Le Cinquantenaire

Le Cinquantenaire in Brussels is one of the largest urban development projects launched by King Leopold II. It was created to host events celebrating the fifty year anniversary of the young Belgian nation in 1880 and was completed for the Universal Exhibition of 1897. It is composed of a wide avenue, a triumphal arch, a large park, large pavilions and museums. For example, its Autoworld Museum brings together more than three hundred vehicles as a reminder that the car was one of the flagships of Belgian industry. The Royal Museum of Army and Military History, meanwhile, displays weapons and armor but also a surprising collection of aircraft.