The Sablon or Zavel is a neighbourhood and hill in the historic upper town of Brussels, Belgium. At its heart are twin squares: the larger Grand Sablon or Grote Zavel square in the north-west and the smaller Petit Sablon or Kleine Zavel square and garden in the south-east, divided by the Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon. This area is served by Brussels-Chapel railway station and Brussels-Central railway station, as well as the tram stop Petit Sablon/Kleine Zavel.
Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon seen from the Petit Sablon/Kleine Zavel's garden
Antoon Sallaert's The Infante Isabella shoots the jay of the Grand Serment [Crossbowmen's Guild] with a crossbow in the Sablon in Brussels depicts an Ommegang in 1615.
The Egmont Palace, now part of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the Sablon/Zavel
The Square du Grand Sablon/Grote Zavelsquare and its market, c. 1900
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the capital of Belgium. The Brussels-Capital Region is located in the central portion of the country and is a part of both the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community, but is separate from the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region, located less than 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the south. Historically Dutch-speaking, Brussels saw a language shift to French from the late 19th century. Nowadays, the Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual in French and Dutch, although French is the majority language and lingua franca. Brussels is also increasingly becoming multilingual. English is spoken widely and many migrants and expatriates speak other languages as well.
Image: Grand Place Bruselas 2
Image: Bruxelles Manneken Pis cropped
Image: Cathedrale des Saints Michel et Gudule Bruxelles, Belgium October 31, 2010 panoramio
Image: The Atomium during civil twilight (DSCF1135)