Visit La Grand Place in Brussels

The Grand Place in Brussels provides great anatomy of the city’s centuries-old business and residential buildings. The building in the town square of La Grand Place provides a comprehensive picture of the city’s culture, narrating its mediaeval history. Hundreds of individuals were hanged here in the 16th and 17th centuries, thus this 12th-century town square (originally Nedermarckt) has a terrible past. The majority of these individuals were either rebels, protestants, or witches who spoke out against prejudice of all types.

La Grand Place Square

One of the most memorable ensembles in the world is Brussels’ beautiful Grand Place. Grand Place is accessible by six distinct pathways that progressively reveal the enclosed cobblestone area. I recommend taking the Rue des Harengs route! La Grand-Place is a rectangular cobblestoned market square with architectural jewels and modern cultural aesthetic styles. Similarly, the 15th-century Hôtel de Ville, gilded statues, guild halls, and Baroque housetops are the most noteworthy attractions to see in Grand Place.

Aside from the majestic building, La Grand Place represents Brussels’ officialdom at its pinnacle of prosperity. It is a symbolic pride of the Brussels bourgeois, who restored the city to its former beauty in a current style, and it represents the destruction wrought by the French cannon.

Take a close look at the city hall’s bell tower and the 15th-century buildings that have weathered several bombardments over time when visiting this square.

The King’s House or The City Museum

The King’s House, which is now the City Museum, is one minute from La Grand Place. This edifice transports you to the age of Renaissance and exploration with its soaring spires, carved columns, and medieval-style design. Pointed arches, grid windows with coloured panes, and timbered doors with a sloping vellum design characterise the architecture.

Through its grand wood staircase illuminated by windows depicting coats of arms and imposing timber frame echoing the upside-down hull of a ship, the museum tour ensures that you breathe the mediaeval environment. The decorative components are interpreted in a new light in the Gothic Revival style. Even the new structure has a spectacular appearance, with galleries, historical monuments, and a bell-topped tower.

Homes Decorated With Fretwork

Many guild houses and private apartments line each side of Grand Place. While each home has a name, they are primarily the result of the restoration of the 1695 bombardment in their current sequence. The lavishly delineated gables show Italian Baroque and Flemish influences, as do the artistically put together façade with their sculptural embellishments, which include columns and railings. Nearly forty guildhalls and other unusual 14th-century structures may be found on the plaza.

The Flower Carpet event, which exhibits colourful carpet designs constructed from over 75,000 begonias, is also popular at Grand Place. Cafés, restaurants, and boutique shops abound on the other side of the square. If you go on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday morning, go to the flower market, on a different day, stop by to enjoy evening rock concerts.

The Town Hall

Finally, pay a visit to Town Hall, the main structure on Grand Place Square. This town hall was put together in various stages over the fourteenth century, and it is the square’s only remaining mediaeval structure. The Town Hall is lopsided because the Brabantine tower, which stands 315 feet tall, is not in the centre of the network. Historians feel that the asymmetry was a natural result of the building’s long history and limited space. Despite this, the structure is capped by a 16-foot gilded statue of Saint Michael slaying a dragon and is ‘completely’ worth seeing. Brussels’ guardian angel is St. Michael.

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