The (French, ) or (Dutch, ), meaning "Hill/Mount of the Arts", is an urban complex and historic site in central Brussels, Belgium, including the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR), the National Archives of Belgium, the Square – Brussels Meeting Centre, and a public garden. This site is located between the / and the Place Royale/Koningsplein in its "upper" part, and the / and the / in its "lower" part. It is served by Brussels Central Station. History Early history The area of the Mont des Arts knew different affectations during its history. Jews settled there until the 14th century, as attested by the old or ("Jewish Stairs"), a former series of four steep staircases leading to Brussels' upper town. Later, it used to be a densely populated neighbourhood; the Saint-Roch Quarter (, ), centred around the now-disappeared / and the former / (today's /), where Brussels' first courthouse was located. Between the 15th and the 18th centuries, the hill overlooking the neighbourhood was known as the / ("Hill/Mount of the Court") after the former Palace of Coudenberg also located there. This impressive palace, famous all over Europe, had greatly expanded since it had first become the seat of the Dukes of Brabant, but it was destroyed by fire in 1731. Only a small section of the Rue Montagne de la Cour now remains below the Place Royale/Koningsplein. The district's development over the next centuries raised one of the most complex questions in the town-planning history of Brussels: the link between the upper and the lower town through the reorganisation of the Montagne de la Cour. First Mont des Arts (1910–1954) By the end of the 19th century, King Leopold II had the idea to convert the site into an arts' quarter and bought the whole neighbourhood. Various architects and urban planners were called upon to draw plans of the buildings which were to accommodate all kinds of cultural institutions. In the meantime, the City of Brussels' then-mayor, Charles Buls, had laid out a modest plan for the Saint-Roch district. His urbanistic and aesthetic conceptions were totally opposed to those of Leopold II. The burgomaster wanted to preserve as much as possible of the old district, whilst the king imagined grandiose projects for his capital. Very isolated, Buls was not followed by the municipal council which voted for the king's project on 19 November 1894. Sickened, Buls resigned five years later.