QUAYS

Quays: translation

The old inner-city harbor extended southwest in a series of basins from the Marché au Porcs (pork market), where theWille-broeck Canalentered, to the present site of the church ofSainte-Catherineand east to where theKoninklijke Vlaamsche Schouw-burgnow stands, the latter occupying a building that was used as a customs office.

Quays were built over time between the church of Sainte-Catherine and the place de l'Yser, and their names indicated the types of wares that were unloaded and sold. They included quai aux Briques (bricks), quai au Bois à Bruler (firewood), quai à la Houille (coal), and quai au Foin (hay). The basins were gradually filled in and the quays built over in conjunction with construction of the modernPort of Brussels, which made them obsolete. Only the basin between the quai au Bois à Bruler and the quai aux Briques remains water filled.

The area is now a quaint, rather bohemian section of the city known for its seafood restaurants, which is a legacy of the city fish market held here until 1955.