Location Brussels, Belgium Elevation 47 m (154 ft) Built 1850-1859 Phone +32 2 279 22 11 Architect Joseph Poelaert | Area 1.63 a (1,750 sq ft) Inaugurated by King Leopold I Opened 26 September 1859 Restored 2008 | |
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Built for commemoration of the National Congress of Belgium Address Place du Congrès, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium Hours Open today · Open 24 hoursSaturdayOpen 24 hoursSundayOpen 24 hoursMondayOpen 24 hoursTuesdayOpen 24 hoursWednesdayOpen 24 hoursThursdayOpen 24 hoursFridayOpen 24 hours Owner Federal Government of Belgium Similar Cathedral of St Michael a, Palais de la Nation, Place Royale, Chapel Church, Mont des Arts | ||
The Congress Column (French: Colonne du Congrès; Dutch: Congreskolom) is a monumental column situated on the Place du Congrès / Congresplein in Brussels, Belgium which commemorates the creation of the Constitution by the National Congress between 1830-31. It was erected on the initiative of Charles Rogier, according to a design by Joseph Poelaert, between 1850 and 1859 and was inspired by Trajan's Column in Rome. At the top of the column is a statue of Belgium's first monarch, King Leopold I, and the pedestal is surrounded by statues personifying the four freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution while the Belgian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is at the foot of the column.
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The column was restored from 2002 to 2008.
Description
The column, with the statue of King Leopold I surmounting it included, has a total height of 47 metres (154 ft). A spiral staircase of 193 stairs in the interior of the column leads to a platform surrounding the pedestal of the statue of Leopold I.
The statue of Leopold was made by Guillaume Geefs. The important dates in the struggle for Belgian independence are engraved on the pedestal of the column, together with the names of the members of the National Congress and the Provisional Government and important passages from the liberal Belgian constitution of 1832. The four sitting statues surrounding the pedestal represent the major constitutional liberties; the 'Liberty of Union' by Charles Fraikin, the 'Liberty of Worship' by Eugène Simonis, the 'Liberty of the Press' and the 'Liberty of Education' both by Joseph Geefs. Two monumental bronze lions by Eugène Simonis are placed in front of the monument. In 2007, during Storm Kyrill, the statue of 'Liberty of the Press' was blown down and later restored.
The first stone was laid down in presence of King Leopold I on 24 September 1850 and was inaugurated on 26 Septembre 1859. In 1929, the Congress Column was the site of an attempted assassination of Crown Prince Umberto of Italy by Fernando de Rosa.
Monument to the Unknown Soldier
As a memorial to the Belgian victims of World War I, an unknown soldier was buried at the foot of the monument on 11 November 1922. This unknown soldier was selected out of five unidentified soldiers from different battle sites by Raymond Haesebrouck, a veteran blinded in battle. The tomb is surmounted by an eternal flame. After World War II, a second memorial plaque was added to the monument to honour the Belgian victims. In 1998, a third memorial plaque was dedicated to the Belgian soldiers killed in the service of peace since 1945.