twenty hair and/or nail salons in the market catering to Africans. Each one was packed, too, so they had to be doing something right and at the right price.

Small markets on the street sold produce unknown to most of us.

As we walked along the main thoroughfare, we noticed several stores selling vibrant batik prints.

The disturbing sculpture was made from bullets. I looked it up online but wasn't able to learn about the story behind it, unfortunately.

We were charmed by the lovely Art Nouveau facades and doorways of several buildings.

One of Matonge's most upscale drags ended with a lovely view of St. Boniface Church, one of the first neo-Gothic churches constructed in Brussels between 1846 and 1885.

There was a cute little square behind the church where people had congregated in two cafes to enjoy a gorgeous fall afternoon.

Interested in supporting the crowdfunding campaign at Sounds for their grand reopening? We weren't, either, but I wished them luck getting the help they need.

Beyond the square were several very attractive and very upscale boutiques that were a far cry from the African vibe of Matonge.

The delightful, triangular-shaped Place Fernand Coq was just minutes from the heart of Matonge but again was like a world apart. On the place or square, a dozen cafes, bars, and restaurants vied to win passersby's attention.

Leaving the Matonge area, we headed towards Brussels' Upper Town area via one of the ritziest shopping streets in the city. It was fun window shopping along the way but we sure needed to be vigilant for the cyclists, even on the sidewalks!

I couldn't help but think of our 16-month-old granddaughter, Max, in San Francisco when I spotted this store!

The closer we got to the Upper Town area, home to the Brussels of the 1800s when it was a cosmopolitan city and the capital of a colonial empire, the whiter and grander the neoclassical buildings became!

The archway opened up to the magnificent, and huge, Place Royale or Royal Square that was dominated by the Church of St. Jacques-sur-Coundenberg that was built in 1787. Modern Belgium was established on the church porch when the country's first king took the oath on July 21, 1831.

There were several museums on and near the square but we put off seeing those until another day. 

In front of the church and, therefore the center of the square, was a large statue depicting Godfrey de Bouillon, the Catholic knight who led the First Crusade in 1096. Godfrey was shown with his flag raised looking down on the Town Hall spire that we'd seen on our first day in Grand Place. I read in travel writer Rick Steves' book that as the patriarch of the House of Flanders, Godfrey established his family's rule over what would later become Belgium. 

One of the grand buildings just off the square:

I know it doesn't look like it but I had to time the traffic lights just perfectly to take this shot while standing in the middle of the street just off the Place Royale looking toward the Palais du Justice so I wouldn't get hit by a tram!

Around the corner from the square was the former Coudenberg Palace, now the Royal Palace which the country's ruler, King Philippe, uses as his office! Belgium has an unusual history when it comes to its first king because the country was unable, not once but twice, to convince someone to be the country's new ruler! In the end, a nobleman from Germany, Leopold I, ruled from 1831-1865 as the first king of the Belgians.

Directly across from the palace was the Parc de Bruxelles that Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, the mother of Marie Antoinette, had planned to be a copy of Versailles in 1776. The empress 'ruled' but never actually visited her Belgian citizens. The park was a former hunting preserve for the royal family. 

Strolling through the park it was impossible not to miss statue after statue after statue. We weren't surprised to learn, therefore, there were more than 400 in the city. Some were a little harder to find or to figure out what they were than others as they were obscured by so much foliage unlike in any other park we've ever been to! Most of the park's sculptures were inspired by Greco-Roman mythology and were almost all copies, with the originals in the Royal Fine Arts Museum located back on Place Royale.

Friday night revelry! Long after Steven had hit the sack and while I was writing a post - surprise, surprise - the sounds of hundreds and hundreds of roller skaters and then cyclists racing just below our windows made me rush to watch the fun outside. Cars were nowhere to be seen - what a hoot! I wondered if this was a one-time end-of-summer thing or an every Friday let-off-the-steam thing!

Next post: Visiting Wellington and Napoleon's Waterloo!

Posted on September 21st, 2021, from Antwerp in northern Belgium, another beautiful city but so very different than the French-speaking capital.