When the Germans marched towards Brussels in August 1914, Mayor Adolphe Max reacted quickly to lift his people's morale with a message for the citizens. Posters lined the streets with the text, "as long as I will live in freedom; I will do everything in my power to protect my fellow citizens." - Adolphe Max
On August 20, 1914, the Germans marched into Brussels, and took over the City Hall and the Market Square, and cheekily hoisted a German flag. Do not confuse the German and Belgium flag, pay attention.
Mayor Adolphe Max did not run away, he stayed in the Town Hall and tried to slow down the operations of the Germans. The Germans demanded for Belgium flags to be removed, but Max did not stand for it. He tried to frustrate the Germans and slow them down as much as he could.
Then the Germans demanded that Brussels pay them a war tribute, Adolphe refused to pay and thus on the 24th of September he was taken to Germany as a prisoner of war. Adolphe managed to resist the Germans only for one month, and this resulted in him staying in Germany for the remainder of World War One.
During the time Adolph was in prison his deputy Maurice Lemonnier gathered funds to pay the Germans. However, he rejected to pay taxes for those Belgium citizens who ran away due to the war. In April 1917, Lemonier too was arrested and deported to Germany. In the same year two months earlier, the German troops demanded all schools to be closed down to save coal for heating. Emile Jacqmain, the head of education suggested that at least some schools should remain open, this suggestion was not taken into account, and Emile Jacque also was arrested and sent to a labour camp in Germany.
Adolphe Max, Maurice Lemonnier and Emile Jacqmain were three politicians who did not cower to the German occupants. Adolphe paved the way courageously, and Lemonnier and Jacqmain followed bravely behind him.
Adolphe escaped from Germany on the 13th of November 1918 and returned to his beloved Brussels where he was received as a war hero. Lemonnier and Jacqmain also returned to Brussels after the war; the trio were honoured as heroes of Brussels. To honour, the trio, the city of Brussels expressed their gratitude to them by naming three of their main streets after them. On returning Adolphe continued to work as the mayor of Brussels until his death at the beginning of WWII on the 6th of November 1939.
So how do you get a street named after you, well you have to become a hero!
If you find yourself in Brussels walking along the boulevards make sure to pay tribute to these three heroes of Brussels!
http://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20140720_01185850 (In Dutch)
http://www.britannica.com/biography/Adolphe-Max accessed 27 July 2015