A CENTRAL SQUARE IN BRUSSELS IS TO BE NAMED AFTER THE BRONTE SISTERS,

The Bronte Sisters  by Patric Branwell Bronte 

A square in central Brussels is to be entitled after the famous Bronte sisters,  honouring Charlotte and Emily's connection with the Belgian capital.   Both writers lived for a period of time in the city, which features in two of Charlotte's novels.

The Square in Brussels to be Renamed Bronte Square  

The square is to be renamed Place de Soeurs Bronte in honour of the 19th-century novelists.  The tribute is part of the "feminisation" of street names in the vicinity of Koekelberg.  Helen Mac Ewan, author of "The Brontes of Brussels", said, "The Brussel's square will be the first step in this initiative."


In Koekelberg, the sisters are to be pioneers in the 21st century as they were in the 19th.  In 1842 Charlotte and Emily left Haworth in West Yorkshire for Brussels in order to improve their French so as to become more adequate to teach the language.


Brussels went to become the inspiration for the city of Villette of Charlotte's homonymous novel.  Villette is changed material from an earlier novel "The Professor which was published posthumously. 


The Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne were born in Thorton, Yorkshire, where their father was a clergyman.  Their mother died young so the sisters went to different schools but were also taught at home.  They were often left alone in their isolated home and they all started writing stories at an early age.


In May 1846, the girls published at their own expense a volume of poetry under pseudonyms.  Anne's "Agnes Grey" and Charlotte's "Jane Eyre"  were both published in1947, Jane Eyre being a best seller   Anne's second novel, "The Tenant of  Wildfed Hall" and Emily's "Wuthering Heights" were both published in 1848, The Tenant sold well "Wuthering Heights" did not!

Image of the Bronte Home in Thorton, Yorkshire

 Emily died of tuberculosis on the 19th December 1848 and Anne died in 1849.  Left alone with her father Charlotte continued to write and was by now a famous author.  "Shirley"  was published in 1849 and "Villette" in 1853.  In 1854 Charlotte married her father's curator, Arther Nicholls.   She, also, died of tuberculosis on the 31st March 1855. 

Roses by Oksana Ball