BELGIA BRUKSELA EUROPA (UNESCO)

Opis

Belgia, Królestwo Belgii (niderl. Koninkrijk België, fr. Royaume de Belgique, niem. Königreich Belgien) – państwo federacyjne w Europie Zachodniej, w południowych Niderlandach. Belgia jest członkiem Unii Europejskiej, ONZ oraz NATO. Graniczy od południa z Francją (620 km) i z Luksemburgiem (148 km), od wschodu z Niemcami (167 km) i od północy z Holandią (450 km). Łączna długość granic lądowych wynosi 1385 km, ponadto istnieje 64-kilometrowy fragment wybrzeża Morza Północnego na zachodzie. Podzielona jest na trzy strefy językowe: francuską, niderlandzką i niemiecką.          Bruksela (fr. Bruxelles, Ville de Bruxelles; niderl. Brussel, Stad Brussel; niem. Brüssel, Stadt Brüssel) – stolica Belgii, miasto i gmina położone w środkowej części kraju nad rzeką Senne. Aglomeracja brukselska (w sensie geograficznym) prócz obszaru dwujęzycznego Regionu Stołecznego Brukseli, w skład którego wchodzi Okręg Stołeczny Brukseli, obejmuje także pewną liczbę gmin flamandzkich. Siedziba administracyjna Regionu Flamandzkiego. Pod względem liczby mieszkańców jest największym miastem regionu stołecznego. Bruksela jest siedzibą króla i parlamentu belgijskiego, a ponadto jest siedzibą instytucji Unii Europejskiej, NATO i Euroatomu. Ważny ośrodek handlowy, bankowo-finansowy i kulturalno-naukowy kraju. Siedziba Królewskich Muzeów Sztuk Pięknych, Królewskiej Akademii Sztuki (zał. 1711), Biblioteki Królewskiej (zał. 1837); dwóch uniwersytetów (ULB i VUB), konserwatorium i instytutów naukowo-badawczych, teatrów, ponad 30 muzeów.   UNESCO   Flemish Béguinages The Béguines were women who dedicated their lives to God without retiring from the world. In the 13th century they founded the béguinages , enclosed communities designed to meet their spiritual and material needs. The Flemish béguinages are architectural ensembles composed of houses, churches, ancillary buildings and green spaces, with a layout of either urban or rural origin and built in styles specific to the Flemish cultural region. They are a fascinating reminder of the tradition of the Béguines that developed in north-western Europe in the Middle Ages.   La Grand-Place, Brussels La Grand-Place in Brussels is a remarkably homogeneous body of public and private buildings, dating mainly from the late 17th century. The architecture provides a vivid illustration of the level of social and cultural life of the period in this important political and commercial centre.   The Four Lifts on the Canal du Centre and their Environs, La Louvière and Le Roeulx (Hainaut) The four hydraulic boat-lifts on this short stretch of the historic Canal du Centre are industrial monuments of the highest quality. Together with the canal itself and its associated structures, they constitute a remarkably well-preserved and complete example of a late-19th-century industrial landscape. Of the eight hydraulic boat-lifts built at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, the only ones in the world which still exist in their original working condition are these four lifts on the Canal du Centre.   Belfries of Belgium and France Twenty-three belfries in the north of France and the belfry of Gembloux in Belgium were inscribed in 2005, as an extension to the 32 Belgian belfries inscribed in 1999 as Belfries of Flanders and Wallonia. Built between the 11th and 17th centuries, they showcase the Roman, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles of architecture. They are highly significant tokens of the winning of civil liberties. While Italian, German and English towns mainly opted to build town halls, in part of north-western Europe, greater emphasis was placed on building belfries. Compared with the keep (symbol of the seigneurs) and the bell-tower (symbol of the Church), the belfry, the third tower in the urban landscape, symbolizes the power of the aldermen. Over the centuries, they came to represent the influence and wealth of the towns. Historic Centre of Brugge Brugge is an outstanding example of a medieval historic settlement, which has maintained its historic fabric as this has evolved over the centuries, and where original Gothic constructions form part of the town's identity. As one of the commercial and cultural capitals of Europe, Brugge developed cultural links to different parts of the world. It is closely associated with the school of Flemish Primitive painting.   Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta (Brussels) The four major town houses - Hôtel Tassel, Hôtel Solvay, Hôtel van Eetvelde, and Maison & Atelier Horta - located in Brussels and designed by the architect Victor Horta, one of the earliest initiators of Art Nouveau, are some of the most remarkable pioneering works of architecture of the end of the 19th century. The stylistic revolution represented by these works is characterised by their open plan, the diffusion of light, and the brilliant joining of the curved lines of decoration with the structure of the building.     Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes (Mo