The+Parc+du+Cinquantenaire

The Parc du Cinquantenaire or Jubelpark is a park but is also known as a national landmark in Brussels. The name translates to “Park of the fiftieth anniversary”. The Arch was planned for the world exhibition of 1880 and built during the reign of King Leopold II and was meant to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the independence of Belgium. The original architect was the Belgian Gideon Bordiau, who spent 20 years on the project and died in 1904. The completion of the monument was than the topic of a continuous battle between King Leopold II and the Belgian government, which did not want to spend the money required to complete it. His successor was the French architect Charles Girault. Girault changed the design from a single arch to a tripartite arch, and began a course of round-the-clock, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to finish construction in a final push to complete it. Finally when it was done it sat just outside the inner close to the European Quarter. At the south eastern point, a giant arch with two long halls extending out rests behind a fountain marking the grand entrance. The two arms of the arch are home to three museums in Brussels. The left arm is Autoworld, a museum dedicated to cars which presents the evolution of cars throughout history. The right arm has an art museum and an army museum.On a clear day people can climb to the top of the arch from an entrance in the army museum to see a great clear view of all of Brussels. The entire park area is populated with international people working among European institutions and large corporations, which have offices in Brussels. They keep everyone entertained throughout the year by hosting events such as concerts, club nights, festivals, drive-through-cinemas, environmental days, aperitifs, and even the starting line to Brussels marathons at the park.

Today the various buildings of the Cinquantenaire host three musea and one mosque. The surrounding park area is used for several purposes in the summer, such as military parades and drive-in movies. It is also the starting point for the 20 km of Brussels, an annual run with 30,000 participants.