Meise

Bouchout Castle (Dutch: Kasteel van Bouchout) is a castle in the Flemish town of Meise, Belgium. In the 12th century, this territory of the young Duchy of Brabant was strategically positioned between the County of Flanders and the Berthout family, lords of Grimbergen. Most likely, the first fortification was built by Wouter van Craaynem at the end of the Grimbergen Wars (1150–1170). Bouchout Castle is situated at an altitude of 32 meters. At about 1300, the Donjon tower of Bouchout Castle was erected by Daniel van Bouchout, a knight who fought gloriously at the Battle of Worringen. In the 15th and 16th century, Bouchout Castle was owned by the Van der Marck and van Sevenbergen sayd Transylvanus families. The castle fell into disrepair due to lack of maintenance, while the Spanish dominance and the iconoclastic fury further worsened its condition. The first major renovation was performed by Christoffel d'Assonville at about 1600. The rectangular medieval Bouchout Castle was surrounded by a large pond and could only be reached by a long drawbridge. At the end of the 17th century, Peter-Ferdinand Roose transformed the castle into a Renaissance "Chateau de Bouchout", surrounded with French ornamental gardens. Unfortunately, the castle was partly destroyed during the French Revolution period (1800–1830). Again, the castle was restored in 1832 by count Amadeus de Beauffort, who gave Bouchout Castle its current Neo-Gothic appearance. From 1879 until 1927, Empress Carlota of Mexico, born Princess Charlotte of Belgium, lived at the Bouchout Domain. Her husband Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico, head of the Second Mexican Empire, was executed by Mexican republicans in 1867. Thereafter Charlotte led a secluded life at Bouchout Castle. Since 1939, the Bouchout Domain has developed into the National Botanic Garden of Belgium. Since the last renovation of 1987–1989, the castle and its rooms are now being used for meetings, lectures and exhibitions.

Strombeek-Bever is a town with approximately 11,500 inhabitants in the municipality of Grimbergen, in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium. A suburb on the north side of Brussels, it is separated from Grimbergen proper by the R0 ring road around the city. It borders Laken to the south and the municipality of Vilvoorde to the east. The official language is Dutch (as everywhere in Flanders). Strombeek is home to a substantial minority of French-speakers.

The Heysel Plateau (French: Plateau du Heysel, Dutch: Heizelplateau) or Heysel Park (French: Parc du Heysel, Dutch: Heizelpark), usually shortened to Heysel (French: [ɛzɛl]) or Heizel (Dutch: [ˈɦɛizəl] (listen)), is a neighbourhood, park and exhibition space in Laeken, northern Brussels, Belgium, where the Brussels International Exposition of 1935 and the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo 58) took place. The Atomium, a symbolic 103-metre-tall (338 ft) modernist structure, originally built for Expo 58, is the most impressive monument on the Heysel Plateau and is now considered a landmark of Brussels. Opposite it, the Centenary Palace is one of the lasting remaining buildings of the 1935 World's Fair. It was also the venue for the 32nd Eurovision Song Contest in 1987. Currently, it is home to the Brussels Exhibition Centre (Brussels Expo), the city's most important event complex in Belgium and the largest exhibition space in the Benelux.The Heysel Plateau was also the location of the Heysel Stadium, Belgium's former national stadium, originally built in 1930. After the Heysel Stadium disaster of 1985, which claimed the lives of 39 spectators at the European Cup final, it was demolished and in its place was built the more modern and secure King Baudouin Stadium. The Bruparck entertainment park (with among others Mini-Europe miniature park and Kinepolis cinema) and the Planetarium of the Royal Observatory of Belgium are also located there, as is the Palais 12/Paleis 12, a large and modern multiuse indoor arena with a maximum capacity of 15,000 people. This site is served by Heysel/Heizel metro station on line 6 of the Brussels Metro.

Palais 12 / Paleis 12 (French: Palais 12, Dutch: Paleis 12) is an indoor arena in Brussels used for concerts and spectacles. With a capacity of roughly 15,000 it is one of the largest indoor venues in Belgium. Located in the Heysel Exhibition Park, it was originally built in 1989 but was redesigned and reopened in its current form in 2013. Palais 12 forms the foundation stone for the NEO project, which aims to refurbish the Heysel Plateau into a new, modern, multipurpose neighbourhood in northern Brussels.

The Brussels Exhibition Centre (French: Parc des Expositions de Bruxelles, Dutch: Tentoonstellingspark van Brussel), also known as Brussels Expo, is the most important event complex in Brussels, Belgium. Located on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Laeken (northern part of the City of Brussels), the twelve halls that comprise it are used for the largest national and international trade fairs, exhibitions and other events. With 115,000 m2 (1,240,000 sq ft) of facility space, they constitute the largest exhibition space in the Benelux. They are also a remarkable witness to the evolution of construction techniques during the 20th century.

The European Motor Show Brussels is an auto show held biennial in the city of Brussels, Belgium. The number of visitors is around 600.000. The show is organized by FEBIAC and is scheduled by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles.

Trademart Brussels is a 200000 m2 wholesale trade center in Brussels, Belgium, located on the Heysel Plateau, housing showrooms which sells consumer products. The marketplace is closed to the public but open to certified retail buyers and interior designers, manufacturers and industry professionals. It is the largest purchasing center for retail professionals in Europe.

Heysel (French) or Heizel (Dutch) is a Brussels metro station on line 6. It is located in Laeken, in the northwest of the City of Brussels (Belgium), and serves the Heysel/Heizel Plateau, famous for the World's Fairs of 1935 and 1958, the King Baudouin Stadium (formerly known as the Heysel Stadium) and the Atomium. The Bruparck entertainment park (with among others Mini-Europe miniature park and Kinepolis cinema) and the Centenary Palace, home to the Brussels Exhibition Centre (Brussels Expo), are also located nearby. The station opened on 5 July 1985. Prior to 1998, it was the western terminus of former line 1A (now line 6). The line was expanded to the King Baudouin metro station for the 2000 UEFA European Football Championship. It offers a connection with tram route 7 as well as bus routes 84 and 88.

Design Museum Brussels is a museum located in the Heysel/Heizel Park in Brussels, Belgium. The space focuses on design works from the 20th and 21st centuries.

Wemmel (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈʋɛməl] (listen); French pronunciation: ​[wɛmɛl]) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality only comprises the town of Wemmel proper. On January 1, 2018, Wemmel had a total population of 16,347. The total area is 8.74 km² which gives a population density of 1,870 inhabitants per km². The official language is Dutch, as everywhere in Flanders. In 1954, however, special linguistic facilities were given to local French-speakers. Although outside the Brussels-Capital Region, Wemmel is sometimes considered part of the suburbs of Brussels. The Brussels orbital motorway, known as the ring, cuts through the southern part of the town.

King Baudouin (French: Roi Baudouin, Dutch: Koning Boudewijn) is a Brussels metro station and the western terminus of line 6 (formerly 1A). It is located in Laeken, in the northwest of the City of Brussels (Belgium), and serves the King Baudouin Stadium. It opened on 25 August 1998.

Grimbergen Abbey is a Premonstratensian monastery in Grimbergen, Flemish Brabant, Belgium, established in 1128 in the place of an earlier foundation of Augustinian Canons. The abbey itself was dissolved in 1796 in the aftermath of the French Revolution, but the abbey church of Saint Servatius survived as the parish church of Grimbergen. After the French Revolution the abbey was reinstated. The building in its present form dates from 1660. It was elevated to the status of basilica minor in 1999.