Parc du Cinquantenaire

The Parc du Cinquantenaire is defined by its massive, U-shaped complex of halls and a central triple-arched monument topped by a bronze chariot. Known as the Cinquantenaire Arch, this centerpiece was built to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Belgian independence. The area was formerly the Linthout plains, an exercise ground for the Civic Guard, before King Leopold the Second commissioned the site for a national exhibition in eighteen eighty.