The reconstruction of Brussels after the bombardment of 1695. Analysis of the mechanisms of recovery of the city through a historical and archaeological study of the use of brick

The objective of this research is to identify, by a combined historical and archaeological approach, the mechanisms that allowed the city of Brussels to recover, quite rapidly, after the destruction caused by the bombardment of 1695. We will discuss this issue throughout two research axes: the one analyzes the leverages set up by the city and the central government to promote the material reconstruction of the city, the other focuses on the on-site supply of materials, with a focus on bricks as the reference material, by the study of archive documents and archaeological data coming from the most recent research on a group of buildings located in de bombed area. In this perspective we will demonstrate that local resources have been heavily harnessed but that they were not sufficient. A significant amount of 'foreign' materials was thus imported to the city. This material reality highlights the original conception of some implementations, combining a wide range of materials that reflect the skills of the builders. The observation of such a diversity, but also the relative rapidity of the reconstruction of the destroyed areas, should lead us to question the pre-existence of commercial networks but also the development of new ones. It leads us to a reflection on the production capacity of other regions and their ability to respond quickly to the request of material. And, finally, it raises questions on the costs between the different materials (new local products, new foreign materials, re-used materials). Throughout these different issues, we try to demonstrate the complexity of the organization of this vast building site.