BEST Brussels presents. The BEST Summer Course of 2014 CORROSION? Discover corrosion in the context of a durable society SURVIVAL GUIDE

Transcription

1 BEST Brussels presents The BEST Summer Course of 2014 WHY ALL THIS COMMOTION ABOUT CORROSION? Discover corrosion in the context of a durable society SURVIVAL GUIDE

2 Content Content... 2 Welcome!... 3 History of Brussels... 4 Nightlife... 5 Sightseeing... 6 (VUB)... 8 History of LBG Brussels... 9 How to reach the Brussels and the VUB Food, drinks and lodging Practical information Checklist: What to bring? Organizers, contact info and addresses... 21

3 Welcome! Reading this means you have been accepted to a BEST Summer Course, which will probably be the most awesome 10 days in your student life. You probably don t know much about life in Belgium and especially Brussels. This guide will help you to quickly overcome this problem. We, LBG Brussels, are organizing a Summer Course every year in Brussels at our university, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Free University of Brussels). We are looking forward to please your needs! Your adventure will start Sunday 6 th July 2014 (arrival date) and will last until Tuesday the 15 th July 2014 (departure date). We strongly recommend you to arrive and to leave at the agreed dates (but if this is really impossible we can work out some kind of arrangement). Other useful and necessary information can be found further on in this survival guide. Please don't forget to let us know the approximate time of your arrival using the survey that will be send through and/or the Facebook page. Our contact information is listed further in the document. We are looking forward to meet all of you in July, The LBG Brussels Summer Course Organizers

4 History of Brussels Brussels is the capital of Belgium. Belgium is a country of 10 million inhabitants and about 1 million people live in Brussels. There are three official languages in Belgium: Dutch, French and German. Officially, Brussels was founded in the year 979. But legends and non-confirmed stories let us suppose that the origin of the city has to be situated at the end of the 6th century. It was then that the Preacher Saint Gorik built a little chapel on a small island formed by two arms of the Zenne, the river that still is part of Brussels. The first written confirmation of the existence of Brussels is given in the year 977, when the German emperor Otto the 2nd gives Low-Lorraine to Carl of France. In those days the island was known as the Island of Saint-Gorik. Carl of France decides to build a castrum (= a sort of fortress) on the island: Brussels is born. At the end of the 10th century, after the death of Carl, Low-Lorraine is taken over by Lambert of Leuven. In the middle of the 11th century Lambert the 2nd Balderic decides to build a new castrum at Brussels. He also starts building the first city walls. During the ages, Brussels becomes more and more important. In the 13th century a revolution took place. The Guild starts fighting against the mighty and rich group of Citizens. They won t win. After that a restless period starts until the Duchess Joan comes into power. Brussels becomes a thriving city until the end of the 14th century. An economic recession takes place for a period of 50 years. But Brussels survives and starts producing luxury goods. In the same period Philip the Bold marries Margaret, an heiress of Joan. From that moment on the Bourgondians start ruling over Brussels. But not for a long time, because after the death of Carl the Bold in 1477, his daughter marries Maximilian of Austria, so the Habsburgians start ruling over Brussels. In 1555 the emperor of that time, Carl V, resigns. His successor is Philip II. After a few years he starts quarreling with William of Orange, supervisor over Holland, Zealand and Utrecht. William of Orange is a liberal thinking person. Brussels however suffers under the merciless duke of Alva, official representative of Philip II. With the help of William of Orange Brussels starts a revolution and chases Alva away. But after 8 years Alva strikes back. For the economy of Brussels this period of encirclement was pernicious. Luckily a relative calm period comes ahead with the successor of Philip II, Isabella and her husband archduke Albrecht of Austria. In the 17th century Brussels is attacked by the French king Louis XIV. The result is disastrous: more than 4000 houses and the Grand Place were completely destroyed. In the beginning of the 18th century the Austrian emperors take over Brussels. The citizens of Brussels revolt once more, but they have to surrender. The last foreign emperor over Brussels and the present Belgian kingdom was the Dutch emperor William I. He has to leave the Belgian country in 1830, when the successful independence struggle bursts out in Brussels. At July 21st 1831 the first Belgian king, Leopold I, ascends the throne. Brussels becomes the capital of the new kingdom Belgium. A long period of rebuilding starts. New and enormous buildings are build, the city walls are demolished, the city expands, not only with buildings. A lot of international congresses are organized, scientific organizations are founded; foreign artist, philosophers, scientists and

5 other find their way to Brussels (e.g. Karl Marx, Victor Hugo, Proudhon, and so on). At the same time Belgian becomes a heavily industrialized country and gains wealth. World War I ( ) and World War II ( ) were not able to stop the further development of Brussels (only for a short while). After World War II, Belgium becomes divided into two semi-independent regions, Flanders and the Walloon Provinces. Brussels becomes a district with its own government (with restricted powers). Brussels became also the capital of the EEC (now EU, European Union). NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) also decided to plant its headquarters nearby Brussels. These institutions and other kinds of industries give Brussels an enormous positive economic injection. Today Brussels gains much of its economic power from services and administration. There are many headquarters and the European and international institutions play an important role. Nightlife The nightlife in Brussels: that magic place where the members of the European parliament, consultant firms and other organizations come together at night to have a good time together with the residents and students of Brussels. We will certainly take you out to discover some very special places in the city center of Brussels.

6 Sightseeing Brussels isn t only the political and economical capital of Europe; it also has a lot of important historic monuments, waiting to be discovered by you within the city boundaries. We ll give you a small city tour here Grand-Place An awe-inspiring setting rebuilt in 1700, Brussels Grand-Place (Main Square) has no fewer than 40 listed buildings standing on either side of the majestic Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall) and the Maison du Roi (King s House). St Michel and Gudule A combination of gigantic proportions and the Gothic delicacy of Brabant, the Cathedral also possesses Grenzing organs consisting of no fewer than 3000 pipes. Colonne du Congrès Very close to the royal park and overlooking the lower part of the city, the Colonne du Congrès (Congress Column) is one of the symbols of the declaration of Belgian independence. Atomium Built for the 1958 World Fair in Brussels, this architectural curiosity leaves no-one unmoved. A lift takes you to the top where you can enjoy an unbeatable view. Mini-Europe Resting in the shadow of the Atomium is the delightful Mini-Europe trail. No fewer than 350 famous monuments and places of interest from all over Europe are presented there on a scale of 1:25. Château royal de Laeken (Royal Palace of Laeken) This is the residence of our monarchs. Between the walkways of the estate surrounding the château stand the majestic Laeken greenhouses, which can be admired in full bloom in April.

7 Sablon The perfect spot to see and be seen, this is the perfect place for spotting beautiful antiques and scrumptious chocolate. Palais de Justice (Law Courts) With its imposing location and bulk, this architectural "mammoth" overlooks the Marolles district. Quartier Louise (Louise district) Temple of luxury shops and social graces. Place Royale and Palais royal (Royal square and Palace) The classical exterior proportions conceal a wonder of delicate refinement inside. Palais de la nation This is Belgium s federal parliament where all the politicians go to fix (and create) problems. Cinquantenaire Its lovely park and vast car, aircraft and history museums make this a must. Art Nouveau district The finest names in Art Nouveau architecture have left their mark around Square Ambiorix, including the master of the genre, Victor Horta. So look out for the plantlike curving lines, because they re everywhere. European district Vast sheets of glass and mazes of offices housing most of the official European Union authorities.

8 (VUB) The VUB (, Free University of Brussels) is the Flemish university in Brussels that grew out of the French-speaking Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in The latter has 5 alumni who were rewarded with a Noble Price. The last Noble laureate was François Englert, who was awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics. History: Théodore Verhaegen, a Brussels lawyer, founded the ULB on 20 November ULB originally stood for Université Libre de Belgique, but in 1842 this was changed to the Université Libre de Bruxelles. In 1935 the ULB started to run courses for Dutch-speaking law students. From 1955 onwards, the range of classes available in Dutch was gradually extended. In this way, a new closely related university grew up within the ULB, to become an independent institution as the VUB on 28 May An open university: The VUB is a young but fully-grown university, which is very open in its approach. The modern campuses in Etterbeek and Jette offer a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate studies. The university is also notable for its pronounced international orientation, with a wide variety of classes taught in English for students of all nationalities. VUB research is broadly based: the university is involved in a large number of interesting research projects, many of which are international in scope. The VUB is also a member of European and other international university networks aiming to promote co-operation in the fields of education, research and the mobility of teachers and students. A leader in research: The VUB is strong in both fundamental and applied research. The university itself initiates some of this research, but much of it has been commissioned by the Flemish and Belgian governments, the European Community, worldwide organisations (UNESCO, WHO, FAO, etc.) and industry. There is a growing trend towards international research projects. The VUB s enviable research-reputation is partly attributable to its active research policy. Well before the law made it compulsory, the VUB was Belgium s first university to set up its own research council. This council oversees all the university s research activities and provides, among other things, a responsibly balanced research framework and funding. The research council does more than managing research, investing resources to encourage scientific creativity and, above all, to provide opportunities for those most in need of them, young researches with original projects. This policy ensures that research at the VUB benefits from continually renewed incentives. Faculty of Engineering Sciences: The VUB faculty of Engineering Sciences is also pushing the frontiers of research. It devotes a great deal of time and energy to develop new materials and composite systems and employing them in building, to design and produce major computer networks, to use optical-electronical components such as lasers and optical fibre, to make computer models of fluid dynamics and to research the possibilities of electric transport. By continually questioning accepted knowledge and striving towards new understanding, the faculty of Engineering Sciences has acquired a leading international position in various fields of research.

9 History of LBG Brussels Summer 1993: a group of students at the faculty of Applied Sciences of the VUB wanted to organize a cultural exchange. Browsing trough the net they discovered BEST and from that point BEST Brussels was found. Already during the summer of 1994 the first Summer Course was organized, entitled Management for Engineers. Due to the success of this course, BEST Brussels became officially accepted as Baby-member in November 1994 at the General Assembly in Timisoara. During the summer of 1995 we organized our second summer course with the subject Electric and Hybrid Vehicles in Cities. Shortly after, we received the Full-member -status during the Presidents Meeting of November 1995 in Trondheim (Norway). This allowed us to fully co-operate and take part in decisions inside BEST. From that day on, BEST Brussels has organized yearly a successful Summer Course, touching diverse technological topics in cooperation with many departments of the VUB. Not only organizing public events, our members and students of our university have had the chance to experience new cultures during many cultural exchanges. BEST Brussels has also largely contributed to the international action of BEST. Hosting internal BEST events (like board meetings, committee meetings, training events,...) our biggest challenge was organizing the General Assembly in 1997, in cooperation with the four Belgian BEST groups at that moment (Brussels, Liege, Louvain-la-Neuve and Ghent). Besides organizing internal events, many of our members have been or are international active in several committees.

10 How to reach the Brussels and the VUB First time you are travelling alone? Feeling a little bit scared? We ll help you wherever we can. We will meet for the first time in front of the BEST Office, situated on the campus of our university (VUB). The address of the university is Pleinlaan Brussel. In this Survival Guide, we ll give you some directions and maps to make sure you not get lost. Airports There are 2 international airports that serve Brussels (and Belgium): - Brussels Airport (biggest airport of Belgium, situated 5 km from Brussels) - Brussels South Charleroi Airport (mainly served by Ryanair, situated 46 km from Brussels) From Brussels Airport to the city center and/or VUB The airport train station is situated in the basement (level -1) of the airport, two floors below the arrival terminal. Just follow the arrows and take the elevators or the escalators to level -1. You can buy your ticket there from the ticket vending machines or from the booking desks. Up to 4 trains an hour connect the airport station BRUSSELS AIRPORT to the city center station (called BRUSSEL-CENTRAL). This takes about 17 minutes. If you want to go directly to VUB, you book a ticket from the airport station BRUSSELS AIRPORT to station ETTERBEEK. You will have to change trains at station BRUSSEL-NOORD. From station ETTERBEEK, you can walk to the university. You can find the map below. You can check train schedules on the website of the Belgian railways: The price of the ticket is around 10 EUR. From Brussels South Charleroi Airport to the city center and/or VUB A special bus (Airport Express - A) operates from the airport to Charleroi-South railway station. A combined bus and train ticket to any Belgian railway station can be bought in the terminal. If you want to go to the city center of Brussels, you choose a ticket to the city center station (called BRUSSEL-CENTRAL). If you want to go directly to VUB, you book a ticket from the airport station BRUSSELS AIRPORT to station ETTERBEEK. You will have to change trains one or two times (depending on the hour of the day). From station ETTERBEEK, you can walk to the university. You can find the map below. You can check train schedules on the website of the Belgian railways: From the city center to VUB You can also take the metro from the city center to the university. You can take the metro in the BRUSSEL CENTRAL train station and take line 5 (the yellow line) in the direction of HERMANN-DEBROUX. Get off the metro at the stop PETILLON. From PETILLON, you can walk to the university (see map below). A one-way trip is around 2 EUR. The website of the metro operator is

11 Metro plan

12 General map of Brussels

13 Map of the (VUB) and surroundings You can find the VUB also if you type Pleinlaan Brussels in Google Maps.

14 3D map of VUB Once you reached the campus of the VUB, you ll have to go to the BEST Brussels Office that is situated at the ground floor of the biggest building of VUB, you can enter it by searching for a (SMALL) door with BEST on top, on the esplanade between the ING bank office and Rotule 5 (connecting building F and G). On the campus, you can finds maps everywhere.

15 Food, drinks and lodging If we would ask you: What do you like about Belgium? The most common answer would be chocolate and beer. Not that we don't agree, but there are more great things in Belgium than just those 2. Food So first we have the chocolate! There are lots of different kinds of chocolate in Belgium, from the normal ones sold in the shops (like Côte d'or, Callebaut/Jacques, etc.) to the special pralines sold in (for example) the Leonidas stores. Before going on about other kinds of food, the most important thing to know when you're in Belgium is that FRENCH FRIES DON'T EXIST, because the only real fries are BELGIAN FRIES. And then there were waffles or maybe not. Actually there are no real Belgian waffles but there's a variety of different kinds of them. In general, snack bars and waffle houses serve Brussels waffles, with a very light structure and baked in slightly bigger irons with coarse squares. The "sugar waffles are much sweeter; they are smaller again and no yeast is used for the dough (they are usually called "waffles from Liege"). Stoofvlees or Carbonades Moules-Frites/Mosselen-Friet/mussels with fries Waterzooi (typically for Ghent ) Chocolate truffles (this is not so typical, but it s still very good :-) Drinks These are the things that most visitors of Belgium already know before they come, but there are also some other foods that we like over here and that you should discover: This is probably the section that you're the most interested in so I'll keep the introduction short :) If you think about Belgium, the first thing that pops into your head should be that we are the country with the BEST BEERS in the world.

16 We'll show you here some typically Belgian beers: Jupiler is the most famous and most popular beer in Belgium and you will drink it this summer for sure :-) There's also a low-alcoholic variant Jupiler N.A. (green colored logo), but we strongly discourage you to try it. Just try the real thing. Hoegaarden is totally different from virtually any other beer or beverage in the world. You either hate or love it! Have you ever tried a cherry flavored beer? Then why don't you try Kriek Belle-Vue? But that's not all Belle Vue makes; they even have a Raspberry flavored beer. This is one brand you probably know, it s called Leffe. There are lots of drunk-mandiscussions about which one is the best. The blonde or the brown? Yet another important thing for you to decide about. Stella Artois is another famous beer from Belgium. It's the world's fifth-largest international brand and it can be found in over 80 countries in the world.

17 And then we have the writer of this text his favorite beer, it's called Duvel (meaning devil in English) :-) If you are in Belgium you should... NO... YOU HAVE TO TRY IT!!! But there aren't only beers made in Belgium, we also produce lots of other (alcoholic) drinks like for example Jenever (or Genever), Absinthe and much liquors. There are even Belgian Gin and Wodka. For more information about typical Belgian things, feel free to check: Lodging Off course you ll also have a place to sleep. But you ll be informed with more information later on. To get an idea of what you will have to bring, see the checklist in the section Practical Information

18 Practical information Prices - Banks Belgium is also a member of European Monetary Union, so we also use the Euro here. Coins: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 eurocents, 1 and 2 euro Notes: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 Most banks are open during weekdays from 9 a.m. until 4-5 p.m. In some cases, they can be closed during lunch-hour. Some well known banks are: Fortis, KBC, Dexia, ING, Citibank etc. You can change money in the city center, where many change centers are open till 21u00 or 22u00 in the tourist center. Some prices in Belgium : 1/4 l beer in a student café 1,5 1/4 l beer in a regular café 2 special beers 1,7-4 a packet of 20 cigarettes 5 a BigMac Menu 5.5 a packet of Belgian fries a cinema ticket (student) 6 a newspaper 1 a recent CD 20 Telephone and useful telephone numbers Most telephones, which you can find on and near the VUB-campus, work with 'telecards' and (sometimes) proton. You can buy them for 5 in newspaper-stores and at the campus (at the housing department). You can also find telephones with coins, but very few. VUB security +32 (0) or +32 (0) or +32 (0) Emergency 100 Police 101 Fire brigade 100 European emergency number 112 (on mobile phones) Hospital (Our University Hospital) And of course you can call someone from the organisers, if you would need any help.

19 During office hours you can also call the Faculty of Engineering Sciences at (check Embassies Bulgaria 02/ The Netherlands 02/ Croatia 02/ Norway 02/ Denmark 02/ Poland 02/ Estonia 02/ Portugal 02/ Finland 02/ Romania 02/ France 02/ Russia 02/ Germany 02/ Serbia 02/ Greece 02/ Slovakia 02/ Hungary 02/ Slovenia 02/ Italy 02/ Spain 02/ Latvia 02/ Sweden 02/ Lithuania 02/ Turkey 02/ Macedonia 02/ Ukraine 02/ A completely up to date list and some other embassies can be found here: When you call from another country, you should use the prefix: +32 2, instead of 02.

20 Checklist: What to bring? Your medical insurance!!! Please check if you are covered well enough by a medical and travel insurance. You are attending our course on your own responsibility! We do not provide insurance for you! Your ID-card or passport and visa (if you need one). In Belgium, you are also obliged to show an ID-card or passport whenever the police asks for it. So you should always carry it with you. Your student card and/or a " EURO<26"-card. You can get discounts in some shops with the latter. Also ISIC-cards can sometimes be useful. Sleeping bag. Pillow if you need one to sleep Sheets will be necessary. They are not provided in the rooms that you will use during your stay in Brussels. (Towels and soap are also not present) Clothes: Very important. Take clothes for all seasons. In Belgium, the weather has the habit to surprise you. Another tip: don t believe weather forecasts. Bring a raincoat and/or umbrella with you! Maybe you re used to weather that remains the same for a few weeks. In Belgium, two days without change is a success. Some decent clothes for the opening reception (It doesn't mean that you have to wear a tuxedo or an evening dress ;-) ) Swimming suit: we might visit the swimming pool at the university. Leisure wear: for some games or sporting activities. We will do an international evening. This means all of you will have to bring a typical drink from your country and/or a recipe for the international cooking. Don t forget to bring along special ingredients, which you think you can t find here. And guys, cooking isn t only meant for women. If you think you can t cook, ask your mother for a simple recipe (don t bring her with you!) Also bring other music you really like, so we can play it for you during the evening activities.. A picture (of yourself of course), if you haven t sent one yet. And finally: THE BEST-SPIRIT!!! Belgium is the country of chocolate, waffles and fries. So if you like this kind of food, this is the right place for you. We hope this survival guide has answered many of your questions, in any case you can always contact brussels@best.eu.org

21 Organizers, contact info and addresses Main Organizers Summer Course 2014 Jorn Jacobs Bryan Heureux President Laurens Raes Contact Info If you have any questions send us a mail at: brussels@best.eu.org And an organizer will reply asap:) Visit the Summer Course 2014 website, by going to: Address BEST Brussels Polytechnische Kring v.z.w. c/o Secretariaat Ingenieurs Wetenschappen Pleinlaan 2 B-1050 Brussel BELGIUM