Luxembourg Square

The Place du Luxembourg (French) or Luxemburgplein (Dutch) is a square in the European Quarter of Brussels (Belgium).cite book|last= Demey |first= Thierry |others= S. Strange (trans.) |title= Brussels, capital of Europe |year= 2007 |publisher= Badeaux |location= Brussels |isbn= 2-9600414-2-9 |page=423-5]

Design and locals

The square is largely comprised of restaurants which dominate the wide pavements, with some banks and other retail services, serving the employees and members of the European Parliament located on its east side.

In the centre of the square is a statue of John Cockerill, a prominent British-Belgian 19th century industrialist, which is a copy of the statue outside Seraing town hall in Liège. The figure of Cockerill is leaning against an anvil and surrounded by an industrial figure from period: a glassmaker, a mechanic, a puddler and a miner. Cockerill's motto, "Work and Intelligence", are engraved upon the statue.

Area

Directly behind the statue on the eastern side of the square is the square's principle structure. The former entrance to Quarter Leopold Station (now the subterranean Brussels-Luxembourg Station with its entrance moved east) is a listed building and has been taken over by the European Parliament and Belgian authorities as a joint information office and museum.

The building now forms part of Parliament's Espace Léopold (the complex of Parliamentary buildings in Brussels) along with two new buildings either side which border the square. The whole complex of Parliamentary buildings dominate the eastern view of the square, with the dome of Parliament's "Paul-Henri Spaak building" mirroring the clock at the top of the station facade - creating a popular shot of Parliament from the square.

Future

In plans to rebuilt parts of the Brussels European Quarter, Luxembourg square would become one of three main pedestrian squares, each focusing on a different theme. Due to Luxembourg's proximity to the Parliament, Luxembourg Square would focus on citizens.cite web|last=Clerbaux|first=Bruno|title=The European Quarter today: Assessment and prospects|publisher=European Council of Spatial Planners|url=http://www.ceu-ectp.org/inc/cgi/pl/pl20061209.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-12-09] Also planned is the potential clearing of space between Rue d’Arlon/Aarlenstraat and Rue de Trêves/Trierstraat for a new square, possibly as a long extension of Luxembourg Square creating a vast boulevard like public space. [cite web|title=Bruxelles et l'UE prépare un grand lifting pour la rue de la Loi|date=2007-09-05|publisher=RTL|url=http://www.rtlinfo.be/rtl/archive/article/30782/?&archiveYear=2007|accessdate=2008-08-23]

ee also

* Brussels and the European Union (details on the quarter)
* Leopold Quarter (a more historic area in which the square resides)
* Brussels-Luxembourg Station
* Espace Léopold (European Parliament in Brussels)

References