Timeline of Brussels

The following is a timeline of the history of Brussels, Belgium.

Prehistory

 * 10,000–2600 BCE – Polished silex from the Mesolithic era are located in the Nekkersgat.
 * 3000–2200 BCE – First known settlements in the region during the Neolithic era, located in the Sonian Forest.
 * 1000–800 BCE – Celtic tribes settle in what is now Brussels.

Roman Period

 * A fairly important Roman settlement in existence in.
 * 1st century CE – A Roman villa is constructed in Anderlecht, located near today's Allée de la Villa Romaine/Romeinse-Villadreef.
 * 2nd century CE – A Gallo-Roman villa is constructed in Jette, located in today's King Baudouin Park.
 * 175 CE – A Roman villa in existence in Laeken.

Middle Ages

 * 4th–6th centuries CE
 * Frankish tribes occupy territories between the Meuse and Scheldt rivers.
 * A Frankish tomb is build on the Zeecrabbeweg.
 * 580 – Saint Gaugericus builds a chapel on an island in the river Senne, laying the origin of the settlement which is to become Brussels.
 * 843 – 10 August: The region becomes part of Lotharingia after the signing of the Treaty of Verdun.
 * 870 – First mention of the in the Treaty of Meerssen.
 * 959 – The city becomes part of Lower Lotharingia.
 * 977–979 – A castrum is constructed on Saint-Géry/Sint-Goriks Island.
 * 979 – Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine, transfers the relics of Saint Gudula to the chapel built by Saint Gaugericus, marking the city's official founding.
 * 1001 – Otto, Duke of Lower Lorraine, becomes.
 * 1012 – Saint Guy dies in Anderlecht on his return home from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
 * 1015–1020 – Oldest written record of the city by.
 * 1041–1047 – The Palace of Coudenberg begins construction.
 * 1047 – The relics of Saint Gudula are transferred from Moorsel to the original Church of St. Michael.
 * 1063–1100 – The city's first fortifications are built.
 * 1095 – Dieleghem Abbey is first attested.
 * 1105 – Forest Abbey is founded.
 * 1125 – The is first attested.
 * 1129 – The Lindekemale Mill is first attested.
 * 1142 or 1147 – The takes place.
 * 1174 – The Grand-Place/Grote Markt is first attested as the Forum inferior or Nedermerckt.
 * 1183 – The Duchy of Brabant is formed after the merger of the and Leuven and the Landgraviate of Brabant.
 * 1190 – Richard I of England passes through the city.
 * 1195 – Saint John Clinic is established.
 * 1196 – La Cambre Abbey is founded.
 * 1209 – The is first attested.
 * 1213 – The Ancien Grand Serment royal et noble des Arbalétriers de Notre-Dame au Sablon schutterij of arbalists is founded.
 * 1225 – The current Church of St. Michael and St. Gudula begins construction.
 * 1229 – 10 June: Henry I, Duke of Brabant, issues a for the city.
 * 1250 – The Great Beguinage of Brussels is formalised by John the Victorious.
 * 1252 – The is founded.
 * 1253 – Karreveld Castle is first attested.
 * 1258 – The is first attested.
 * 1262 – Adelaide of Burgundy, Duchess of Brabant, establishes the, the first women's priory in the Low Countries to follow Saint Dominic's rule.
 * 1267 – John the Victorious relocates the capital of the Duchy of Brabant from Leuven to the city.
 * 1282 – First mention of the Drapery Court and the.
 * 1290 – 18 June: The hermit is buried alive for theft and witchcraft, with a  later built on her burial site.
 * 1292 – John the Victorious grants the town the right to revenues collected at the city gates.
 * 1295 – John the Peaceful authorises aldermen to collect duty on beer as a town revenue.
 * 1296 – 14 February: Obbrussel becomes part of the.
 * 1303–1306
 * by the Guilds of Brussels to secure power-sharing with the patriciate.
 * The first democratic government is established.
 * 1304 – The Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon is founded.
 * 1306 – The Seven Noble Houses of Brussels are first attested.
 * 1308 – The Meyboom is first attested.
 * 1318 – John of Ruusbroec becomes a parish priest at the Church of St. Michael and St. Gudula together with his uncle Jan Hinckaert.
 * 1321 – Dry Borren is first attested as a hermitage.
 * 1335 – 23 August: The Christian mystic Heilwige Bloemardinne, considered the city's first feminist, dies.
 * 1342 – The city bans the construction of thatched roofs to prevent fires.
 * 1348 – The Ommegang begins as a Marian procession.
 * 1349
 * The Black Death arrives in the city.
 * A pogrom against the Jewish population takes place.
 * 1356
 * The Joyous Entry of Joanna and Wenceslaus into the city takes place.
 * 17 August: : Louis II, Count of Flanders defeats Joanna, Duchess of Brabant, who then besieges the city.
 * 24 October – The city is liberated by group of Brabantian patriots led by Everard 't Serclaes, Lord of Kruikenburg.
 * The expansion of the city's fortifications begins.
 * 1360–1364 – by the Guilds to secure power-sharing with the patriciate.
 * 1367 – The Red Cloister is founded.
 * 1370 – The Sacrament of Miracle occurs, killing 6–20, followed by the expulsion of the city's remaining Jewish population.
 * 1380 – Geert Pipenpoy becomes the city's first mayor.
 * 1381 – The Grand Serment des Arbalétriers de Bruxelles and Serment de Saint-Georges schutterijen of arbalists and archers are founded by the Duchess of Brabant.
 * 1383 – The original Halle Gate is built.
 * 1388 – 31 March: Everard t'Serclaes dies at the guildhall on the Grand-Place.
 * 1400 – Population: c. 20,000.
 * 1401 – The Town Hall begins construction on the Grand-Place.
 * 1406
 * The Joyous Entry of Anthony the Great Bastard into the city takes place.
 * 14 April: A fire destroys part of the Chapel Church and the surrounding neighbourhood.
 * 1420 – 5 February: chamber of rhetoric is recognised by John IV, Duke of Brabant.
 * 1421
 * A popular uprising takes place.
 * The guilds are represented in the city government alongside the patrician lineages of the Seven Noble Houses.
 * 1436 – Rogier van der Weyden appointed city artist.
 * 1455
 * The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament of the Miracle is built.
 * The Town Hall is completed.
 * 1464 – Population: c. 39,000.
 * 1476 – The first printing press is in operation in the city.
 * 1477
 * The Habsburgs come to power in the Burgundian Netherlands, with the city as their capital.
 * March: under Willem van Marbais, Jan Bogaert and Willem van Ruysbroeck (son of architect Jan van Ruysbroeck).
 * 4 June: The Joyous Entry of Mary of Burgundy into the city takes place.
 * 1479 – 13 October: chamber of rhetoric is first attested.
 * 1480 – The  schutterij of archers and fencers is established.
 * 1486
 * chamber of rhetoric is first attested following the Joyous Entry of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor.
 * 6 May: chamber of rhetoric is first attested.
 * 1499 – 25 February: The is established by members of De Lelie and De Violette.

16th & 17th centuries

 * 1507 – 15 September: chamber of rhetoric is established following the merger of De Lelie and De Violette, with  becoming its first factor.
 * 1511 – The Miracle of 1511 takes place.
 * 1515 – 28 January: The Joyous Entry of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and Philip the Prudent into the city takes place.
 * 1516 – 4 December: The Treaty of Brussels is signed; Ending the War of the League of Cambrai.
 * 1521 – May–October: Erasmus moves to Anderlecht for health, political, and religious reasons and stays in the house of Canon Peter Wijchmans.
 * 1522
 * September: The is built.
 * 8 February: The Treaty of Brussels between Charles V and Archduke Ferdinand concerning the latter’s sovereignty over the Austrian Hereditary Lands.
 * 1523 – 1 July: Jan van Essen and Hendrik Vos are burned at the stake at the Grand-Place, becoming the first victims of the Inquisition in the Netherlands.
 * 1526 – 20 October: A fire destroys three houses in the Rue des Six Jetons/Zespenningenstraat.
 * 1528 – 15 September: The body, a collaborator of Jan van Essen and Hendrik Vos, is carried on a sledge to the gallows field on  to be buried in unconsecrated ground.
 * 1536 – The original King's House is built on the Grand-Place for the Duke of Brabant.
 * 1539 – 3 January: The is established in response to Charles V's 7 October 1531 edict, which banned begging and centralised town welfare revenue to combat pauperism.
 * 1543 – Brussels lace is explicitly mentioned for the first time in a list of presents given to Princess Mary for New Year's.
 * 1555 – 25 October: Charles V abdicates in the Aula Magna of the Palace of Coudenberg.
 * 1561 – 12 October: The city's port and the Willebroek Canal are opened.
 * 1565 – 11 November: The wedding of Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, and Maria of Portugal, Hereditary Princess of Parma, takes place.
 * 1566 – 5 April: The signatories of the gain access to the Palace of Coudenberg to present it to Margaret of Parma.
 * 1567
 * 22 August: Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba, arrives in the city.
 * 30 August: Margaret of Parma resigns as Governess of the Netherlands and flees the city.
 * 9 September: The Council of Troubles is established.
 * 1568
 * 1 June: Eighteen signatories of the Compromise of Nobles are decapitated at the Peerdemerct.
 * 5 June: The Counts of Egmont and Horn are at the Grand-Place.
 * 1575 – A plague outbreak kills thousands.
 * 1576 – 4 September: The  is founded following  of the Council of State and the Secret Council.
 * 1577 – 24 September: The into the city takes place.
 * 1579 – 6 June: The Great Beguinage is looted by Scottish auxiliary troops as part of the larger Beeldenstorm.
 * 1580
 * 1 May: All public displays of Catholicism are banned.
 * 9–10 July: The Halle under the command of.
 * 1585 – 10 March: The by the Army of Flanders.
 * 1594 – 30 January: The Joyous Entry of Archduke Ernest of Austria into the city takes place.
 * 1599 – 5 September: The Joyous Entry of Albert VII, Archduke of Austria, and Isabella Clara Eugenia into the city takes place.
 * 1595
 * The Kaiserliche Reichspost postal service is established in the city.
 * 13 September: is burned at the stake at the Grand-Place for wichcraft.
 * 1604 – 16 July: St John Berchmans College is established.
 * 1607 – The Brussels Carmel is founded.
 * 1618 – 28 September: The opens.
 * 1619
 * The original Manneken Pis statue is commissioned.
 * 12 July: A riot breaks out after the city imposes a tax on wine and beer (the gigot).
 * 1622 – The funeral of Archduke Albert VII takes place.
 * 1646
 * The is founded.
 * 6 October: Purple rain falls on the city; the downpour elicits scientific examination and explanation.
 * 1654 – The Barony of Jette is formed.
 * 1657 – De Wijngaard theatre company is established, possibly out of 't Mariacranske.
 * 1659 – The Barony of Jette is elevated to a county.
 * 1672 – is built.
 * 1682 – 24 January: The Opéra du Quai au Foin opens as the first public theatre in the city.
 * 1690 – 11–12 October: A fire breaks out in guildhall on the Grand-Place.
 * 1695 – 13–15 August: The city is bombarded by the French, destroying a third of its buildings, including the Grand-Place.
 * 1697–1698: Reconstruction of the Grand-Place is largely completed.
 * 1698 – 1 May: Manneken Pis receives his first costume from the Governor of the Austrian Netherlands, Maximilian II Emanuel of Bavaria.
 * 1700 – 17 October: The first Theatre of La Monnaie, then spelled La Monnoye, opens.

18th century

 * 1701 – The Nassau Palace suffers extensive damage from a fire.
 * 1703 – 3 February: The Chamber of Commerce and Industry is founded by Isidro de la Cueva y Benavides, much to the displeasure of the Drapery Court.
 * 1705 – is built.
 * 1706 – The English–Dutch army enters Brussels.
 * 1711 – 30 September: The Royal Academy of Fine Arts is established.
 * 1714
 * March 6: Treaty of Rastatt is signed; the city becomes part of the Austrian Netherlands.
 * 25 July: The Belfry of Brussels collapses.
 * 1717 – 14–18 April: Peter the Great visits the city.
 * 1719 – 19 September: François Anneessens is executed at the Grand-Place.
 * 1724 – March: The Senne floods: The lower city is 3 feet underwater.
 * 1731 – 3–4 February: The Palace of Coudenberg is destroyed by fire.
 * 1744 – Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine enters the city.
 * 1746 – 29 January–22 February: The city is besieged and captured by the French.
 * 1749 – January: The city is returned to Austria with the rest of the Austrian Netherlands following the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.
 * 1755 – Population: 57,370.
 * 1769 – Vanparys Confiserie is established by Felix Vanparys.
 * 1771–1778 – is first attested on the Ferraris map.
 * 1772
 * The Opéra flamand is established.
 * Faro is first attested.
 * 16 December: The Imperial and Royal Academy is established.
 * 1774 – The Rue Royale/Koningsstraat is laid out.
 * 1775
 * Brussels Park is laid out.
 * The Place des Martyrs/Martelaarsplein, then called the Place Saint-Michel/Sint-Michielsplein, is laid out.
 * 1778 – The Palace of the Nation begins construction.
 * 1779 – The is built.
 * 1781 – Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor visits the city.
 * 1782
 * The Place Royale/Koningsplein is laid out.
 * 1 May: The brothers Alexandre and Herman Bultos receive permission to construct the Royal Park Theatre as an annex to the Theatre of La Monnaie.
 * 1787 – The Vauxhall opens.
 * 1783 – The Royal Palace of Brussels begins construction.
 * 1784
 * The city's gates are demolished, except for the Halle Gate.
 * The Palace of Schonenberg is built.
 * 1787 – 29 October: The Church of St. James on Coudenberg is consecrated.
 * 1789 – The Brabant Revolution reaches the city and makes the Austrian authorities flee.
 * 1790
 * 11 January: The city becomes the capital of the United Belgian States.
 * 2 December: The Austrians take the city back and pledge to reverse the reforms of Joseph II.
 * 1792 – 14 November: General Charles-François Dumouriez enters the city.
 * 1795 – 1 October: The French rule begins; the city becomes the chef-lieu of the department of the Dyle.
 * 1796
 * The Guilds of Brussels are suppressed.
 * La Cambre Abbey and Forest Abbey are abolished.
 * The Church of St. Gaugericus is demolished.
 * 1800
 * Population: 66,297.
 * 10 January: The  literary society is established.

19th century

 * 1801 – 8 July: The Brussels Stock Exchange is founded by decree of First Consul Napoleon.
 * 1803
 * The Museum of Fine Arts opens.
 * Napoleon visits the city.
 * 1805 – D'Ieteren is established by master coachbuilder Joseph-Jean D'Ieteren.
 * 1806 – 25 March: The, an academy of the Imperial University of France, is established.
 * 1810
 * Official visit by Emperor Napoleon.
 * 19 May: Ordinance to build the Small Ring.
 * 14 December: The is established by imperial decree.
 * 1811 – 4 November: The first Brussels Salon is held.
 * 1813 – The Royal Conservatory of Brussels is founded.
 * 1815
 * 15 June: The Duchess of Richmond's ball takes place.
 * 24 August: The city becomes the joint capital of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
 * 1817: 19 February: William III of the Netherlands is born in the Palace of the Nation.
 * 1819
 * 25 May: The new Theatre of La Monnaie is inaugurated.
 * The city is illuminated by gas.
 * 1821 – De Wijngaard is integrated into.
 * 1822 – The Société générale de Belgique is headquartered in the city.
 * 1823 – The Société des douze is established as a continuation of the Société de littérature de Bruxelles.
 * 1826
 * 8 June: The Royal Observatory of Belgium is founded by King William I of the Netherlands under the impulse of Adolphe Quetelet.
 * 1829
 * The Delvaux leather luxury goods brand is established by Charles Delvaux.
 * biscuiterie is established on the Rue au Beurre/Boterstraat by Jean-Baptiste Dandoy.
 * 1 September: The Botanical Garden of Brussels opens with fireworks, celebrations and a banquet.
 * 1830
 * Population: 98,279 city; 120,981 metro.
 * The is founded by Philippe Vandermaelen.
 * The Royal Theatre Toone is founded.
 * 25 August: The Belgian Revolution starts in the city.
 * 22 October: Nicolas-Jean Rouppe is appointed the first Mayor of Brussels in an independent Belgium by royal decree.
 * 1831
 * 7 February: The Constitution of Belgium is ratified; the city becomes the capital of the Kingdom of Belgium.
 * 25 February: Érasme-Louis Surlet de Chokier takes the constitutional oath at the Palace of the Nation.
 * 21 July: King Leopold I takes the constitutional oath at the Place Royale/Koningsplein.
 * 1832
 * A cholera epidemic kills over 3,000.
 * 22 September: The Brussels–Charleroi Canal is officially opened.
 * 1833 – 23 February: The Grand Orient of Belgium secedes from the Grand Orient of the Netherlands.
 * 1834
 * 7 February: The Royal Military Academy is founded.
 * 5–6 April: The city's nobility by pro-Belgian protesters on the Orangist nobility.
 * 20 November: The Free University of Brussels is founded.
 * 1835 – 5 May: The first passenger train on a public railway in continental Europe departs from the Allée Verte/Groendreef railway station.
 * 1837
 * The Bollandist Society is reestablished under the patronage of the Belgian government.
 * 19 June: The Royal Library of Belgium is founded.
 * 1838 – 13 September: Guillaume-Hippolyte van Volxem is appointed mayor by royal decree.
 * 1841 – 14 April: François-Jean Wyns de Raucour is appointed mayor by royal decree.
 * 1842
 * Charlotte and Emily Brontë enroll at the boarding school run by Constantin Héger, which was located at what is now the Centre for Fine Arts.
 * 8 February: The Cercle du Parc private club is established when a group of Belgicist noblemen left the Orangist Cercle de l'Union.
 * 1844 – The Belgian-Bavarian friturist, also known as Monsieur Fritz, opens Fritz à l'instar Paris, the first friterie in the city.
 * 1845
 * Saint Mary's Royal Church begins construction.
 * The first telegraph line links the city with Antwerp.
 * 1846
 * Population: 123,874 city.
 * 31 March: The Museum of Natural Sciences is founded.
 * 24 September: The  is founded by Antoine Schayes.
 * 1847
 * The Avenue Louise/Louizalaan is commissioned.
 * May: Systematic construction of sidewalks begins.
 * 20 June: The Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries open alongside the Théâtre Royal des Galeries.
 * August: The German Workers' Society is founded in the city by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
 * 1848
 * September: The second International Peace Congress is held in the city.
 * 5 October: Charles de Brouckère becomes mayor.
 * 23 November: The  artist collective is established with Adolphe Quetelet as its first president.
 * 1850
 * Population: 142,289 city; 222,424 metro.
 * 5 May: The National Bank of Belgium is established by Minister Walthère Frère-Orban, replacing the Société générale de Belgique as fiscal agent of the Belgian Government.
 * 1852 – The Tooneel der Volksbeschouwing is established following the desire to create a permanent Flemish theatre company in the city.
 * 1853 – 7 April: The European Quarter is annexed from Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Etterbeek and Schaerbeek by the City of Brussels.
 * 1855
 * Brussels-Luxembourg railway station is built.
 * Last public execution is held at the Halle Gate.
 * 1856
 * 28 March: The reconstructed Royal Theatre of La Monnaie opens.
 * 11 June: The Société royale belge des aquarellistes was founded under the chairmanship of Jean-Baptiste Madou after sixteen painters were inspired by the Royal Watercolour Society.
 * 1857
 * The Ancienne Belgique opens.
 * Saint-Louis University moves to the city from Mechelen.
 * The first municipal water service is established.
 * 1859 – The Congress Column is erected.
 * 1860
 * Population: 185,982 city; 300,341 metro.
 * Duties and tolls on goods entering the city are abolished.
 * 21 April: André-Napoléon Fontainas becomes mayor.
 * 1861 – The Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos is laid out.
 * 1862 – 28 November: The Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is established in Scheut by Théophile Verbist.
 * 1863 – 15 December: Jules Anspach is appointed mayor by royal decree.
 * 1864
 * The Avenue Louise and Bois de la Cambre are annexed from Ixelles by the City of Brussels.
 * 26 September: Nadar launches the hot air balloon Le Géant from the Botanical Garden. To ensure the crowd's safety, Jules Anspach erects mobile barriers, thereby inventing crowd control barriers.
 * 3 October: The Isabelle Gatti de Gamond Royal Atheneum is established as the first non-denominational educational institution for girls in Belgium.
 * 1865 – 17 December: King Leopold II takes the constitutional oath at the Palace of the Nation.
 * 1866 – Population: 157,905 city.
 * 1867
 * The covering of the Senne begins.
 * The Legend of Thyl Ulenspiegel and Lamme Goedzak is published by Charles De Coster.
 * The  is established as a continuation of the Grand Serment des Arbalétriers de Bruxelles and Serment de Saint-Georges schutterijen.
 * Witlof is sold for the first time in a market, likely the New Market at the steps of the Congress Column, after being created by.
 * 1868
 * The Antoine Wiertz Museum opens.
 * 1 March: The Société Libre des Beaux-Arts is established.
 * 1869 – 1 May: Trams begin operating in the city.
 * 1871
 * The covering of the Senne is completed; the Central Boulevards are laid out.
 * The Bank of Brussels is established.
 * The Halle Gate is renovated in the neo-Gothic style.
 * 1872 – The Church of Our Lady of Laeken is consecrated.
 * 1873
 * The new building for the Brussels Stock Exchange is completed.
 * The daily Old Market on the Place du Jeu de Balle/Vossenplein is established.
 * The Concert Noble opens in the Leopold Quarter.
 * 1874
 * The Royal Greenhouses of Laeken begin construction.
 * Brussels Cemetery is laid out.
 * The are established by the Limburgish ébéniste Félix Mommen, becoming the oldest art commune in the city.
 * 2 May: The first Conference of Mayors is held.
 * 23 December:  is formed.
 * 1876 – The is founded by Jean Bosquet and friends to raise money for a nearly bankrupt crèche during Carnival.
 * 1877
 * The Anderlecht Municipal Hall is built.
 * Ixelles Cemetery is created.
 * 6 May: The Musical Instruments Museum opens.
 * 1878
 * 12 January: The Cirque Royal/Koninklijk Circus opens.
 * 20 September: The Great Synagogue of Brussels is consecrated.
 * 1879 – 20 May: Felix Vanderstraeten is appointed mayor by royal decree.
 * 1880
 * A National Exhibition is held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Belgian independence; the Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark is laid out.
 * The White slave trade affair scandal is exposed and attracts international attention.
 * The Midi Fair begins.
 * 1881
 * L'Echo newspaper begins its publication.
 * 17 December: Charles Buls is appointed mayor by royal decree.
 * 1882 – 7 January: The accountant is killed by  on behalf of his brother Armand Peltzer at 159, rue de la Loi/Wetstraat.
 * 1883
 * 15 October: The Palace of Justice of Brussels is inaugurated.
 * 28 October: Les XX artistic society is founded by Octave Maus.
 * 1884 – 3 September: 80,000 Catholics gather in support of the Law Jacobs. Local residents disperse them by dumping sacks of laundry bluing.
 * 1885
 * Population: 171,751 city.
 * The  opens as the Brasserie flamande.
 * 15 June: Saint-Gilles Prison opens.
 * 1886
 * The city is linked by telephone to Paris.
 * café is established on the Rue de la Bourse/Beursstraat by Francesco Cirio.
 * 1887
 * Le Soir newspaper begins its publication.
 * The Palace for Fine Arts is built.
 * The Brussels City Museum opens in the King's House.
 * The Schaerbeek Municipal Hall is built.
 * 16 June: The  is established.
 * 1 October: The Brussels Arsenal reopens as the Royal Flemish Theatre.
 * 1888
 * Het Laatste Nieuws newspaper begins its publication.
 * 24 November: The first Saint Verhaegen/Sint-Verhaegen takes place as a student protest against a reorganisation of the Free University.
 * 1889
 * The Molenbeek-Saint-Jean Municipal Hall is built.
 * 18 November: The Brussels Anti-Slavery Conference begins.
 * 1890
 * The Abattoirs of Anderlecht enter service as a central abattoir for the whole city.
 * The Square du Petit Sablon/Kleine Zavelsquare is laid out.
 * 1891
 * August: The International Socialist Labor Congress is held in the city.
 * 12 December: The  (CIE) is established.
 * 1892
 * restaurant is established.
 * 27 November: The Belgian League for the Rights of Women is established by Marie Popelin and her lawyer Louis Frank.
 * 1893
 * The Paris–Brussels cycle race begins.
 * The Hôtel Tassel is built.
 * The Hankar House is built.
 * The Autrique House is built.
 * is established, laying the basis for the French restaurant chain Léon de Bruxelles.
 * 11–18 April: The Belgian general strike of 1893 is called after politicians of Catholic and Liberal parties joined to block a proposal to expand the suffrage.
 * 29 October: La Libre Esthétique artistic society is founded by Octave Maus as a successor of Les XX.
 * 1894 – The Société Belge d'Études Coloniales is headquartered in the city.
 * 1895 – The Hotel Métropole opens at the Place de Brouckère/De Brouckèreplein.
 * 1896
 * The King's House is rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style.
 * The Villa Bloemenwerf is built.
 * 1 March: The first public showing of moving pictures takes place in the Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries.
 * 1897
 * The Avenue de Tervueren/Tervurenlaan is laid out.
 * The Oriental Pavilion is built.
 * 10 May–8 November: The Brussels International world's fair is held.
 * 1 November: Royale Union Saint-Gilloise is founded.
 * 16 December: Emile De Mot is appointed mayor by royal decree.
 * 1898 – The Saint Roch Quarter is demolished.
 * 1899
 * 2 April: The Maison du Peuple/Volkshuis is opened by the Belgian Labour Party.
 * 28–29 June: The erupt, after a Catholic proposal to rewrite the electoral law in their favour led to tumultuous parliamentary debates.
 * 1 October: The Pavilion of Human Passions is inaugurated.
 * 1900
 * Population: 183,686 city.
 * The Cantillon brewery is founded.
 * New Saint John Clinic is built.
 * 4 April: Edward, Prince of Wales, is shot at by Jean-Baptiste Sipido at Brussels-North railway station.

1901–1913 – La Belle Époque

 * 1901 – The Maison & Atelier Horta is built.
 * 1902
 * À la Mort Subite café is built.
 * The Sino-Belgian Bank is established at the request of King Leopold II.
 * 12 April: in the Marolles/Marollen during the Belgian general strike of 1902.
 * 15 November: of King Leopold II by Gennaro Rubino.
 * 1903 – café is built according to plans by the architect Émile Houbion.
 * 1904
 * The Saint-Gilles Municipal Hall is built.
 * 26 June: Josaphat Park opens.
 * 1905
 * The Cauchie House is built.
 * Busses begin operating in the city.
 * 21 September: St. Michael's College opens in Etterbeek.
 * 25 September: The Cinquantenaire Arcade is completed.
 * 1906
 * 13 January: Besix is founded by the Stulemeijer family.
 * 7 February: The dismembered body of Jeanne Van Calck is found at 22, rue des Hirondelles/Zwaluwenstraat.
 * 24 February: Chilean diplomat Ernesto Balmaceda Bello is shot and killed by Carlos Waddington, the brother of his fiancé Adelaida Waddington.
 * 1908
 * The Chapel of the Resurrection is built.
 * 27 May: R.S.C. Anderlecht is founded.
 * 1909
 * 6 December: Adolphe Max is appointed mayor by royal decree.
 * 23 December: King Albert I takes the constitutional oath at the Palace of the Nation.
 * 1910
 * The Hôtel Astoria opens.
 * 10 March: Le Mariage de mademoiselle Beulemans is first preformed at the Théâtre de l'Olympia.
 * 23 April–1 November: The Brussels International world's fair is held.
 * 1911
 * The Stoclet Palace is built.
 * The North–South connection begins construction.
 * 16–17 April: The Schaerbeek Municipal Hall is partially destroyed by a suspected arson fire.
 * 30 October–3 November: The first Solvay Conference is held.
 * 23 December: The Cercle de la Toison d'Or private club is founded.
 * 1913
 * The Belle-Vue Brewery is established.
 * 14–24 April: The Belgian general strike of 1913 takes place.

1914–1918 – First World War

 * 1914
 * 11 May–4 June: The is held.
 * 21 August: World War I: The city is captured and occupied by the German Army.
 * 26 August: The city becomes the seat of the Imperial German General Government of Belgium.
 * The Imperial German Air Service establishes Flugplatz Brüssel military airfield in Haren.
 * 1915
 * 7 June: A Zeppelin hangar on Flugplatz Brüssel is partially destroyed during an attack on airship LZ38.
 * 12 October: Edith Cavell is executed by firing squad at the Tir National/Nationale Schietbaan.
 * 1917 – The Constant Vanden Stock Stadium opens.
 * 1916 – 1 April: Gabrielle Petit is executed by firing squad at the Tir National.
 * 1918
 * 10 November: The Brussels Soldiers' Council is established by German troops in German-occupied Belgium.
 * 22 November: King Albert I returns to the city.

1919–1939 – Interwar period

 * 1919
 * Population: 685,268 metro.
 * The Lignes Farman airline begins operating its Paris–Brussels route.
 * 1920
 * The Oscar Bossaert Stadium opens.
 * 20 August: Belga news agency is established by Pierre-Marie Olivier and Maurice Travailleur in Schaerbeek.
 * 1921 – 30 March: Haren, Laeken and Neder-Over-Heembeek are annexed by the City of Brussels.
 * 1922
 * The Experimental Garden Jean Massart is established.
 * 12 November: Tour & Taxis officially opens.
 * 1923
 * The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History opens.
 * opens.
 * 1 January: The  is established to promote art, science, and literature, particularly enhancing Flemish cultural influence in and around the city from a European and international perspective.
 * 23 May: The Societé anonyme belge d'Exploitation de la Navigation aérienne (Sabena) is established.
 * 1925 – St Andrew's Church is consecrated.
 * 1926
 * The École nationale supérieure des arts visuels de La Cambre (ENSAV) is established.
 * The Comme chez Soi restaurant is established.
 * 1927 – 24–29 October: The fifth Solvay Conference, perhaps the most famous, is held.
 * 1928
 * The Charlier Museum opens.
 * The Villa van Buuren is built.
 * 1929
 * 4 January: Tintin first appears in Le Petit Vingtième.
 * 19 October: The Centre for Fine Arts opens.
 * 1930
 * Population: 200,433 city.
 * The Hotel Le Plaza opens.
 * 18 June: The (NIR) is established.
 * 23 August: The Jubilee Stadium opens.
 * 1931 – The Brussels Symphony Orchestra is founded.
 * 1932 – 7 October: The Luna-Theater opens on the site of a former luna park.
 * 1933 – 6 April: The Synagogue of Anderlecht is consecrated.
 * 1934
 * The Villa Empain is built.
 * The Citroën Garage is built.
 * 22 February: The funeral of King Albert I takes place.
 * 23 February: King Leopold III takes the constitutional oath at the Palace of the Nation.
 * 1935
 * The Brussels International world's fair is held; the Palais des Expositions is built.
 * The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is consecrated.
 * 1937 – The Queen Elisabeth Competition begins.
 * 1938
 * The Royal Belgian Film Archive is established.
 * The Forest Municipal Hall is built.
 * The Flagey Building is built.
 * Scabal is established as a cloth merchant and supplier of fabrics by Otto Hertz.
 * 1939
 * The Constantin Meunier Museum opens.
 * 28 November: Joseph Van De Meulebroeck is appointed mayor by royal decree.

1939–1945 – Second World War

 * 1940
 * 17 May: World War II: The German occupation begins; the flees the city to Bordeaux.
 * 31 May: The German Military Administration in Belgium and Northern France is headquartered in the city.
 * 1 July: The  intelligence network in formed by employees of the Bank of Brussels.
 * 20 July: The Frontstalag 110 prisoner-of-war camp is established by the Germans.
 * 31 July: The ' and ' radio stations are established by the Military Administration.
 * 15 August: La Libre Belgique clandestine newspaper begins its publication.
 * 17 December: The Belgian National Movement is established.
 * 1941
 * 1 February: ' and ' clandestine newspapers begin their publication by the Communist Party of Belgium.
 * 13 March: The Frontstalag 110 POW camp is dissolved.
 * 29 May: The 'Hunger march for the release of prisoners of war', 3,000 women rally behind slogans and march trough the city.
 * 30 June: Joseph Van De Meulebroeck is arrested and deported; is designated deputy mayor.
 * 18 August: The Comet Line starts operating.
 * 10 October: Bombing of the Rex headquarters on the ; Jean-Joseph Oedekerken is killed.
 * 25 November: The Free University of Brussels closes.
 * 1942
 * January: Groupe G is formed by a group of former students of the Free University.
 * 10 March: Violence erupts in the city during a parade of the Walloon Legion before leaving for the Eastern Front, marked by bombings and attacks from communist militants against collaborators and military targets.
 * 3 September: A razzia occurs in the Marolles, 718 are arrested and transported to Dossin.
 * 24 September: is formed by merging 18 municipalities into the City of Brussels; Jan Grauls is appointed mayor.
 * 1943
 * 20 January: Attack on the Gestapo headquarters by Baron Jean de Selys Longchamps DFC.
 * 14 April: Paul Colin is assassinated by Arnaud Fraiteur.
 * 7 September: The by the Allies, killing 342.
 * 1944
 * 28 February: Alexandre Galopin is assassinated by Flemish collaborators from DeVlag.
 * 1 August: Attacks in the city against the Germans and collaborators; they retaliate and execute 30 people.
 * 23 August: 15 people are executed by the Germans.
 * 3–4 September: The city is liberated by the Welsh Guards; the Palace of Justice is burnt by the Germans to destroy legal records during their retreat.
 * 8 September: The Belgian government in exile returns to the city after four years in London.
 * 20 September: Prince Charles, Count of Flanders takes the constitutional oath at the Palace of the Nation, and becomes regent.
 * 20 November: The Free University reopens.
 * 15 December: The District of Brussels, formed by Nazi Germany, is no longer in control of the territory.

1946–1979 – Post-war era

 * 1946 – Tintin comics magazine  starts publication by Le Lombard.
 * 1948
 * The Treaty of Brussels, founding the Western Union (WU), is signed.
 * Brussels Airport opens in Zaventem.
 * 1950
 * 1 August: King Leopold III ask the Government and Parliament to vote on a law delegating his powers to Prince Baudouin, Duke of Brabant.
 * 11 August: Prince Baudouin takes the constitutional oath and for the first time and becomes the Prince Royal.
 * 1951
 * 13 March: The  is integrated into the Cercle royal Gaulois to become the Cercle royal Gaulois artistique et littéraire.
 * 17 July: King Baudouin takes the constitutional oath for the second time at the Palace of the Nation, and becomes the King of the Belgians.
 * 1952 – The North–South connection is completed; Brussels-Central railway station and Brussels-South railway station open.
 * 1953 – Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles is formed replacing  as the city's main public transport operator.
 * 1955 – 25 May: The Royal Flemish Theatre catches fire, with the scene, stage tower, and front part of the hall suffering the most damage.
 * 1956
 * The Atomium starts construction.
 * 14 February: Lucien Cooremans is appointed mayor by royal decree.
 * 1957 – Delhaize inaugurates the first supermarket on the European continent at the Place Eugène Flagey/Eugène Flageyplein.
 * 1958
 * 17 April–19 October: Expo 58 world's fair is held.
 * The city becomes one of the seats of the European Community.
 * The Pro-Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is consecrated.
 * September – The European School, Brussels I (ESB1) opens.
 * 1959 – The begins construction.
 * 1960
 * The city hosts the Congolese Round Table Conference.
 * Ballet of the 20th Century contemporary dance company is established.
 * 1 November: The city becomes the seat of the.
 * 15 December: The wedding of King Baudouin and Fabiola de Mora y Aragón takes place.
 * 1961
 * The Serment royal des Saints-Michel-et-Gudule ou des Escrimeurs de Bruxelles is reestablished as  by Charles Debeur.
 * 15 February: Sabena Flight 548 crashes on approach to Brussels Airport, killing all 72 people on board and one person on the ground.
 * 27 February: The Royal Association of the Descendants of the Lineages of Brussels is established.
 * 21 December: The is founded.
 * 1962
 * The (RITCS) is established.
 * The is established.
 * 1963 – 2 August: Brussels becomes part of the bilingual Brussels-Capital administrative area.
 * 1965 – The Maison du Peuple/Volkshuis is demolished and is replaced with the.
 * 1967
 * The South Tower is built.
 * 1 May: The European Commission starts moving into the Berlaymont.
 * 22 May: The À L'Innovation department store is destroyed by fire.
 * 16 October: NATO's headquarters are established in the city.
 * 13 December: The Cegesoma is established in response to the 1965 legal acquittal of Robert Jan Verbelen, a Flemish collaborator, as a result of insufficient documentary records.
 * 1968
 * May: Student demonstrations at the Free University.
 * September: Jan-van-Ruusbroeckollege opens in Laeken.
 * 1969
 * The Brussels Hilton opens.
 * 8 September: The El Al airline offices are bombed.
 * 1 October: The Free University splits along linguistic lines into the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).
 * 1970
 * 12 September: While pasting election posters in Laeken, is attacked by members of the Order of Flemish Militants and later died of a heart attack.
 * 8 October: Forest National/Vorst Nationaal opens.
 * 1971
 * The Flower carpet begins at the Grand-Place.
 * 7 May: The Bulletin initiates a petition calling for a car-free Grand-Place, signed by many locals, including Jacques Brel. Despite city council resistance, The Bulletin organises a picnic protest, blocking car access to the square. Months later, the mayor yields.
 * 26 July: The Brussels Agglomeration is created.
 * 1 September: Mayor of Schaerbeek  in the Town Hall, violating the  requiring bilingual municipal officials.
 * 25 November: The first and only elections of the are held.
 * 1972 – becomes the first restaurant outside France to earn a Michelin star.
 * 1974 – The Brussels Independent Film Festival begins.
 * 1975
 * The Université catholique de Louvain's Jardin des plantes médicinales Paul Moens is established.
 * Trademart Brussels is established.
 * March: Bruneau restaurant is opened by the chef Jean-Pierre Bruneau.
 * 14 May: Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles is released by Chantal Akerman during the 28th Cannes Film Festival.
 * 30 July Bank Brussels Lambert is established.
 * 30 August: Pierre Van Halteren is elected mayor.
 * 1976
 * 20 September: The Brussels Metro begins operating.
 * 28 September: The Brussels Planetarium opens.
 * 1977 – The first Memorial Van Damme is organised by a group of journalists in honour of Ivo Van Damme in the Heysel Stadium.
 * 1978
 * The Brussels Ring is constructed.
 * The RTBF Symphony Orchestra is formed.
 * The Oriental Pavilion is transformed into the Great Mosque of Brussels.
 * 1979
 * The Archives of the City of Brussels moves into the former Magasins Waucquez.
 * The city celebrates the 1,000th anniversary of its founding.
 * restaurant is established by the Flemish radio and television presenter.
 * 28 August: The Brussels bombing occurs, injuring 18.

1980–2000

 * 1980
 * Population of the Brussels-Capital Region: 1,008,715.
 * The Flemish Community and the French Community of Belgium each designate Brussels as their capital city.
 * 4 December: A French-Algerian man is killed by members of the Front de la Jeunesse, sparking a massive anti-racist demonstration. Justice Minister Philippe Moureaux introduces a law against racism in Parliament, which is adopted a few months later.
 * 1981
 * 21 March: is laid out.
 * 1 April: Studio Brussel is established as a regional radio station of the BRT.
 * 1 July: Naïm Khader is assassinated in the early hours in front of his home in Ixelles.
 * 18 July: Fernand Spaak is shot dead in his flat with a hunting rifle by his estranged wife, Anna-Maria Farina.
 * 4 December: The Wittockiana is founded by Michel Wittock.
 * 31 December: A burglary by the Brabant Killers at the Gendarmerie barracks in Etterbeek stealing weapons, ammunition, and a car, some of which were allegedly found later in Madani Bouhouche's garage.
 * 1982 – The Brussels Urban Transport Museum is established.
 * 1983
 * 9 January: Robbery and murder of Greek-born taxi driver Constantin Angelou by the Brabant Killers. The car and body are later found in Mons.
 * 28 January: Raymond Dewee's Peugeot 504, along with his ID and driving licence, are stolen at gunpoint in Watermael-Boitsfort. Two weeks later, the car is used in an armed robbery at a Genval Delhaize, linked to the Brabant Killers.
 * 25 February: The Brabant Killers carry out an armed robbery at a Delhaize in, stealing less than 600,000 BEF with no fatalities.
 * 4 March: Hervé Brouhon is elected mayor.
 * 17 May: La Fonderie, Brussels Museum of Industry and Labour, is established.
 * 14 July: Assassination of Turkish administrative attaché Dursun Aksoy near his home on Avenue Franklin Roosevelt/Franklin Rooseveltlaan.
 * 1984
 * 13 February: The body of is discovered in an abandoned mushroom farm in Auderghem.
 * 7 September: The Bar Association of Brussels is split into French-speaking and Dutch-speaking orders.
 * 2–8 October: The Cellules Communistes Combattantes (CCC) carry out three attacks against companies cooperating with NATO, resulting in minimal damage.
 * 15 October: Attack on the liberal Paul Hymans Institute in Ixelles by the CCC.
 * 1985
 * 15 January: The CCC attacks a NATO/SHAPE support group in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert.
 * 1 May: The CCC attacks the Federation of Belgian Enterprises offices on the, killing two firefighters and injuring 13 others.
 * 6 May: The CCC carries out an attack against a Gendarmerie building, blaming them for the death of the two firefighters on May 1.
 * 16 May: Pope John Paul II visits the city.
 * 29 May: The Heysel Stadium disaster takes place.
 * 8 October: The CCC attacks the headquarters of electricity producer Intercom.
 * 4 November: The CCC attacks the bank BBL in Etterbeek.
 * 21 November: During Ronald Reagan's visit to NATO headquarters in Evere, a bomb explodes in an office building targeting Motorola for its cooperation with the military.
 * 14 December: The French-language television station  is established.
 * 1986
 * 29 September: Autoworld opens.
 * 8 December: The Flemish private club De Warande is founded and establishes itself in the.
 * 1987
 * Jeanneke Pis statue is erected as counterpoint to Manneken Pis.
 * 9 May: The 32nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is held at Brussels Expo.
 * 1988 – Kinepolis Brussels opens.
 * 1989
 * 9 March: The Jewish Museum of Belgium opens.
 * 29 March: Saudi Arabian Imam Abdullah al-Ahdal is fatally shot at the Great Mosque of Brussels by members of the Lebanese Soldiers of the Right.
 * 12 June: Mini-Europe opens.
 * 18 June: The Brussels-Capital Region is formed; the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region is established.
 * 12 July: Charles Picqué becomes the first Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region.
 * 14 July: The Flemish, French and Common Community Commissions are established.
 * 6 October: The Belgian Comic Strip Center opens.
 * 1990
 * Population of the Brussels-Capital Region: 964,385.
 * 25 February: Kosovar human rights activist Enver Hadri is assassinated by three Yugoslavs working for State Security Administration.
 * 22 March: Assassination of Canadian engineer Gerald Bull by Mossad outside his apartment in Uccle.
 * 26 October: The first Le Pain Quotidien bakery is established on the by Alain Coumont.
 * 23 December: The Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company is formed by the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region replacing Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles.
 * 1991
 * The first comic strip murals is created on the Rue du Marché au Charbon/Kolenmarkt.
 * 5 March: The Brussels-Capital Region adopts its first flag.
 * 10–12 May: in Forest in response to police violence, leading to the arrest of 273 people.
 * 12 December: The  is established after uncertainty regarding youth theatre within the Beursschouwburg.
 * 1992
 * 27 March: in Cureghem/Kuregem.
 * 5 August: is killed on her way to the supermarket by.
 * 1993
 * The Espace Léopold opens.
 * 20 January: The kidnapping of Ulrika Bidegård takes place.
 * 20 July: Michel Demaret is appointed mayor by the City Council.
 * 7 August: The funeral of King Baudouin takes place.
 * 9 August: King Albert II takes the constitutional oath at the Palace of the Nation.
 * 15 September: The Dutch-language television station TV-Brussel is launched from the Royal Flemish Theatre. ; Beliris is established as a joint venture between the Belgian Federal Government and the Brussels-Capital Region.
 * 7 October: An ordinance is adopted to establish a framework aimed at improving vulnerable neighbourhoods through a temporary collaboration between the region, municipality, and private actors, which will later be referred to as "".
 * 1994
 * The City of Brussels is designated capital of Belgium and seat of the Federal Government.
 * 28 April: Freddy Thielemans is elected mayor for the first time.
 * 16 April: The Fuse nightclub opens.
 * May: The Kunstenfestivaldesarts (KFDA) begins.
 * 30 June: The Performing Arts Research and Training Studios (P.A.R.T.S.) contemporary dance school is established by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and Bernard Foccroulle.
 * 14 November: The international terminal of Brussels-South railway station opens.
 * 1995
 * The Erasmus Brussels University of Applied Sciences and Arts (EhB) is established.
 * 1 January: The Province of Brabant is split into Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant; The Governor of the Administrative Arrondissement Brussels-Capital is established.
 * 5 April: erupt in Molenbeek, several gendarmes and a TV Brussel cameraman are injured.
 * 5 May: is established.
 * 21 May: François-Xavier de Donnea is appointed mayor by the City Council.
 * 1996
 * The South Tower is renovated.
 * 20 October: The White March takes place as a protest against the mishandling of the Dutroux affair.
 * 1997 – 7 November: in Cureghem after police shot and killed Saïd Charki in his car.
 * 1998
 * The Musical Instruments Museum (MIM) relocates to the Hôtel de Spangen and the former Old England department store.
 * 5 March: The Cercle de Lorraine business club is founded at the.
 * 26 December: A fire brakes out in the Royal Park Theatre.
 * 17 November: erupt, as around 300 Turkish youths targeted the Kurdish community of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, setting fires at three associations and attacking several families.
 * 2 December The Grand-Place is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
 * 1999
 * Het Zinneke statue is erected by analogy of Manneken and Jeanneke Pis.
 * 5 June: The René Magritte Museum opens.
 * 15 July: Jacques Simonet becomes Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region.
 * 8 September: The Clockarium is established.
 * 4 December: The wedding of Prince Philippe and Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz takes place.
 * 2000
 * The city is named European Capital of Culture alongside eight other European cities.
 * The Hôtel Tassel, Hôtel Solvay, Hôtel van Eetvelde and Maison & Atelier Horta are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
 * 27 May: The first Zinneke Parade is held.
 * 28 July: The city is divided in 5 police zones.
 * 18 October: François-Xavier de Donnea becomes Minister-President.

21st century

 * 2001
 * Tour & Taxis begins redevelopment.
 * 16 January: Freddy Thielemans is elected mayor for the second time.
 * 28 April: is formed as the 6th police zone in the city.
 * 13 July: The is signed, increasing the representation of Dutch speakers in Parliament.
 * 25 October: Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant is born at Erasmus Hospital.
 * 2002
 * 7 May: Ahmed Isnasni and Habiba El-Hajji are shot and killed by their neighbour, Hendrik Vyt, at their residence on the Rue Vanderlinden/Vanderlindenstraat in Schaerbeek. Vyt also wounds two of their sons before committing self-immolation.
 * 10 December: The in integrated into CINEMATEK.
 * 2003
 * 6 June: Daniel Ducarme becomes Minister-President.
 * 26 June: Brasserie de la Senne is established.
 * 20 September: The Wittockiana opens to the public.
 * 2004
 * The North Galaxy Towers are built.
 * 18 February: Jacques Simonet becomes Minister-President for the second time.
 * 2005 – 19 July: The BELvue Museum opens in the Hôtel Belle-Vue; Charles Picqué becomes Minister-President for the second time.
 * 2006
 * The Atomium is renovated.
 * 12 April: Joe Van Holsbeeck is fatally stabbed at Brussels-Central railway station in an attempted robbery of his MP3 player.
 * 29 August: Benjamin Rawitz-Castel is murdered during a robbery by Junior Kabunda.
 * 17 September: The Cyclocity bicycle-sharing system is launched in the Pentagon.
 * 23–29 September: Riots break out in the Marolles after Fayçal Chaaban is found dead in his cell.
 * 2007
 * The Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel (HUB) is established.
 * 25 March: Brussels Airlines is formed.
 * 25 May: The WIELS contemporary art centre opens in the former Wielemans-Ceuppens brewery.
 * 28 September: The Manga murder happens.
 * 2008 – Denis-Adrien Debouvrie, a wealthy local restaurant owner and creator of Jeanneke Pis, is stabbed in the throat by the Tunisian restaurant owner Tarek Ladhari.
 * 2009
 * The Stoclet Palace is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
 * 16 May: Cyclocity is rebranded to Villo! and expanded to the whole region.
 * 2 June: The Magritte Museum opens.
 * 17 November: Olivier Bastin is appointed the first.
 * 12 December: The funeral of Queen Fabiola takes place.
 * 2010
 * Population of the Brussels-Capital Region: 1,089,538.
 * 24 November: The Cercle de Lorraine is reestablished at the.
 * 26–29 November: The European Assembly for Climate Justice is held.
 * 2012
 * 13 March: Muslim scholar Abdullah al-Dahdouh is murdered in an unprovoked attack in the Islamic Center of Imam Reza.
 * 10 June: The first occurs.
 * 2013
 * 7 May: Rudi Vervoort becomes Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region.
 * 21 July: King Philippe takes the constitutional oath at the Palace of the Nation.
 * 6 December: The Fin-de-Siècle Museum opens.
 * 13 December: Yvan Mayeur is elected mayor.
 * 2014
 * 1 January: is established.
 * 10 March: Vlaams-Brusselse Media forms.
 * 23 May: Choco-Story Brussels is established.
 * 24 May: The Jewish Museum of Belgium shooting occurs, killing 4.
 * 18 June: The .brussels generic top-level domain is added to the DNS root zone.
 * 1 July: The Governor of the Administrative Arrondissement Brussels-Capital is replaced with the Senior Official of the Administrative Arrondissement Brussels-Capital.
 * 2015
 * 9 January: The Brussels-Capital Region adopts a new flag.
 * 25 September: Train World opens in Schaerbeek railway station.
 * 21–25 November: The Brussels lockdown occurs, the Federal Government imposes a security lockdown, due to information about potential terrorist attacks in the wake of the November 2015 Paris attacks by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on 13 November.
 * 11 December: Design Museum Brussels opens.
 * 13 December: The Brussels S Train begins operating.
 * 2016
 * 7–11 January: The Call Brussels initiative occurs, promoting the city after the November 2015 Paris attacks and subsequent lockdown of the city.
 * 8 March: The architectural centre is established.
 * 15–18 March: Police raids are conducted in connection to the attacks in Paris four months earlier.
 * 22 March: The Brussels bombings occur, killing 34 and injuring 230.
 * 4 April: The Schuman-Josaphat tunnel opens.
 * 5 October: The Brussels stabbing attacks occur, 4 injured including the suspect.
 * 2017
 * Parts of the Sonian Forest becomes part of the transnational Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe UNESCO World Heritage Site.
 * 6 May: The House of European History (HEH) opens.
 * 25 May: NATO's new headquarters open.
 * 9 June: Philippe Close is appointed mayor by the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region.
 * 20 June: The Brussels-Central bombing occurs, the perpetrator is killed.
 * 25 August: The Brussels stabbing attack occurs, the perpetrator is killed and 2 injured.
 * 7 December: 45,000 people gather in the city for Wake Up Europe! in support of Catalan independence.
 * 2018
 * 5 May: KANAL - Centre Pompidou opens in the former Citroën Garage.
 * 12 May: Manneken Pis receives his 1000th costume, created by fashion designer Jean-Paul Lespagnard.
 * 5 June: The murder of Nigerian sex worker Eunice Osayande happens.
 * 20 November: The Brussels stabbing attack occurs, injuring 2 including the perpetrator.
 * 2019
 * 26 May: Brussels regional elections are held.
 * 6 July: The 2019 Tour de France starts in the city.
 * 12 October: The MigratieMuseumMigration opens.
 * 14 December: opens in the former ASLK/CGER counter room, becoming the city's first food market.
 * 2020
 * 2 February: The first recorded case of COVID-19 in Belgium after nine Belgian nationals living in Hubei are repatriated.
 * 11 March: The first COVID-19 related death in Belgium is confirmed of a 90-year-old female patient who was being treated in Etterbeek.
 * 18 March: The city joins the rest of Belgium in a nationwide lockdown that lasts until 8 June in an attempt to reduce the number of cases.
 * 7 June: About 10,000 protesters gather as part of the George Floyd protests in Belgium.
 * 2021 – 14 January: following the death of Ibrahima Barrie in police custody.
 * 2022
 * 24 January: More than 50,000 people protest against COVID-19 rules.
 * 30 September: Haren Prison opens.
 * 4 October: The opens over the Brussels–Scheldt Maritime Canal.
 * 10 November: The Brussels stabbing occurs, killing 1 and 2 injured including the perpetrator.
 * 2023
 * 14 September: The Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles becomes part of Université catholique de Louvain.
 * 16 October: The Brussels shooting occurs, killing 3 including the perpetrator and injuring 1.
 * 2024 – 9 June: Brussels regional elections are held.

In English

 * Published in the 19th century


 * Published in the 20th century


 * Published in the 21st century
 * - translation of "L’intégration des nouveaux arrivants à Bruxelles : un puzzle institutionnel et politique"
 * - translation of "L’intégration des nouveaux arrivants à Bruxelles : un puzzle institutionnel et politique"