"Brussels: Twice a Capital" Brussels by von.otter

“Hotel de Ville, in the Grand-Place, is a remarkable, fine specimen of a light and elegant style of Gothic Architecture. It was commenced in 1400, and was forty years completing. The tower is 264 feet in height, and in 1445 a statue of St. Michael, the titular Saint of Brussels, in copper, 17 feet high, was added, and is visible from all parts of the City.”
— from “Observations Made During a Residence in Brussels” 1816 by Henry Smithers

The city of Brussels is more than a 1,000 years old. Today Brussels is a collection of 19 districts that form, along with Flanders and Wallonia, the three regions of Belgium. It is the capital of the Kingdom of Belgium; and it is the headquarters of the European Commission and to the Council of Ministers of the European Union (EU).

Brussels recognizes French and Dutch as the official languages of the city. Street names and traffic signs are displayed in these two languages. It is a cosmopolitan city, where different cultures, traditions, and languages live together.

The heart of Brussels is the Grand-Place, in Flemish, Grote Markt. Considered to be one of the most beautiful town squares in Europe, this historic market square is ringed with ornate guild houses and the impressive Gothic beauty of Hôtel de Ville.

Brussels is a city of fine food, café culture, Art Nouveau architecture and sublime chocolate shops. The architecture swings from monumental edifices, such as the Grand Place, to nature-inspired Art Nouveau façades, such as the Horta Museum, to the EU’s cold and sterile bureaucratic office buildings.

The city plan for Brussels is not easy to figure. The city is sprawling, without clearly defined neighborhoods. As a whole, the city lacks a unifying spirit. Some areas have a bit of charm, but by and large charm is in short supply. Brussels can serve as an excellent hub from which to branch out and see other, more charming and picturesque towns of Belgium, towns such as Brugge and Ghent.

The crown jewel of Brussels is le Grand-Place (Grote Markt, in Flemish), the central market square. It is dominated by Hôtel de Ville (Stadhuis, in Flemish) on the south and by Maison de Roi (in Flemish, Broodhuis, meaning bread house, because there was once a house distributing bread on the sight) to the north. The square is surrounded by guildhall buildings, each with fascinating details and history. These buildings often house restaurants, bars or retail shops on their ground floors.

Brussels, Manneken-Pis, May 2011

“One of the curiosities of Brussels is the Mannikin Fountain, near the Hotel de Ville or City Hall. It has stood there since 1619, and all guide books note it. It is a great favorite with the lower classes, and its destruction would cause a revolution to which the French disturbance of 1789 was not a beginning. I can not describe it; but if you go to Brussels hunt it out and then exclaim as we did, ‘How ridiculous!’ ”
— Stephen Girard Nye, (1834-1906, California State Judge) on a 1901 trip through Europe with his family

The emblem of the City of Brussels is Manneken-Pis; he symbolizes the rebellious spirit of the city’s residents. This naughty little pissing boy is very popular; daily, many tourists gather around him, giggling and snapping photos of him. On special occasions, this fountainhead known as Manneken-Pis is dressed in one of his 800 costumes.

Brussels, Michael the Archangel, May 2011

Michael the Archangel is the Patron Saint of Brussels. His image is found everywhere in the city, even on its lampposts.

• Pros:Chocolates. Chocolates. Chocolates.
• Cons:It lacks charm.
• In a nutshell:Great Food, Art Nouveau and Chocolates.