1885 in Belgium

The following lists events that happened during 1885 in the Kingdom of Belgium.

Incumbents

 * Monarch: Leopold II
 * Prime Minister: Auguste Marie François Beernaert

Events

 * Belgian State Railways Type 6 steam locomotive taken into use.
 * 26 February – Conclusion of the Berlin Conference granting sovereignty over the Congo Basin to Leopold II.
 * 6 April – Inaugural meeting of the Belgian Labour Party held in Brussels.
 * 30 April – Leopold II receives parliamentary authorisation to assume sovereignty over the Congo Basin
 * 2 May – World Exhibition in Antwerp opens (to 2 November)
 * 1 August – Congo Free State established

Publications

 * Periodicals
 * Bulletin du Musée royal d'histoire naturelle de Belgique, vol. 3.


 * Books
 * Karl Baedeker, Belgium and Holland: Handbook for Travellers
 * Joseph Van den Gheyn, Essais de mythologie et de philologie comparée

Art and architecture

 * Paintings
 * Fernand Khnopff, Portrait of Jeanne Kéfer
 * Constantin Meunier, The Potato Diggers
 * Théo van Rysselberghe, Portrait of Octave Maus


 * Sculptures
 * Thomas Vinçotte, The Horse Tamer (Brussels)

Births

 * 29 January – Raoul Van Overstraeten, general (died 1977)
 * 29 June – Camille Clifford, actress (died 1971)
 * 17 November – Henri De Man, politician (died 1953)

Deaths

 * 27 May – Charles Rogier (born 1800), politician
 * 20 August – Édouard Agneessens (born 1842), painter
 * 9 October – Joseph Geefs (born 1808), sculptor