#2 BRUSSELS, LAND OF ASYLUM?

Belgium’s independence from the Netherlands has brought with it a very liberal constitution. During the 19th century it became a refuge for hundreds of political refugees. Marx, Engels, Bakunin, Weitling, Baudelaire, Victor Hugo and many others have lived and worked in Brussels. Later, it became a refuge for the exiles of the Spanish Civil War, for the Boatpeople of Vietnam, for the refugees of the Latin-American military dictatorships… Nowadays, wars send us refugees who are less well received by the political class. But Brussels’ initiatives, such as the Maximilian Park, remain extraordinary in welcoming newcomers.