The Université libre de Bruxelles (French, pronounced [ynivɛʁsite libʁ də bʁysɛl]; lit.

The Université libre de Bruxelles was formed in 1969 by the splitting of the Free University of Brussels[b], which was founded in 1834 by the lawyer and liberal politician Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen.

One of the leading Belgian universities open to Europe and the world,[3][4] the ULB now has about 24,200 students, 33% of whom come from abroad, and an equally cosmopolitan staff.

Since the government was reluctant to fund another state university, a group of leading intellectuals in the fields of arts, science, and education — amongst whom the study prefect of the Royal Athenaeum of Brussels, Auguste Baron, as well as the astronomer and mathematician Adolphe Quetelet — planned to create a private university, which was permitted under the Belgian Constitution.

[7] The country's liberals strongly opposed to this decision, and furthered their ideas for a university in Brussels as a counterbalance to the Catholic institution.

[2] After sufficient funding was collected among advocates, the Université libre de Belgique ("Free University of Belgium") was inaugurated on 20 November 1834, in the Gothic Room of Brussels Town Hall.

[6] After its establishment, the Free University faced difficult times, since it received no subsidies or grants from the government; yearly fundraising events and tuition fees provided the only financial means.

Verhaegen, who became a professor and later head of the new university, gave it a mission statement which he summarised in a speech to King Leopold I: "the principle of free inquiry and academic freedom uninfluenced by any political or religious authority.

In 1911, the university obtained its legal personality under the name Université libre de Bruxelles - Vrije Hogeschool te Brussel.

After Belgian independence, French was widely accepted as the language of the bourgeoisie and upper classes and was the only medium in law and academia.

[14] Tensions between French- and Dutch-speaking students in the country came to a head in 1968 when the Catholic University of Leuven split along linguistic lines, becoming the first of several national institutions to do so.

For pre-1970 notable faculty and alumni, see Free University of Brussels: Media related to Université libre de Bruxelles at Wikimedia Commons