Porte de Namur

Here once stood one of the gates that were part of the 2nd Wall. Under Austrian, Napoleonic and Dutch rule, these walls were demolished as they no longer had any defensive value and stood in the way of further city expansion. King William I of Holland laid wide boulevards along the route of the ramparts, allowing the citizens to enjoy a green and peaceful walk around the city centre. At the time of the Expo58 world exhibition, this changed and the boulevards had to make way for Europe's 1st urban motorway, something that the whole world regarded with admiration.

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