Perché agli studenti fiamminghi viene ancora detto che Bruxelles è una “città bilingue” quando l’olandese è una minoranza completa in ogni gemeente/comune?

Omdat het bij grondwet een tweetalige stad is en de historische en huidige hoofdstad van de Vlaamse gemeenschap.

Because legally that’s what it is

The correct wording is “Bruxelles est bilinguement francophone”

**FROM A DUTCH-SPEAKING CITY TO A MULTILINGUAL CITY**

Historically, Brussels is a Dutch-speaking city. From its origin in the tenth century until the eighteenth century, Brussels was even an exclusively Dutch-speaking city. In the nineteenth century, after Belgium’s independence, the linguistic dynamics changed. Because Belgium chose French as its official language, French gradually dominated public life and became the language of justice, administration, the military, culture, and the media. As the language of the political and economic elite, French became a symbol of prestige.

As the newly established capital, Brussels experienced a population explosion. In 1830, Brussels had 50,000 inhabitants. By 1875, it had 250,000 inhabitants and by 1914, 750,000 inhabitants. As a political, financial, and economic center, Brussels attracted an upper and middle-class French-speaking population. It was only possible to attend primary and secondary school in French, causing the language to spread among the lower social classes as well. Many immigrants, the majority from Flanders, were forced to speak French if they wanted to climb the social ladder. As a result, the Frenchification of Brussels continued rapidly.

**OFFICIALLY BILINGUAL**

When Belgium was subdivided into four linguistic regions in 1962, the city of Brussels became officially bilingual. The bilingual region was limited to the nineteen municipalities that already constituted the Brussels Agglomeration. In 1989, Brussels’ boundaries and its bilingual status were reconfirmed. This decision was taken by a special parliamentary majority. In both chambers of the Federal Parliament, two-thirds of the members approved the law with a majority in both the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking linguistic groups. Given that Flemings constitute a minority in Brussels, the same applies to their political representation in Brussels. Today, Flemings have guaranteed representation in the Brussels Parliament. When a Brussels municipality appoints a Flemish alderman, it receives additional financial resources.

source: [http://www2.derand.be/livingintranslation/fr/Bruxelles_bilingue.php](http://www2.derand.be/livingintranslation/fr/Bruxelles_bilingue.php)