People often mispronounce the name of this street, hesitating between “rue de la porcelaine” and “rue porcelaine.” This confusion is understandable, as the name of this street is admittedly unusual. In fact, it originates from a mistranslation of the Brussels dialect “Pozzelaanestroôtsje,” then into Dutch “Posteleinstraat,” and finally becoming “rue Porselein.”
Galerie photos
Karmakolle, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Origin of the name
This name is thought to be linked to the presence of purslane, an edible plant that grew abundantly in this area. However, this name only dates back to 1850. Before that, the street was simply called the “little street connecting the church to the upper street,” which was certainly a bit long.
