| Cinquantenaire | |
|---|---|
 The centrepieceCinquantenaire Arch with the U-shaped arcade and large halls on both sides | |
 Interactive map of Cinquantenaire | |
| Type | Public leisure park, pedestrian square |
| Location | City of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium |
| Coordinates | 50°50′26″N4°23′34″E / 50.84056°N 4.39278°E /50.84056; 4.39278 |
| Area | 30 ha (74 acres)[1] |
| Created | 1880 |
| Public transit access | |
TheParc du Cinquantenaire (pronounced[paʁkdysɛ̃kɑ̃t(ə)nɛːʁ];French for 'Park of the Fiftieth Anniversary') orJubelpark (pronounced[ˈjybəlˌpɑr(ə)k];Dutch for 'Jubilee Park') is a large public,urban park of 30 ha (74 acres) in the easternmost part of theEuropean Quarter inBrussels, Belgium.
Most buildings of the U-shaped complex that dominate the park were commissioned by theBelgian Government under the patronage ofKing Leopold II for the 1880National Exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary of theBelgian Revolution. During successive exhibitions, more structures were added to the site. The centrepiecememorial arch, known as theCinquantenaire Arch (French:Arc du Cinquantenaire; Dutch:Triomfboog van het Jubelpark), was erected in 1905, replacing a previous temporary version of the arcade byGédéon Bordiau. The surrounding 30 ha (74 acres) park esplanade was full ofpicturesque gardens, ponds and waterfalls. It housed several trade fairs, exhibitions and festivals at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1930, the government decided to reserve the Cinquantenaire for use as a leisure park.[1]
TheRoyal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History has been the sole tenant of the northern half of the complex since 1880. The southern half has been occupied by theArt & History Museum (formerly the Cinquantenaire Museum[2]) since 1889, andAutoworld automobile museum since 1986. TheTemple of Human Passions byVictor Horta, a remainder from 1896, theMonument to the Belgian Pioneers in Congo from 1921, and theGreat Mosque of Brussels from 1978, are located in the north-western corner of the park (seemap below).
Lines1 and5 of theBrussels Metro and theBelliard Tunnel from theRue de la Loi/Wetstraat pass underneath the park, the latter partly in an open section in front of the arch. The nearest metro stations areSchuman to the west of the park, andMerode immediately to the east.
Originally, the area now known as theCinquantenaire/Jubelpark (French/Dutch) was part of the military exercise ground of theGarde Civique outside ofBrussels' city centre, the so-called "Linthout" plains. For theNational Exhibition of 1880, the plain was developed as an exhibition space. The location was namedCinquantenaire in French (literally "Fiftieth Anniversary") andJubelpark in Dutch ("Jubilee Park") because it was planned to celebrate the half-century sinceBelgian independence in 1830.
TheCinquantenaire Arcade (French:Arcade(s) du Cinquantenaire, Dutch:Arcade(s) van het Jubelpark) was planned for the 1880 exhibition and was meant to commemorate the anniversary. In 1880, only the bases of thememorial arch's columns were completed, and during the exhibition, the rest of the arch was constructed from wooden panels. In the following years, the monument's completion was the topic of a continuous battle betweenKing Leopold II and theBelgian Government, which did not want to spend the money required to complete it. The park was also one of the sites of theBrussels International Exposition of 1897, for which the existing buildings' wings were extended, although the arch was still incomplete.[3]
The original architect wasGédéon Bordiau, who spent close to twenty years on the project. The structures were built in iron, glass and stone, symbolising Belgium's economic and industrial performance. The construction of buildings was put on hold in 1890 for lack of funds, and was eventually stopped by the architect's death in 1904. His successor, chosen by Leopold II, was the French architectCharles Girault. Girault changed the design from a single to a triple arch, and began a course of round-the-clock construction in a final push to complete it.
The original pavilions of the 1880 exhibition, designed by Bordiau, were largely replaced with thearcade designed by Girault in 1904 and the large halls on both sides. Only the glass-constructed Bordiau halls remain from the 1880 structures. The monument was completed with private funding in May 1905 and the arcade was inaugurated by Leopold II on 27 September 1905, just in time for the 75th anniversary of Belgian independence.[4] The triumphal arch that had already been planned was amended and expanded to meet the king's wishes.[4]
A fire destroyed the south wing of the complex in 1946, part of theRoyal Museums of Art and History (RMAH).[5] The collection pieces were saved, and the burnt wing has since been rebuilt. As for the north wing, home to theRoyal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History, it was spared.
Nowadays, the various buildings of the Cinquantenaire complex host three museums: theRoyal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History, which has been the sole tenant of the northern half of the complex since 1880; theArt & History Museum (formerly called the Cinquantenaire Museum[2]), which has occupied its southern half since 1889; andAutoworld automobile museum. In addition, the north-western corner of the park is the location of theGreat Mosque of Brussels (1978), as well as two monuments: theTemple of Human Passions (1896), and theMonument to the Belgian Pioneers in Congo (1921).
The surrounding park esplanade has been used for several purposes, such as military parades[6][7] anddrive-in movies in the summer,[8] as well as a filming location for films and music videos.[9][10] It is also the starting point for the20 km of Brussels, an annual run with 30,000 participants.[11]
TheCinquantenaire Arcade (French:Arcade(s) du Cinquantenaire, Dutch:Arcade(s) van het Jubelpark) is amemorial arcade in the centre of the Parc du Cinquantenaire. The centrepiece is a monumental triple arch known as the Cinquantenaire Arch (French:Arc du Cinquantenaire, Dutch:Triomfboog van het Jubelpark). It is topped by a bronzequadriga sculptural group with a female charioteer, entitledBrabant Raising the National Flag, byJules Lagae andThomas Vincotte.[12] The other sculptures include personifications ofBelgian Provinces (Brabant being represented by the quadriga):Hainaut andLimburg byAlbert Desenfans,Antwerp andLiège byCharles van der Stappen,East Flanders andWest Flanders byJef Lambeaux, andNamur andLuxembourg byGuillaume de Groot.[4]
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TheRoyal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History is amilitary museum that occupies the two northernmost halls of the historic complex. The museum's collection originally consisted of approximately 900 pieces collected by the officer Louis Leconte followingWorld War I.[5] Leconte collected considerable equipment abandoned by the Germans in 1918. The museum was originally installed on the site ofLa Cambre Abbey and moved to the Cinquantenaire Park in 1923.[5] The collection was later heavily enriched by legacies, gifts and exchanges. Nowadays, the museum displays uniforms, weapons, vehicles and military equipment of all ages and all countries.
The north wing, built byGédéon Bordiau, has been occupied by the Aviation Hall since 1972, when the Air and Space gallery was inaugurated.[5] The collection includes various types of aircraft, both military and civilian, some dating back to the early 20th century. It includes surviving WWI aircraft like theNieuport 17 andSopwith Camel, whilst the most recent additions include anF-16 Fighting Falcon andWestland Sea King. The collection as a whole is one of the largest in the world.[13]
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TheArt & History Museum is a museum ofantiquities andethnographic anddecorative arts that occupies most of the southern part of the complex. It is one of the constituents of theRoyal Museums for Art and History (RMAH), which itself is part of the Belgianfederal institute of theBelgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO), and is one of thelargest art museums in Europe.[14]
The museum consists of several parts, including a national collection ofartefacts fromprehistory to theMerovingian period (c. 751 AD), as well as fromclassical antiquity of theNear East,Egypt,Greece andRome. Artefacts from non-European civilisations, such asChina,Japan,Korea,pre-ColumbianAmerica, and theIslamic world, are also on display. Additionally, a collection of European decorative arts includes pieces from theMiddle Ages to the 20th century, such as sculptures, furniture, tapestries, textiles, costumes, oldvehicles, etc.[15]
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Autoworld is anautomobile museum occupying the South Hall of the complex. It displays a large and varied collection of over 300 vehicles, including cars and motorcycles from various eras, retracing the history of the industry from its birth in the 19th century to the modern age. These includeMinervas, a 1928Bentley, a 1930Bugatti and a 1930Cord, and severallimousines belonging to theBelgian royal family.[16]
The Great Mosque of Brussels is located in the north-western corner of the park. It is the oldestmosque in Brussels, and is the seat of the Islamic and Cultural Centre of Belgium. The latter operates a school and an Islamic research centre. The centre provides courses ofArabic to adults and children, as well as initiations toIslam.
The original building was constructed in 1880 by architectErnest Van Humbeeck [fr] in an Arabic style, to form the east pavilion of theNational Exhibition. For the exhibition, the pavilion housed a monumental fresco,Panorama of Cairo, which was a major success. Insufficient funds for maintenance during the period of the world wars caused the building to gradually deteriorate.
In 1967, during an official visit to Belgium fromKing Faisal ibn Abd al-Aziz ofSaudi Arabia,King Baudouin decided to adapt the building as a place of worship. The mosque, designed by the Tunisian architect Mongi Boubaker, was inaugurated in 1978 in the presence ofKhalid ibn Abd al-Aziz and Baudouin.
The Cinquantenaire Park is the location of theTemple of Human Passions, also known as the Horta-Lambeaux Pavilion, aneoclassicalpavilion in the form of aGreek temple, built byVictor Horta in 1896. Although classical in appearance, the building shows the first steps of the young Victor Horta towardsArt Nouveau. It was designed to serve as a permanent showcase for a large marblereliefThe Human Passions byJef Lambeaux.[17] Since its completion, the building has remained almost permanently closed. Since 2014, it is accessible during the summer time.[18]
In the Cinquantenaire Park also stands theMonument to the Belgian Pioneers in Congo, designed by Thomas Vinçotte in 1912–1921, and honouring theBelgian colonial efforts in the formerBelgian Congo. Partly due to the proximity of the Great Mosque of Brussels, an inscription regarding theArab slave trade is the subject of ongoing controversy.[19]
 N. Bordiau wing S. Bordiau wing North hall Sports ground Arch |
In September 2007, then-European Commissioner for Administrative Affairs,Siim Kallas, together with then-Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region,Charles Picqué, unveiled plans for rebuilding the European district.[20] They included "Europeanising" parts of the Cinquantenaire complex, and installing a major "socio-cultural facility" in the North Hall, enabled to hold "major congresses and, perhaps, European Summits, events, exhibitions", after moving the Aerospace Museum out toTour & Taxis in the north-west of the city. The Cinquantenaire would under the plans become one of three European pedestrian squares, being the one for events and festivities.[21]
Other plans were announced in 2022 to renovate the Parc du Cinquantenaire including the archway as part of a project called "Cinquantenaire Bicentenaire" for the 200th anniversary of Belgium's independence.[22]
Media related toCinquantenaire at Wikimedia Commons
