@travelreinhard: From Convent to Europe: The Forgotten Story Beneath the Berlaymont When people think of the Berlaymont today, they picture the headquarters of Europe. Four enormous wings rising above Brussels, offices of the European Commission, and a building that has become inseparable from Brussels as the capital of Europe. But the exact same spot once looked completely different. There was a convent there, surrounded by gardens, where generations of girls were educated and raised. The story goes back to 1625, when Marguerite de Lalaing, wife of Count Florent de Berlaymont, founded the religious community known as the Dames de Berlaymont. The sisters devoted themselves not only to religious life, but also to educating girls. Over the centuries, Brussels changed — and the convent changed with it. The community moved several times before finally settling on what is now the Rue de la Loi in 1864. At the time, this part of Brussels was still relatively quiet and green. The sisters built a large complex there, with a convent, school, boarding facilities, gardens and even a sports field. It is almost impossible to imagine today. Where diplomats, European commissioners and thousands of civil servants now walk, pupils once moved through the corridors of a Catholic girls' boarding school. Behind the walls was a green, enclosed world that had little in common with the European Quarter we know today. Then, in the 1950s, Brussels began to change again. The European institutions were expanding, and the Belgian state was looking for a large site for a new administrative centre. The Berlaymont grounds were ideally located: spacious, central and right in the area where the European institutions were beginning to establish themselves. The future of the convent was becoming clear. The Belgian state acquired the site in the early 1960s. The sisters moved to a new complex in Argenteuil, near Waterloo, and by 1963, the old property had been handed over. The old Brussels was about to disappear. The convent, chapel, gardens and boarding school were demolished to make way for one of the most ambitious office buildings of post-war Europe. Construction of the new Berlaymont began in 1963, designed by Lucien De Vestel, Jean Gilson and André and Jean Polak. Its architecture was the complete opposite of what had stood there before: modern, technical and unapologetically forward-looking. The four wings were designed to appear suspended above the ground, creating the distinctive shape that would become one of Brussels' most recognisable silhouettes. The building was completed in 1967 and became the headquarters of the European Commission. And just like that, the meaning of the place changed completely. First, it was a convent where girls were educated. Then, it became a symbol of European unity. And strangely enough, the name survived. Berlaymont. The name of a noble family. The name of a convent. The name of a girls' boarding school. And today, the name of one of the most recognisable buildings in the European Union. So the next time you pass the Berlaymont, remember that underneath all that concrete and glass is another Brussels — one of convent gardens, schoolgirls and quiet corridors. A Brussels that disappeared, but never completely left. #brussels #europe #european #belgium

travelreinhard

Open In TikTok:

Region: BE

Saturday 22 August 2026 15:47:41 GMT