municipality, Brussels-Capital Region, central Belgium. A southeastern suburb of Brussels, it is one of the 19 municipalities that make up Greater Brussels. Factories in Ixelles process metals and make chemicals and textiles. The former Cistercian Abbey of La Cambre (founded 1201) now houses the National Geographic Institute and the Institute of Architecture and Decorative Art. Some of the newer buildings of the Free University of Brussels are in the southeastern part of the town near the lakes of Bas-Ixelles. Ixelles also is home to the European Parliament and offices of many multinational corporations, which have brought an influx of capital and wealth into the municipality. Pop. (2007 est.) mun., 78,088.