Small Ring, Brussels

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The Small Ring (French: Petite Ceinture, pronounced [pətit sɛ̃tyʁ]; Dutch: Kleine Ring, pronounced [ˈklɛinə ˈrɪŋ]) inner ring road, formally R20, is a series of roadways in central Brussels, Belgium, surrounding the historic city centre. The city centre is usually defined as the area within the Small Ring; this area is called the Pentagon due to its pentagonal shape. The Pentagon forms the core of the City of Brussels municipality. The road was built on the site of the 14th-century second walls of Brussels, after they had been torn down. During the second stage of the covering of the Senne in the 20th century, the river was diverted to underneath the western boulevards of the Small Ring. This freed up the main tunnels that had contained the water to allow construction of the Brussels premetro (underground tram) service with minimal disruption to the surface. The Small Ring is about 8 km (5.0 mi) long. It is surrounded by the Greater Ring, which runs about 30 km (19 mi), and by the main Brussels Ring motorway (about 80 km (50 mi)). The road passes through tunnels allowing vehicles to avoid surface-level traffic lights. It is thus possible to drive through tunnels from Brussels-South railway station to the Place Sainctelette/Saincteletteplein (via Arts-Loi/Kunst-Wet) and then on to the Koekelberg Basilica, or vice versa, without traffic light interruption. The section of the Small Ring between the Place Sainctelette and the South Station via the Anderlecht Gate is completely at surface-level and is thus slower to traverse.