Brussels
The capital of Belgium is not very big. Nevertheless it hosts more ambassadors and journalists than Washington for instance. The reason is simple - the city is the administrative capital of the European Union and NATO. The career of Brussels as administrative center of institutions started in 1957 when the headquarters of Euratom was placed here. Today most of the EU institutions are centered in Brussels, except for the European Parliament, which is in Strasbourg. Eurocontrol and NATO are the other two major international organizations with their headquarters here and there are offices of many more. International schools and universities are also placed here.Historically the city is not among the oldest in Europe. It was officially founded in 979 though there are local legends about much earlier times. It used to be Dutch speaking but today it is bilingual, though considered the official center of the Fench speaking Community in Belgium. In the past it was mainly a crafts city, while today, though crafts' traditions are excellently preserved, local economy is mainly oriented in the field of services due to the huge amount of administrative offices and institutions. As Belgium is a "beer capital", Brussels is not an exception with the Cantillon brewery.
Major attractions of the city are the institution buildings and among them the seat of the European Commission - the Palais Berlaimont, many old churches, an impressive cathedral, about 40 museums, stunning gardens - the Botanic Gardens are to recommend, and other sites. A special attraction is the Mini Europe - a miniature, which will entertain you with its originality and witty ideas.