Street names, for centuries they have helped us find our way in Brussels. In the Middle Ages, streets were given names based on a distinctive feature. In Baker street you could find the bakers. Canal street was near a waterway.
Brussels media outlet Bruzz homed in on the Brussels borough of Sint-Gillis to explain the history of street names in the Belgian capital.
From the 18th century onwards it was the authorities that determined the street names, author Pierre Dejemeppe explains in his book ‘Sint-Gillis, History of Street Names’.
In the second half of the 19th century the erstwhile village of Sint-Gilles outside Brussels changed from a village into an urban sprawl. The arrival of the South Station had a lot to do with that. More people meant more houses and new streets, all of which needed names.
Often the town council would fall back on famous local residents from an earlier age, but when these were used up, inspiration needed to be sought elsewhere. It’s a problem that not only surfaced in Sint-Gillis, but other municipalities in the Brussels area also faced the same problem.
It's thought neighbouring authorities would agree on how they would choose their street names, partly to avoid double use. This can be seen in the current names: Schaarbeek for instance opted for gemstones. Here you will find the Diamantlaan (diamond), Saffierstraat (sapphire), Smaragdlaan (emerald). Molenbeek went for plants and flowers, witness the Mirtenlaan (myrtle), the Fuchsiastraat and the Tijmlaan (thyme), while Anderlecht stuck with universal vales – Geluksstraat (happiness), Zelfbestuursstraat (autonomy), Waarheidsstraat (truth). Elsene chose place names – Napelsstraat, Parijsstraat, Dublinstraat – while in Sint-Gillis it was countries. Here you will find the Denemarkenstraat (Denmark), Zwedenstraat (Sweden) and even the Portugalstraat.
South Station brings the world to Sint-Gillis
The fact Sint-Gillis opted for geographical names is linked to the presence of the South Station in the borough. Since the opening of this Brussels railway station, travellers from the four corners of Belgium arrived in Sint-Gillis, before speeding on to other European destinations.
Many new neighbourhoods were built in the municipality at this time. Tram lines were constructed and the borough also got its own gas, water and electricity network as well as a town hall. The presence of well-known artists made Sint-Gillis a lively city. By giving streets the names of European destinations, Sint-Gillis's city fathers built a bridge to these locations and made them seen nearer.
Not all geographical choices lasted. After World War I, all names referring to Germany or its allies disappeared. Turkijestraat (Turkey) became Romeniëstraat (Romania) and Munchenstraat (Munich) became Andennestraat.
Even today Saint-Gillis remains one of Belgium's most multicultural municipalities with at least 140 different nationalities residing in the borough.