District of the Squares

The old city walls were dismantled at the beginning of the 19th century, giving way to the relentless urbanisation of the surrounding countryside, including the Maelbeek valley. The central pond at Square Marie-Louise is the last remnant of the largest pond in the valley, Hoevijver, which once covered 7 hectares and was also known as the ‘Saint Josse Pond’ after the municipality where it was located at the time. Gidéon Bordiau, who was also responsible for the Cinquantenaire, was entrusted with the development project for the squares. This project included moving the railway line linking the Leopold district to the Brussels-North railway station underground, filling in part of the Saint-Josse pond and the development of a series of squares, as well as the construction of a Palace of Fine Arts and, at the very top, a church. However, the economic crisis in the late 19th century made these last two projects unthinkable. The superb houses lining the squares were built at the turn of the century, forming a fairly homogeneous streetscape mixing different architectural styles, notably Flemish Neorenaissance and Art Nouveau.

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