Congress Column

Congress Column
Back view of the Congress Column
LocationPlace du Congrès / Congresplein
1000 City of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium
Coordinates50°51′0″N 4°21′48″E / 50.85000°N 4.36333°E / 50.85000; 4.36333
Area1.63 a (1,750 sq ft)
Elevation47 m (154 ft)
Inaugurated byKing Leopold I
Built1850–1859
Built forCommemoration of the National Congress of Belgium
Restored1997–2008
ArchitectJoseph Poelaert
Architectural style(s)Neoclassicism
(Victory column in Corinthian style)
OwnerBelgian Government
Congress Column is located in Brussels
Congress Column
Location within Brussels
Congress Column is located in Belgium
Congress Column
Congress Column (Belgium)

The Congress Column (French: Colonne du Congrès [kɔlɔn dy kɔ̃ɡʁɛ]; Dutch: Congreskolom [kɔŋˈɣrɛskoːˌlɔm]) is a monumental column in Brussels, Belgium, commemorating the creation of the Belgian Constitution by the National Congress of 1830–31. Inspired by Trajan's Column in Rome, it was erected between 1850 and 1859, on the initiative of the then-Prime Minister of Belgium, Charles Rogier, according to a design by the architect Joseph Poelaert.[1] At the top of the column is a statue of Belgium's first monarch; King Leopold I,[2] and at its base, the pedestal is surrounded by statues personifying the four freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution.[3] The Belgian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with an eternal flame lies at its foot.[4]

The column is located on the Place du Congrès/Congresplein; a small square adjacent to the Rue Royale/Koningsstraat, in the Freedom Quarter. This area is served by Brussels-Congress railway station, the metro stations Parc/Park (on lines 1 and 5) and Botanique/Kruidtuin (on lines 2 and 6), as well as the tram stop Congrès/Congres on lines 92 and 93.[5]

  1. ^ Stappaerts 1860, p. 45.
  2. ^ Stappaerts 1860, p. 43.
  3. ^ Stappaerts 1860, p. 37.
  4. ^ "Un grand bourgmestre et la ville qu'il aima" (in French). Europeana. 1939. Retrieved 28 January 2014.The oldest film material in this movie (9:03 - 9:49 min), is about the burial of the coffin of the Unknown Soldier at the monument to the Congress Column on November 11, 1922.
  5. ^ "CONGRES - 93 STADE - STIB Mobile". m.stib.be. Retrieved 7 January 2022.