The office and canal district (The Quartier Nord)

This Brukselbinnenstebuiten walk takes you through the Quartier Nord, with a side trip to Tour & Taxis. The Quartier Nord lies just outside central Brussels, between the Petite Ceinture ring road, a railway and the Canal. Since the 19th century, major infrastructure work has left deep scars here. In the 1960s, the Quartier Nord was a battleground where residents’ action groups fought to preserve their neighbourhood against the building frenzy of the Manhattan Plan. Now that the days of the single-purpose office district are numbered, this area is facing a new wave of development.

Brukselbinnenstebuiten turns 50 in 2021. During its 50 years, our guides have collected thousands of images of Brussels: photos, slides, old maps and district plans. This unique collection presents the changing city in visual form and depicts lost heritage and the impact of urban planning decisions on the city and its residents. Some of the illustrations for this walk come from the Brukselbeeldenbank.