Brussels

If you’d like to learn more about Brussels, its history and culture, here are some books and articles you might enjoy.

de Behault de Dornon, A., ‘Communication’, a lecture on the state of the Isabella Quarter just after the demolition had begun, in: Annales de la Société d’Archéolo­gie de Bruxelles (Vol. xxi, 1910) pp. 49-51.

Danckaert, Linda, L’évolution territoriale de Bruxelles. La cartographie de ± 1550 à 1840 (Brussels 1968).
On the growth of the city as pictured on maps.

Danckaert, Linda, Brussel. Vijf eeuwen cartografie (Brussels 1989).
‘Five centuries of cartography.’

Demeter, Stéphane and Yves Cabuy, Atlas van de Archeologische Ondergrond van het Gewest Brussel. Deel 10.2, Brussel Vijfhoek. Archeologische ontdekkingen / Atlas du sous-sol archéologique de la Région de Bruxelles. Vol. 10.2, Bruxelles Pentagone. Découverte archéologiques  (Brussels 1997).
This book, published in French and Dutch, lists all the archeological findings of the city, and thus also of the Isabella quarter.

Diericx de ten Hamme, Joe, Souvenirs de Vieux-Bruxelles. Vol. I (Brussels 1890) pp. 258-262.
An interesting early work about the history of Brussels. A second volume was published in 1891.

Dubreucq, Jacques, Bruxelles. Une histoire capitale. Volume 8 ( Brussels 1999)  pp.  123-163
In nine big heavy volumes the author wrote a wonderful anecdotical history of Brussels, with an enormous amount of illustrations. The pages mentioned are about the Quartier Isabelle. The Brontës, the Hegers and the Pensionnat can be found on p. 139. This volume does also include the area of the Mont des Arts, the Rue Royale, the Rue de la Putterie and the Rue de la  Madeleine.

Eenhooge, Dirk van and Marcel M. Celis, “Het ´Hof van Hoogstraten´, de Brusselse verblijfplaats van Antoine de Lalaing,” in Monumenten en landschappen (July-August 1988) pp. 36-63.
The Hoogstraten Court lay between Rue d´Isabelle and Rue Villa Hermosa, and  partly it still exists, underground, where one can walk on the Rue d´Isabelle, and in the buildings on the Place Royale.

Eenhooge, Dirk van, Thierry Delcommune and Marcel Celis, “Onder het Koningsplein te Brussel. De Hofkapel van Karel V,” in Monumenten en landschappen (January-February 2000) pp. 4-38.
The Chapel of Charles V lay opposite the Hoogstraten Court. It burnt down in 1731 but underground there are still remains. Both articles are very nicely illustrated and provide very interesting information about het history of the Isabella quarter.

Henne, Alexandre and Alphonse Wauters, Histoire de la Ville de Bruxelles (Brussels 1845).
Three big volumes. A very influential work.

Laurent, Henri, “Palais des Beaux-arts de Bruxelles,” a ‘numéro special’ of the Cahiers de Belgique (4 May 1928) 55 p., ill..
A booklet about the museum of fine arts which now stands where the Pension­nat stood. To which some attention is paid.

des Marez, Guillaume, “La Maison de David Teniers II et L’Hotel Ravenstein,” in: Annales de la Société Royale d’Archéologie de Bruxelles (Vol. 26, 1912) pp. 5-51, ill..
On the Rue Terarcken, Hotel Raven­stein and Rue Villa-Hermosa. David Teniers II (1610-1690) is the most famous Flemish painter of the family, but his father and his son, both also named David, are of importance too.

des Marez, Guillaume, Le Quartier Isabelle et Terarcken. L’Origine et le Dévelop­pement de la Ville de Bruxelles (Brus­sels 1927) 220 pp., ill..
A very important book.

des Marez, Guillaume, Guide Illustré de Bruxelles. Monuments Civil et Religieux (Brussel 1979, 5th edition, revised and updated by A. Rousseau).
A comprehensive guide to historical Brussels.

Meulder, Bruno de and Karina van Herck (eds.), Vacant city. Brussels´ Mont des Arts Revisited (Brussels 2000).
A big abundantly illustrated book about the Mont des Arts and its surroundings.

Monteyne, A. et al., Bruxelles, construire et reconstruire. Architec­ture et aménagement urbain 1780-1914 (Brussels 1979), ill.. Has also appeared in a Dutch version.
Contains a number of modernization plans for the quarter. Interesting illustrati­ons.

van Nieuwenborgh, Marcel, “Charlotte Brontë nam mooi wraak op de Vlamingen,” in: Literaire wandelin­gen door Brussel (Leuven 1990) pp. 108-17.
Translated the title reads: ‘Charlotte Brontë took a nice revenge on the Flemish.’ This seems to be the only Flemish article on Charlotte’s Brussels. The trans­lated title of the book is ‘Liter­ary walks through Brussels.’

Novelier, Pierre, “La Fin Dernière du Quartier Isabelle aux Souvenirs des Soeurs Brontë,” in: Le Soir Illustré (16 Septem­ber 1954) pp. 10-11, ill..
Written on the occasion of the completion of the renovation works of the quarter, 45 years after they had begun. ‘The final end of the Isabella quarter.’

d’Osta, Jean, Bruxelles d’hier et d’aujourd’hui (Brussels 1976) ill..
A (pictorial) comparison between Brussels as it was and as it is.

d’Osta, Jean, Les rues disparues de Bruxelles (Brussels 1979) ill..
A collection of the very useful series of ‘Our for­gotten Brussels’, first publis­hed in Le Soir, about the enor­mous number of streets that no longer exist. The account of the Rue d’Isabelle, published on 4 November 1977, was, trans­lated, though somewhat shortened, into English, published in the Transactions (Vol. 17, no. 3, 1978) pp. 214-6. Le Soir, a daily newspaper to this day, has its origin in the Rue Isabelle. The author´s real name was Jean van Osta (1909-1993).

Pierard, Louis, “Un douloureux Roman d’Amour à Bruxelles en 1839 [sic]. Quatre Lettres inédites de Charlotte Brontë au Professeur Constantin Héger [sic],” in L’Expansion Belge (September 1913) p. 566, ill..

Quievreux, Louis, “Sur les traces d´Emily et de Charlotte Brontë,” in Bruxelles. Notre Capitale. Histoire, folklore, archéologie (Brussels 1951) pp. 22-24.
See also pages 25-30, 34.

Quievreux, Louis, “Bruxelles, les Brontës et la Famille He­ger,” in: La Lanterne (Brussels 1953, April 9 (p. 2), 10 (p.2), 12 (p. 4) and 13 (p.4).

Quievreux, Louis, Pélerinage chez les Soeurs Brontë (Brussels 1954) 12pp., ill..

Quievreux, Louis, “Les Brontës  et la famille Héger à Bruxelles,” in Dictionnaire Anecdotique de Bruxelles (Brus­sels 1966) pp. 72-84.
The author of these last four useful publications did write a lot about Brussels history. Louis Quievreux (1902-1969)  is remembered by a plaque on the front of the Notre-Dame Immaculée Church, Place du Jeu de Balle.

Tahon, Victor, La Rue Isabelle et Le Jardin des Arbalétriers (Brussels 1912) 93 pp., ill..
A most important book! The foreword actually was written in 1909. It speaks lovingly about the quarter as: “Victime infor­tunée des temps nouveaux! Pauvre vieux quartier condamné et résigné!” Chapter 8, “La fin,” an epilogue, was written in 1910.

Tahon, Victor, “Le Grand Serment de l’Arbabalète à Bruxelles et ses Manifestati­ons Artistiques au XVIIe Siècle,” in: Anna­les de la Société d’Archéologie de Bruxelles (Vol. 25, 1911) pp. 229-55, ill..
A history of the guild of cross-bow men, with emphasis on the 17th century.

Vanhamme, Marcel, Brussel. Van landelijke nederzetting tot wereldstad (Antwerp-Brussels 1968). Also published in a French version.
‘Brussels. From rural settlement to metropolis.’ A history of Brussels.

Vanhamme, Marcel, Brussel vroeger. De stad en historische gebeurtenissen gezien door kunstenaars (Antwerp-Brussels 1975). Also published in a French version.
‘Brussels in the past. The city and historical events as seen by artists.’
M. Vanhamme’s two attractive books provide a good intro­duction to the history of Brussels. Well-informed.

Wauters, Alphonse, Bruxelles et ses environs. Guide de l’étranger dans cette capital (Brussels 1852).
The most interesting guide for visitors, also because it´s only ten years after the Brontës.

Wybo-Wehrli, Isabelle, “Bruxelles. La rue Baron Horta, son histoire, ses inhabi­tants / Brussel. De Baron Hortastraat, haar geschiedenis, haar bewoners,”  in: G-Magazine (Brussels, July/August and Septem­ber 1984) pp. 16-22 and 14-9.
The same article in both Dutch and French, but with different photographs. A nice introduction to the history of the Isabel­la-quarter