Brusselpoort
Encyclopedia
City gate
A city gate is a gate which is, or was, set within a city wall. Other terms include port.-Uses:City gates were traditionally built to provide a point of controlled access to and departure from a walled city for people, vehicles, goods and animals...
of the original twelve gates of the city of Mechelen
Mechelen
Mechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
This imposing structure dates from the 13th century. Because of her exceptional height, towering above the other gates, she was also called the 'Overste poort' (superior gate).
In the 16th century, the towers were lowered and the roof construction was altered to her present configuration.
In the course of the centuries, the building had many different uses: from police station to youth center, from duty collector's office to artist's workshop (Alfred Ost
Alfred Ost
Alfred Ost was a Belgian artist.He was born in Zwijndrecht and died in Antwerp.In 1920 he won a bronze medal in the art competitions of the Olympic Games for his "Joueur de Football" ....
).
It is now the history museum of Mechelen, starting in the early 11th century. It covers extensively the glorious Burgundian
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
and Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
past (1400-1550) and the dark period of the religious war
Religious war
A religious war; Latin: bellum sacrum; is a war caused by, or justified by, religious differences. It can involve one state with an established religion against another state with a different religion or a different sect within the same religion, or a religiously motivated group attempting to...
s and the following upheavals. It then shows how Mechelen grew into its present form between 1750 and 1900.