LOWER TOWN

Lower Town: translation

The sections of the city that date from the earliest origins of the city constitute the lower town (bas de la ville). The name derives from the area's geographic location in theSenneRiver valley below theCoudenbergandTreurenberghills, on, around, and beyond whose heights lies theupper town.

Long prone to flooding when the Senne overflowed its banks, the area lost favor with the ruling elites, who followed the counts ofLeu-vento the upper town when the latter built their fortress-residence there in the 11th century.

The lower town comprises the medieval heart of Brussels, which grew around theGrand' Placeand theportalongside the river. A commercial area from its beginnings, it still preserves the network of narrow, winding streets and lanes around the Grand' Place at the same time that other districts have undergone much rebuilding with modern steel and concrete structures. TheÎlot Sacrédistrict, much renovated, has attracted growing numbers of upscale residents.

Associated with trade and industry, municipal autonomy and urban prerogatives, the lower town acquired over time a pronounced working-class character. As such, it stood in marked contrast to the aristocratic upper town, where the rulers ofBrabantresided.