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The World in Brussels
Brussels has been a city of immigration for many centuries. Some come as exiles, while others are here to fill well-paid jobs in international institutions. Every ethnic group has left its mark on Brussels, which is now one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities.
Austria
The Austrian presence in Brussels is discreet, but you can feast on sauerkraut or goulash in the dated Alpine interior of the Tiroler Stüberl at 124 Avenue de l’Hippodrome, or sign up for the annual Wiener Ball in the faded ballroom of the Concert Noble, in the heart of the EU office district.
Britain
The British have been in Brussels since before the Battle of Waterloo. There is an English Church in Rue Capitaine Crespel, a Scottish church on Chaussée de Vleurgat and a British bookshop on Boulevard Adolphe Max dating back to 1921. A number of British schools provide a traditional British education, while the British Council organises language courses, exhibitions and an annual festival of British film. Gourmet Food & Gifts is a reliable address for homesick Brits looking for a jar of Marmite or a copy of the Radio Times (branches at 59 Rue Archimède in Brussels, 5 Allée Petit Paris in Waterloo, and 22 Duisburgsesteenweg in Tervuren). Stonemanor has an even bigger stock of British food, books and DVDs (28 Steenhofstraat, Everberg).
Congo
Named after a quarter in the Congolese capital Kinshasa, the Matongé district near Porte de Namur was settled in the 1960s by Congolese students. You pass greengrocers selling blackened plantains, tailors’ dummies dressed in bright wax-printed cottons, and shops offering cheap phone calls to remote regions of Africa and Asia. The streets Rue Longue Vie and Rue de la Paix are particularly vibrant on hot summer nights.
China
The area around Place Sainte-Catherine is as close to a Chinatown as it gets in Brussels. About 2,000 Chinese people live in the city, and many shop in this area. If you’re looking for ingredients to cook Peking duck or Sichuan beef, head to Rue de la Vierge Noire (top), off Boulevard Anspach, where Chinese and Korean supermarkets sell imported noodles, chopsticks and porcelain tea cups.
France
Brussels has always had a large French population, and some 3,000 French civil servants are currently employed by the European institutions. French language and culture are promoted by the Alliance Française and the Lycée Français in Uccle.
Germany
German immigrants have been settling in Brussels since the 19th century. Karl Marx stayed in the city for three years (from 1845 to 1848), and began writing the Communist Manifesto while living in a house in Ixelles. The Goethe Institute was founded in 1959 to organise language courses and bring German art, films and music to Belgium. The Gutenberg Buchhandlung is a German bookshop behind the Belgian parliament at 34 Rue de Louvain. Other outposts are the German Bakery (77 Rue Vandermaelen) and restaurant Maxburg (above) at 108 Rue Stévin.
Greece
The Greek community has been established in Brussels for more than a century. The most famous immigrant, Leonidas Kestekides, travelled here in 1910 to sell chocolate at the Brussels World Fair. He returned in 1913 and started a chocolate business that eventually grew into Leonidas, a company with 1,400 shops across the world. A new wave of Greek immigrants arrived in Brussels in the 1950s, several of whom opened restaurants or shops near Gare du Midi. The Greek population swelled again in 1981 when Greece joined the then EEC. The city now has dozens of Greek restaurants and small shops. Many restaurants are basic, but some are highly sophisticated, such as Notos at 154 Rue de Livourne and Strofilia in the canal district. Shops selling Greek specialities are also in the canal area.
Hungary
Hungarians began to arrive in Brussels after the 1956 Revolution. The Hungarian Catholic Mission was founded in 1956 in a large 1870 town house known as the Hôtel Saintenoy at 123 Rue de l’Arbre Bénit in Ixelles, and there is a popular Hungarian restaurant, Gulyás Csárda, at 180 Chaussée de Vleurgat. Hungarian Culture Brussels organises art exhibitions concerts and debates on Hungarian culture.
- www.hungarianculture.be
Italy
Italian migrants have been settling in Brussels since the 19th century, and the Italian community grew rapidly after World War Two, when migrants moved from poorer regions of Italy to work in the Walloon coal mines or run Italian restaurants. The Italian Cultural Institute opened in a 19th-century townhouse in Rue de Livourne in the 1930s. It organises language courses, exhibitions, film screenings and lectures. It also has an Italian library and newspaper reading room. For a taste of Italy, check out Piola Libri (above), an Italian bookshop and café in the EU quarter at 66 Rue Franklin.
Ireland
The Irish began to settle in Brussels after Ireland joined what was then the EEC, in 1973. The city now has about 20 Irish bars, mainly concentrated in the European Quarter and Avenue Louise. The James Joyce was the first to open in Brussels, taking over a Pakistani restaurant in 1989. The community also has an Irish Club and an Irish Theatre Group. The butcher Jack O’Shea’s at 30 Rue le Titien achieved such success in Brussels with its traditional Irish meat and cheese that it has opened two branches in London.
Japan
Brussels has a large community of Japanese expatriates. Many live in leafy Boitsfort close to the Japanese school, which provides for children aged two to 18. Some of the most popular restaurants are clustered around the mid-section of Avenue Louise, such as Chez Oki at 62 Rue Lesbroussart and Kushi Tei of Kyoto at 118 Rue Lesbroussart. The city is also dotted with Japanese supermarkets, including Tagawa at 119 Chaussée de Vleurgat, Haru Chan at 17 Rue des Begonias in Boitsfort and Ken Chan at 120 Rue Kelle in Woluwe (the last two also rent Japanese videos and DVDs).
Morocco
About 42,000 Moroccans live in Brussels, and the city is dotted with Moroccan corner shops, bakeries and Halal butchers. Rue de Brabant, near North station, is the main street for Moroccan specialities. Here you’ll find grocery stores next to shops selling battery-operated indoor fountains.
Poland
The Polish community in Brussels dates from the end of World War Two, when many Polish soldiers chose to settle in Belgium rather than return home. Polsmaak is a traditional Polish bakery selling bread, cakes and Polish newspapers at four addresses in Brussels, including 311 Chaussée d’Ixelles and 5 Place du Droit. Kuchnia Polska at 160 Avenue d’Audergem is a Polish grocery shop with a traditional interior. There is also a Polish cultural centre in Forest.
Portugal
Thecity has a large Portuguese community served by more than 100 bars and restaurants and almost 30 Portuguese shops. Many addresses are located around Place Flagey, including the delicatessen Los Sabores de Portugal (38 Rue de Vergnies, above), the Portuguese bar Pessoa (4 Chaussée de Boondael) and a Portuguese flower shop (8 Rue du Belvédère). A bust of the Lisbon poet Fernando Pessoa was recently placed in a leafy corner of Place Flagey. The Portuguese bookshop Orfeu opened soon after Portugal joined the EU (43 Rue du Taciturne) and the Portuguese community has its own website with a list of bars, restaurants and shops.
Scandinavia
The Swedes introduced new forms of fitness, but Sweden’s main impact on Brussels lies out in the suburbs, where three Ikea superstores provide city dwellers with neat furniture and smart lamps. The Danish Cultural Institute at 22 Rue du Cornet organises concerts, exhibitions and language courses in all Scandinavian languages. The surprising and often eccentric culture of Finland is showcased at the Finnish Cultural Centre, at 20 Rue de Luxembourg, and Scandinavian specialities are sold at Scan Shop in Waterloo (113 Chaussée de Tervuren) and Gourmet Food & Gifts (see Britain).
Spain
The Spanish community is one of the most active and integrated in the city. The region of Asturias has restored an abandoned Socialist printing works to create a striking centre, the Casa de Asturias, at 36-38 Rue St Laurent, while the Galician community converted a downtown department store into a stylish restaurant and cultural centre, La Tentation. The Cervantes Institute at 64 Avenue de Tervuren organises Spanish lessons, and the bookshop Punto Y Coma at 115a Rue Stevin sells Spanish books and DVDs.
