BrusselsPictures.com » Old town wall

Première enceinte de Bruxelles

admin — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 15:25:08 +0000

The “Première enceinte de Bruxelles” is French for the first walls of Brussels, wich are a series of fortifications that were built around the city and date back from the 13th Century. Along the 4 KM long walls, forty individual towers were built as defenive measures where entry within the walls was possible by seven main gates.

Location of the noticeable remains of the first walls of Brussels:

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Tour Anneessens or also called Tour d’angle

Detail of the changes made on the tower over the ages can be easily noticed

Here seen from boulevard de l’Empereur

La courtine de Villers and the tour Saint-Jacques

Here is a long remaining section of the walls on rue de Viller.

La courtine de Villers from within the walls

Long remaining section of the wall extra-muros can only be seen from a school yard near rue des Alexiens.

Details of the wall

Another angle view

Closer look at the tour Saint-Jacques

Tour noire

admin — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 15:26:26 +0000

La tour noire or in English the black tower located right behind the St. Catherine Church is one of the few remnants of the old town wall that was demolished in the 16th Century. The tower was saved from demolition simply because it could be used as a storage facility and nowadays houses a little museum devoted to the old port of Brussels.

La tour noire

Porte the Hal

admin — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 16:30:06 +0000

Porte de Hal is the only surviving of the original seven gates set to protect the city of Brussels within a wall. This medieval construction was build from 1357 to 1373 and was only spared from demolition when the second town walls were dismantled because its vocation had previously been changed into a prison. It now serves as a museum that holds art collections from the Royal Museum of Arts and History.

Here at a distance

A bit closer up

Back entrance

From one side

and now the other

Here at the main entrance