Brussels' Pentagon: Tracing the Origins of the European Union

The simple answer is that Belgium is a non-threatening neutral country. But the deeper answer is written into the streets of Brussels, you just need to know where to look. 

This tour stays inside the Pentagon, Brussels’ historic center (once surrounded by medieval walls). The EU institutions are outside this area, but to understand why Europe chose Brussels, we must first understand what this city was before it became “Europe’s capital.”

At the Grand Place you will learn that Brussels was not built by kings or emperors but by merchants. 

At the Palace Royal you will learn how in the 16th century Brussels became the political heart of Europe where the fate of Spain, the Austria, France, and even the Americas was being shaped.

At the Cathedral of St Michael & St Gudula you will learn why Belgium and the Netherlands are not part of the same country. 

Although Brussels officially begins in the 10th century, the whole story back to Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul, the rise of the Franks, and Charlemagne. None of this is visible in the streets today, but without it you can’t truly understand Brussels or why the European Union ended up here.