Brussels’ main
square dates back to the 12th Century, when it was reclaimed from
marshland. By the mid 14th Century it was the center of a prosperous
market, which spilled over into the surrounding streets. It was the venue of
many of the city’s guildhalls, as well as the Hotel de Ville or town hall. It
was also the place to go for a jousting tournament or a public execution.
The army of Louis XIV bombarded the square and destroyed
most of the buildings, except for the Hotel de Ville, though even it was
heavily damaged. Most of the buildings now extant are late 17th
Century replacements. The Hotel de Ville still dominates the square with a
creamy façade covered with reliefs and a high tower topped by a statue of St.
Michel slaying the Devil. The reliefs include 203 little statues representing
the Dukes and Duchesses of Brabant who ruled the dukedom
between the year 580 and 1564.
Opposite the Hotel de Ville is the Maison de Roi or
Broodhuis, a magnificent neogothic building that now houses the city’s historic
museum. On exhibition are original statues of the town hall, paintings, wall
tapestries and different artifacts which have a relation to the history of the
city.
Royal Palace
and Royal Residence at Laken
The Belgium Royal
Palace was built in the early 19th
Century and was the residence of the Belgium
royal family until the 1930s, when they moved to the royal residence at Laken.
The palace now contains a small museum with a collection about the Belgium
royal dynasty. The royal residence in the suburb of Laken was built in 1772. It
has a lovely botanical garden which can be visited by the public for only ten
days in April and May.
Manneken Pis
This famous statue of a small boy taking a leak is often
seen as a symbol of the city. His origins are lost in time. Some say he was a
nobleman’s son. Others say he was a boy of more humble birth who had found a
unique and risky way to put out a fire. He was first carved in stone, in the
mid-14th century, and called 'Little Julian.' In 1619 a bronze version was
sculpted by Jerôme Duquesnoy, and this is the Manneken Pis we see today. On
public holidays, the people of Brussels
often dress him up in colorful clothing.