Jardin Botanique, Boulevard/Kruidtuinlaan

   The boulevard Jardin Botanique forms a portion of the northern section of the inner ring road running from the boulevard Émile Jacqmain east to the rue Royale. It was completed in 1818-1820 and follows the traces of the second town wall. First called boulevard de Schaerbeek to commemorate the porte de Schaerbeek which it crossed, the name was changed in 1841 to honor the Jardin Botanique (see JARDIN NATIONAL DE BELGIQUE). In the 19th century, the steep incline of the roadway proved to be the bane of wagon and cart drivers. Groups of men called stoumpers (from stoempen, "to push with force") gathered at the corner of the boulevard and rue Neuve to provide assistance.

   The branch of the Bon Marché department store built along the thoroughfare in the interwar years featured the city's first escalators.