Historical Dictionary of Brussels

LÉOPOLD

Léopold: translation

(district)
During the Middle Ages, the Léopold district was largely uninhabited. A small summer house replete with a vineyard was built by the dukes of Burgundy in the 15th century. In the 16th century, a number of aristocratic villas joined that of Cardinal Granvelle, adviser toMargaret of Parma, who built his second residence along the banks of theMaelbeekstream. In the 18th century, only one paved road—the chaussée d'Etterbeek—traversed the area.
Forming a part ofSaint-Josse-ten-Noode, the area began to be intensely developed following Belgian independence in 1831.Aristocratic and upper-middle-class city residents began to build homes that afforded them greater space beyond theinner ring roadwith the added bonus that produce was cheaper outside the citytoll gates. They disdained the left bank of theSenneRiver where the work of buildingboulevardson the site of thesecond town wallremained unfinished and where factories and workshops proliferated.
In 1838, real estate developers formed the Société civile pour l'Agrandissemant et l'Embellissemment de Bruxelles to undertake a vasturban developmentscheme in the vacant areas beyond the boulevard duRégent. KingLeopold I, anxious to promote an area laid out with wide, straight streets so different from those in thelower town, purchased shares and consented to give his name to the new district. In 1839, to encourage building, the city opened a new gate—porte Léopold—joining rues Lambermont and Belliard. Under a law of 7 April 1853, the city acquired the district in an agreement, one of the stipulations of which mandated the city to fund creation of a parade grounds for army maneuvers (the current site of theCinquantenaire) to replace the Champs de Mars near the porte de Namur, where new construction made artillery practices no longer possible. In 1857, a viaduct carrying the rue de laLoiacross the Maelbeek valley was completed. Development aimed to attract aristocrats and the wealthy Catholic bourgeoisie.
By the 1860s, the quarter had become the city's richest and most fashionable. Major transformations took place from the end of the 1950s. The residential character of the district was profoundly altered with construction of office buildings, which are now pervasive. The building of theBerlaymontmarked the area's identification as the location of European institutions, with which it has now become synonymous. A portion of the quarter is now known as the European district. Organizations affiliated with theEuropean Unionnow account for approximately 36 percent of total office building space. Construction has been ongoing since the late 1980s, and a plan to redesign the European district to diversity its character by introducing residences, shops, and cultural venues, while at the same time meeting heightened needs for security, is currently under study.

  1. leopold—Leopold bersetzungalthochdeutscher Ursprung Bedeutungszusammensetzung aus Volk und khn. In sterreich seit dem . Jahrhundert weit verbreitet. Namenstrger Hl. Leopold Markg...Deutsch namen
  2. leopold—Leopold translation Leopold mu Englishu of Germanicu origin composed of the elements liut people bold bold brave. The first element was altered by association with Lati...First names dictionary
  3. leopold—Leopold bersetzung...Wörterbuch der deutschen familiennamen
  4. leopold—[lpld]Леопольд...Англо-русский большой универсальный переводческий словарь
  5. leopold—n леополд леопольд...Англо-русский словарь Лингвистика-98
  6. leopold—Leopold noun Леопольд...Англо-русский словарь Мюллера
  7. leopold—Leopold Леопольд...Англо-русский словарь Мюллера
  8. leopold—сущ. Леопольд...Англо-русский словарь общей лексики
  9. leopold—Леопольд...Англо-русский словарь редакция bed
  10. leopold—имя собств....Англо-русский универсальный дополнительный практический словарь И. Мостицкого
  11. leopold—n ч. мя Леопольд Леополд....Англо-український словник Балла М.І.
  12. leopold—[lpld] nЛеополд Леопольд мужское имя...Новый большой англо-русский словарь
  13. leopold—Leopold [lpld] ni Леополд Леопольд мужское имяi...Новый большой англо-русский словарь II
  14. leopold—lpld n Леополд Леопольд мужское имяem...Новый большой англо-русский словарь под общим руководством акад. Ю.Д. Апресяна
  15. leopold—Rzeczownik Leopold Леопольд...Универсальный польско-русский словарь
  16. leopold—Rzeczownik Leopold Леопольд...Универсальный польско-русский словарь