Congress Column

Brief Information

At the top of the Congress Column stands the first Belgian king, while at its foot a flame burns at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. One monument brings together two different meanings: the birth of the Belgian Constitution after the National Congress of 1830–1831 and the memory of the soldiers who died in the First World War. The column is therefore read not only from bottom to top, but also from base to summit: from shared remembrance of the fallen to the image of the state and the monarchy.

The monument stands on a small square near Rue Royale. It was built in 1850–1859 to a design by Joseph Poelaert, inspired by Trajan’s Column in Rome. More important than the dates here is the arrangement: the tall vertical shaft, the royal figure at the top, the four freedoms around the pedestal, and the eternal flame below show how a political idea has been transformed into a set of visible symbols.

What to Notice First

It is worth comparing the three levels of the monument. The upper level is the statue of Leopold I on a platform with a carved balustrade; inside the column, a spiral staircase of 193 steps leads up to it. The middle level is defined by the 47-meter column itself: it emphasizes the vertical line and makes the figure of the monarch the culmination of the whole composition.

At the base, the meaning changes. The four seated bronze female figures represent freedom of association, religion, the press, and education — precisely the rights that connect the monument with the Constitution of 1831. In front of the column stand two bronze lions, and nearby is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with its eternal flame. One detail changes the way one looks at the bronze allegories: in 2007, “Freedom of the Press” was knocked down by a storm, after which the sculpture was restored. Even symbols of rights here have a very material history of damage and repair.