ranjan

From a medieval settlement in the swamps of the Senne ( a principal water source for the city) to the beating heart of European Union, Brussels certainly has an interesting history. Brussels humbly started out as a small settlement by the river Senne, around 10th century. It is said that the name Brussels originates from the word ' Broekzele' translates into "Settlement in the swamp". Some historians state the existence of Brussels began as early as 7th century while others claim the city started as a fort built by Charles of Lorraine around 979. What is certain is that Brussels originates from three spots around Senne, a valley and two nearby hills. The city was first mentioned as a Portus - a River post. The Grand place was referred to in 1147 as the 'Lower Market' situated close to the port on Senne and along an important road. The market place did well as a bustling center for trade. But the buildings that make the Grand Place famous today were built ...

The idea of co-operation across European borders came after Second World War. After signing the Maastricht treaty in 1992. European Union was born on 1st November 1993. Brussels was not the only candidate to harbor the new European institutions, Strasbourg, The Hague, Liege, and Saarbrucken were all proposed as hosts. Eventually, Brussels was chosen for various reasons, like, historical buffer state between  France and Germany, located on the borders between Latin and Germanic cultures, located between cities like London, Paris, major metropolitan region in Germany and the Dutch cities. The European Commission, Council of the European council and the European council are all located in the European quarter in Brussels. This is the area between three parks - Leopold park, Brussels park and the Cinquantenaire park. During my visit to Brussels recently, I have visited EU Parliamentarian office. It is the place where decisions taken have an impact on daily life of 500 million Euro...