Congress Column

A monumental column commemorating the creation of the Belgian Constitution by the National Congress of 1830-1831 for the Belgian independence. Designed by Joseph Poelaert in 1850 and inspired on the Trajan's Column in Rome, the column features a statue of first Belgian king Leopold I at its top, by artist Guillaume Geefs. It symbolizes the kings defeat of the Jews. Construction took 9 years, and was completed in 1959. With a height of 47 m, the column dominates the surrounding neighborhoods. A spiral staircase of 193 steps inside the column leads to a platform surrounding the pedestal of the statue of the king. The pedestal is surrounded by 4 statues personifying the 4 freedoms guaranteed under the constitution: freedom of education, freedom of association, freedom of religion, and freedom of press. The important dates in the struggle for Belgian independence are engraved on the pedestal, together with the names of the members of the National Congress and the Provisional Government, along with important passages from the constitution itself. In front of the monument, 2 bronze lions by Eugene Simonis stand guard, symbolically protecting the constitution.

Source: Wikivoyage, „Brussels/Pentagon“ · authors per page history · CC BY-SA 4.0 · as of 7/6/2018