Das Europaviertel — EU-Institutionen & die Hauptstadt Europas
Brussels is the de facto capital of the European Union — the seat of the European Commission (the executive body of the EU), the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament (which sits in both Brussels and Strasbourg), and approximately 1,000 other European and international institutions, plus over 1,400 lobbyist organizations: the European Quarter (Quartier Européen/Europese Wijk) — the dense cluster of EU institution buildings in the Ixelles/Etterbeek communes east of the historic centre — is the most important political neighbourhood in Europe.
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Berlaymont Building — EU Commission Headquarters
The Berlaymont (1967, renovated 2004) is the X-shaped EU Commission building in the Schuman Quarter — 3,000 Eurocrats work here in 24 official EU languages, and the permanent cloud of lobbyists outside has earned the quarter the nickname 'Brussels Bubble.'
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European Parliament — The World's Largest Directly Elected Assembly
The European Parliament's hemicycle (1998, architect Lucien Kroll) in the Leopold Quarter hosts 705 MEPs from 27 nations — tours of the plenary chamber and the visitors' gallery during plenary sessions are available to EU citizens.
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Parlamentarium — EU's Largest Visitor Center
The Parlamentarium is the European Parliament's free visitor center — an immersive exhibition on European history from 1945 to the present day, the largest of its kind in the world, with touchscreen interviews of MEPs in all EU languages.
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Espace Léopold & European Bubble Culture
The cafes, restaurants, and Irish pubs of the Espace Léopold area around the Parliament serve the 'Eurocrats' — the permanent Brussels diplomatic community of 50,000+ lobbying professionals, interpreters, and NGO staff that constitute their own subculture.
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NATO Headquarters — Evere
NATO's 1967 Brussels headquarters (relocated from Paris after De Gaulle's withdrawal) was replaced by a €1.2 billion Norman Foster-designed complex in 2018 — the eagle-claw shaped building is the Alliance's most photographed architectural symbol.
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African Quarter — Matongé & Ixelles
The Matongé district in Ixelles is Brussels' Congolese and Central African community — a legacy of Belgian colonialism that created the largest African diaspora in Western Europe. The Chaussée de Wavre's African restaurants, hair salons, and fabric shops are unlike anywhere else in Europe.