page_title: Fortifications of Brussels
section_title: Construction of the small ring
hierarchical_section_title: Fortifications of Brussels / Construction of the small ring
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Porte de Hal, seconde enceinte de Bruxelles - (détail) dessin de Paul Vitzthumb
context_page_description: There were two stages of fortifications of Brussels, the first walls, built in the early 13th century, and the second walls, built in the late 14th century and later upgraded. Today, only a few sections of either remain.
context_section_description: With the return of stability, in 1818 authorities organised a contest for plans to demolish the ramparts and replace them with boulevards suited to the exigencies of contemporary life in the city. The proposal of Jean-Baptiste Vifquain was ultimately chosen. It involved construction of squares and boulevards, with spaces to walk and two to four rows of trees lining the route, a main road and parallel side roads. A barrier with a ditch running its length was still installed, however, and customs houses built at the entrances, to allow continued taxation of commercial goods entering the city. The extension of the canal to the west of the city was also envisioned, but that would not be effected until the construction of the Charleroi Canal around 1830. The work was to be financed by selling the land that was freed up, although this took over twenty years to do.
  In 1830, as Belgium gained its independence, demolition work had reached the Halle Gate. Since its closing, it had served as a military prison, and later as storage of archives. The new government decided to spare it. In 1840, the street just inside of the gate was raised 3 metres, making it impassable to vehicles. From 1868 to 1871, as the city was being modernised, architect Hendrik Beyaert, with little regard for historical accuracy, transformed the austere medieval tower into something of a neo-Gothic castle, which fit better with the contemporary romantic perception of the Middle Ages. 
  In 1860, the taxes on commercial goods were lifted, and the last barrier between Brussels and its suburbs was destroyed. The intersections at the Anderlecht Gate and the Ninove Gate are the only two where the customs houses still stand. Those of the Namur Gate were moved, and now stand at the end of Avenue Louise/Louizalaan, at the entrance to the Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos. 
  Although modified, the Halle Gate is the last remnant of the second walls of Brussels. Their course can be seen by the current Small Ring, although it stops short of the Halle Gate, and they still define downtown Brussels, often called the Pentagon. In the 1950s, with pressure from the automobile, new plans to improve traffic flow were implemented, partly due to the 1958 World's Fair. Later tunnels were dug, and one of the main lines of the Brussels metro now runs primarily underneath the small ring. Today, the small ring is a major arterial ring road.
caption: The Halle Gate in 1612
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA", "Image Make": "OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP.", "Image Model": "FE115,X715", "Image Software": "1.0", "Image DateTime": "2006:06:01 18:31:50", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ExifOffset": "892", "Image CustomRendered": "Normal", "Image ExposureMode": "Manual Exposure", "Image WhiteBalance": "Auto", "Image DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "Image SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "Image GainControl": "High gain up", "Image Contrast": "Normal", "Image Saturation": "Normal", "Image Sharpness": "Normal", "Image PrintIM": "[80, 114, 105, 110, 116, 73, 77, 0, 48, 51, 48, 48, 0, 0, 37, 0, 1, 0, 20, 0, ... ]", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/20", "EXIF FNumber": "3", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Creative", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "400", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2006:06:01 18:31:50", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2006:06:01 18:31:50", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "17/10", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "317/100", "EXIF MeteringMode": "CenterWeightedAverage", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "31/5", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2560", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1920", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera"}