Robert Schuman Roundabout

The Robert Schuman Roundabout (French: Rond-point Robert Schuman, Dutch: Robert Schumanplein), sometimes called Robert Schuman Square, is a roundabout at the end of the Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat in Brussels, Belgium, that serves as a focus for major institutions of the European Union (EU). It is named after Robert Schuman, one of the founding fathers of the European Union, the Council of Europe and NATO, and gives its name to the surrounding district (also known as the European Quarter) and Brussels-Schuman railway station.

• Rond-point Schuman (French)
• Schumanplein (Dutch)

The Robert Schuman roundabout in Brussels
Location within Brussels Robert Schuman Roundabout (Belgium)
Location	City of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium
Quarter	Leopold Quarter
Coordinates	50°50′33″N 04°23′02″E

Location and buildings

The Robert Schuman Roundabout is in the centre of Brussels' European Quarter. The major buildings next to it are the Berlaymont building (headquarters of the European Commission), the Justus Lipsius building (used to hold low-level meetings of the Council of the European Union and provide office space to the Council's Secretariat) and numerous other EU offices.

• 
  The Berlaymont building, primary headquarters of the European Commission
• 
  The Capital (Atelier d'architecture de Genval, 2001–2009)
• 
  Building (Varlet, 1928)

Accessibility and future

The roundabout is above the eastern end of the metro segment of Schuman station. In 2016 the station was renovated to connect it by rail with Brussels Airport via the Schuman-Josaphat tunnel. There are already a web of rail and road tunnels running under and around the roundabout. The area is to see some major rebuilding as EU offices are converted into shops and other civilian uses and the roundabout will be converted into one of three pedestrian squares, the theme of the new Schuman Square will concentrate on "policy and politics" (see Brussels and the EU#Future for details).

Roads meeting at the roundabout

• The Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat runs west–north–west towards the centre of Brussels, one-way. It also continues east–south–east for a short distance towards the western end of the Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark. The bulk of the traffic on this main carriageway avoids the roundabout by taking the tunnel underneath, the road becoming the Avenue de Tervueren/Tervurenlaan and heading out of Brussels east/east–south–east towards Woluwe-Saint-Pierre and eventually Tervuren.
• The Avenue de Cortenbergh/Kortenberglaan leads north–east towards Schaerbeek and the Place de Jamblinne de Meux/De Jamblinne de Meuxplein. The Rue Belliard/Belliardstraat tunnel also follows this route, leading out towards Diamant premetro station and the E40.
• The Rue Archimède/Archimedestraat leads north towards the Square Ambiorix/Ambiorixsquare.
• The Avenue d'Auderghem/Oudergemselaan runs south–east through the middle of Etterbeek, towards the La Chasse junction and Auderghem.
• The Rue Froissart/Froissartstraat is one of the smaller roads leaving the roundabout, heading towards the Place Jourdan/Jourdanplein.

See also

• History of Brussels
• Belgium in the long nineteenth century

External links

• Media related to Place Robert Schuman/Schumanplein, Brussels at Wikimedia Commons