Brussels Things to Do Tips by tompt

Town Hall Hotel de Ville - Town Hall Review

Dominating the Grand Place with its gothic tower is the Town Hall.

The first stone was laid in the spring of 1402. This original town hall (which is now the left wing) was completed in 1405, together with a small tower. In 1444, the original building was extended with a smaller right wing, which was ready in 1449. In that same year the tower that still crowns the building today was built.

Finally, in 1455 a guilded statue of St. Michael slaying the devil was put on top.
The original statue remained on the tower until June 1996, when it was replaced with a completely new one.

After the destruction of Brussels in August 1695 by the French troops only the tower and the outside walls of the town hall were standing. Restoration works started almost immediately.
In 1840 a complete restoration was necessary, because the statues were eroded. The entire facade became decorated with a total of 203 little statues representing the Dukes and Duchesses of Brabant who ruled the dukedom between the year 580 and 1564.

The town hall is still the seat of the Mayor of Brussels .

The town hall can be visited only with guided tours in French, Dutch, English, and German.

Address: Grand Place

Website: http://www.ilotsacre.be

Maison du Roi The King's House - La Maison du Roi - Het Broodhuis Review

At the Grand Place, opposite the Town Hall, you will see the beautiful neo-gothic building. It is Maison du Roi (kings house)in French or Broodhuis (bread house) in Dutch.
The Dutch name shows the origins of this building. In the beginning of the 13th century a wooden construction stood here, where bakers sold bread.
In 1405 a stone building replaced the original wooden bread hall. During the early 15th century the bakers went selling their products from house to house. The building began to be used for administrative purposes by the Duke of Brabant, here is where the French name comes from.
The King's House was rebuild in flamboyant Gothic style from 1515 until 1536.
After the French bombardment of 1695 the building was restored as far as necessary to keep it from collapsing.

In 1860 the city authorities bought the old King's House the entire building had to be build up from scratch. On June the 2nd 1887 the King's House became the City Museum of Brussels 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. It is also the museum where the costumes of Manneken Pis are housed.

Open:
Tuesday to Friday : from 10 am till 5 pm
Weekends and holidays : from 10am till 1pm
Closed on Mondays.

Address: Grand Place

Phone: 02-279.43.50

Grand Place Grand Place - Grote Markt Review

The central market square in Brussels, the Grand Place, is one of the most beautiful town squares we ever saw.

The market square has a beautiful set of Guild houses and is dominated by the Town Hall and the King's house.

In the 12th century Brussels had become a commercial crossroads between Bruges, Cologne, and France. English wool, French wines and German beer were sold on the market.
During the early Middle Ages there were small wooden houses around the market, from the 14th century the rich and powerful patrician families built stone mansions here. The market turned into the main commercial and administrative centre of the city.
In 1402 the construction of the town hall started (completed around 1455).
The square had also become the political centre where meetings were held, executions took place and royals where officially received.
In the following centuries most wooden houses where replaced by decorated stone ones, mostly owned by the Brussels guilds.

On August the 13th 1695, the prestigious square was bombed to ruins by order of Louis XIV of France. He destroyed Brussels in reprisal of a lost battle in Namur.
Between 1695 and 1700 the guilds rebuilt all the houses. The townhall was also entirely reconstructed.

In the 18th and 19th centuries most of the houses became private property. But they must be kept as original as possible.

Website: http://www.ilotsacre.be

Jeanneke Pis Jeanneken Pis Review

Jeanneke Pis is a bronze statue of a young child urinating, just like the more famous Manneken Pis .
The little girl Jeanneke is a recent work, commissioned by a group of local merchants in response to the popularity of the little boy Manneken. It was installed during the 1980s.

If you thought Manneken Pis was a bit of a disappointment, then just don't visit this statue. It will only be more disappointment .......

Address: Impasse de la Fidelité

Directions: From Rue des Bouchers

Manneken Pis Manneken Pis Review

This statue of a little boy in a somewhat compromising position is a major tourist attraction in the city. The visitors are almost all surprised the statue is so small.

It is not known why the manneken is there. He is believed to be nothing more than a decoration on top of a fountain.
The official origin can be traced back to the 13th of August 1619 when the city ordered the sculptor Jerome Duquesnoy to make a new bronze statue of manneken-pis to replace an old one.
Over the centuries the little manneken has often been hidden to protect him against bombs of invading armies. He has also been stolen several times by plundering soldiers and even by the citizens of Geraardsbergen, a city in Flanders that claims to possess the oldest statue of a peeing boy in Belgium.

The manneken-pis is very often dressed. At the moment he has a wardrobe of more than 600 costumes, which are all preserved in the City Museum at the Grand-Place.
He received his first costume on May the 1st 1698. The governor of the Austrian Netherlands gave the costume on the occasion of festivities organized by one of the guilds of Brussels. Among the more special costumes are: an Elvis Presley outfit and a Mickey Mouse costume.

Address: Corner of Rue de l' Etuve and Rue du Chêne

Directions: At the Grand-Place follow the street on the left side of the town hall

Website: http://www.manneken-pis.com/

the Palais du Cinquantenaire Parc du Cinquantenaire Review

In the parc du Cinquantenaire you will find this arch.
The buildings wings house the Royal Art and History Museum, Army and Military Museum and Autoworld Museum.

The arch was planned for the world exhibition of 1880, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Belgian Kingdom, but took a long time to finish. In 1880 only the basis of the colons had been constructed. During the exhibition the rest of the arch was completed with wooden panels. Government considered it to expensive to finish. Private funding (the king) made sure the arch was finally completed by 1905, just in time for the 75th anniversary of the Belgian independence.
The monument was then also crowned with a statue representing the province of Brabant. The other 8 provinces were symbolized by statues at the foot of the columns.

Address: Parc du Cinquantenaire

Directions: Metro: Schumann or Merode

A Saint

Touching this statue will bring luck. And judging to the polished saint, many people do try for some luck.

It is situated at the side of a building at the Grand Place.

Expo 1958

The buildings used for the Expo 1958, are still used for expostions. There are several buildings, all numbered with a big number on their facade, this building nr 5.
All building are in the sane style, and worth just admiring from outside.

Address: Blvd. du Centenaire, BruPark

Directions: Metro: Heizel/Heysel

The Atomium Atomium Review

This eyecatcher is built for the Brussels Worlds Fair, which was held from 17 April to 19 October 1958. (commonly known as Expo 1958) The atomium is designed by architect André Waterkeyn. It took 18 months to construct it.


The Atomium is the visual representation of the concept of an atom. It symbolizes a crystallised molecule of iron with its 9 atoms and is magnified 150 billion times. Each sphere has a diameter of 18 meters. The atominum is coated with aluminum, weighs 2.400 tons and is 102 meters high.

Visitors can take an elevator to the upper sphere where one can enjoy a panoramic view of the Heysel area. There is also a buffet-restaurant in the upper sphere. In the other spheres expositions are organized. They can be visited by means of escalators.

Open:
Sept. to March: 10 a.m. till 5.30 p.m.
April to August: 9 a.m. till 7.30 p.m.

Address: Blvd. du Centenaire, BruPark

Directions: Metro: Heizel/Heysel

Website: http://www.atomium.be/