Belgium
is a beautiful country with much to photograph. However, do
not assume that you are free to to take holiday or vacation
pictures as you are in the United States, Canada, and Great
Britain. Belgian copyright laws are not like ours, and if you
take a picture of the wrong landmark you will be sued no matter
where you live. Photograph at your own risk.
The
Château is the home of the Belgian royal family
and lies just outside of the center of Brussels in
an area known as Laeken. It should not be confused
with the Palais Royal (Koninklijk Paleis) which is
the family's official residence. Chateau de Laeken
shares a park with a number of other noteworthy landmarks
including the Atomium, a radio station, and the Tour
Japonaise. Originally, the building was the home
of the governor of the Netherlands,
which then included what is now Belgium and was under
Austrian rule. The governor
didn't keep his hands on it long. By 1804 France had
seized control of the region, and Napoleon purchased
the building. When Napoleon fell, it became property
of King William I, the king of what was then the Netherlands.
When Belgium won its independence,
the castle became the property of King Leopold I.
But it wasn't until Leopold III that a Belgian king
lived there full-time.
It
was in this building that Napoleon declared war
on Russia in 1812.
The building was damaged by a fire January 1, 1890.
