Fortifications of Brussels

Fortifications of Brussels
Fortifications de Bruxelles (French) Vestingwerken van Brussel (Dutch)
Brussels, Belgium
A 1555 map of Brussels. The inner first walls are less visible than the outer second walls.
Coordinates	50°49′59″N 4°20′42″E / 50.833°N 4.345°E / 50.833; 4.345
Type	City walls
Site history
Built	13th century (13th century): first walls 14th century (14th century): second walls
Materials	Stone

The Fortifications of Brussels (French: Fortifications de Bruxelles; Dutch: Vestingwerken van Brussel) refers to the medieval city walls that surrounded Brussels, Belgium, built primarily to defend the city but also for administrative reasons. There were two stages of fortifications of Brussels: the first walls, built in the early 13th century, and the second walls, built in the late 14th century and later upgraded. In the 19th century, the second walls were torn down and replaced with the Small Ring, a series of boulevards bounding the historical city centre. Nowadays, only a few sections of each walls remain, most notably the Halle Gate.