King Albert I - Brussels, Belgium
Posted by: 
tmob
N 50° 50.650 E 004° 21.376
31U E 595485 N 5633372
A bronze statue of Albert I, in Brussels
Waymark Code: WMATR4
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Date Posted: 02/24/2011
Views: 42
«Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) reigned as King of the Belgians from 1909 until 1934.
Born Albert Léopold Clément Marie Meinrad in Brussels, he was the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, and his wife, Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. Prince Philippe was the third (second surviving) son of Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians, and his wife, Marie-Louise of France, and the younger brother of King Leopold II of Belgium. Princess Marie was a relative of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, and a member of the non-reigning, Catholic branch of the Hohenzollern family. Albert grew up in the Palace of Flanders, initially as fourth in the line of succession to the Belgian throne. When, however, the only legitimate son of his uncle, Leopold II, died as a child, and Albert's older brother, Prince Baudouin of Belgium, who had been subsequently prepared for the throne, also died young, Albert, at the age of 16, unexpectedly became second in line (after his father) to the Belgian Crown.
Retiring and studious, Albert prepared himself strenuously for the task of kingship. In his youth, Albert was seriously concerned with the situation of the working classes in Belgium, and personally traveled around working class districts incognito, to observe the living conditions of the people (Bronne). Shortly before his accession to the throne in 1909, Albert undertook an extensive tour of the Belgian Congo, which had been annexed by Belgium in 1906, finding the area in poor condition. Upon his return to Belgium, he recommended reforms to protect the native population and to further technological progress in the colony (Graham).
He was the 1,152nd Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Austria and the 851st Knight of the Order of the Garter in 1914.»
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«The bronze statue of Albert I, a king of Belgium was inaugurated in 1951. Albert I was called a Soldier King, due to his bravery on the battlefield. Arts Mountain park is dedicated to Albert I. The statue stands at the entrance of Arts Mountain, across from the statue of his wife, Elisabeth I.»
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