Brussels, the Capital of the EU, Was Built With the Blood of Congo

Let’s have an architectural walking tour of blood-funded buildings in Brussels

Triumphal Arch in the Cinquantenaire Park in Brussels (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Brussels is the capital of the European Union. The city has many splendid buildings and huge parks. However, some of these architectural marvels were built with blood money.

The money for these grandiose buildings came from the deaths and suffering of millions of Congolese.

Ironically, Palace of Justice in Brussels was funded by the exploitation of Congo.

King Leopold II and the atrocities in Congo

Congolese children mutilated by King Leopold II’s men (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Belgian King Leopold II (1835-1909) brutally extracted vast sums of money from his personal colony of Congo and invested it in magnificent public buildings in Brussels.

Leopold personally(!!) owned Congo, which was 76 times bigger than Belgium. He got rich selling ivory and natural rubber which was collected using slave labor.

His paramilitary forces enslaved the entire Congo population. During his rule…