Rue de la Cigogne - Ooievaarsstraat, Pedestrian street in Quays Quarter, Brussels, Belgium

Rue de la Cigogne connects the Pentagon area to the Quays Quarter, mixing new buildings with older structures along its path. The street is designed for walking, with space to move comfortably through the area.

The alley was opened in the second half of the 17th century, probably along an old path, and was long home to carters and pedlars. It first appears on 18th-century maps as Zwanenstraatje (Little Swan Street) and was renamed Rue de la Cigogne in 1851 to avoid a duplicate name. In 1984 it became the first street in Brussels protected as heritage, together with the Saint-Roch gate.

The name changed from "ruelle du Cygne" (Swan Alley) to Rue de la Cigogne in 1851 to avoid confusion with another street of the same name. The street is often wrongly called "impasse de la Cigogne", although it is a through alley, not a dead end. The gate at the Vlaamsesteenweg side marks the boundary between private property and public space.

The passage runs about 70 metres from the Porte Saint-Roch on rue Rempart des Moines to rue de Flandre, where a gate closes it off. The open entrance is under the gate; the far end is grilled. The cobblestones are uneven, so watch your step.

The street was first recorded on 18th-century Brussels maps as Zwanenstraatje (Little Swan Street); it was renamed Ooievaarstraat to avoid confusion with other streets of the same name, and the French form rue de la Cigogne followed in 1851. It is often wrongly called impasse de la Cigogne, though it is a passage, not a dead end.