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The Gothic style Town Hall on Grand Place, Brussels, Belgium.
Brussels' Restaurant Row
Europe in Miniature
Brussels - Cosmopolitan and Cultural
Belgium’s capital, Brussels, is a truly multicultural city. As home to the European Community, and its 40,000 employees from 28 member nations, Brussels has a decidedly international population, but manages to keep its national identity intact.
Brussels’ Grand Place is a magnificent central square ringed by dignified, centuries-old buildings. It aptly fits the description of “an architectural jewel” given it by the World Heritage Organization. One of its most imposing buildings is the Town Hall, the Hôtel de Ville, parts of which date back to the 15th century. Intricately carved sculptures along its façade depict a string of 203 dukes and duchesses; its 315-foot spire is topped with a gilded statue of Saint Michael slaying the devil.
Vying for attention in the Grand Place is the majestic Maison du Roi, the King’s House. Once the home of Spanish monarchs, it now houses a very different occupant. In addition to serving as a museum of the city’s history, it also has a section devoted to Brussels’ famous little squirt – the Manneken-Pis. Originally a typical drinking fountain near Grand Place, the 15th century statue has a variety of legends attached to him, from saving the town by putting out a fire with the only tool he had, to a witch’s vindictive plan to turn a young boy to stone. It’s become a tradition of visiting foreign dignitaries to bring a special uniform for the popular Brusselseer. In the Maison du Roi, over 100 of his roughly 900 costumes are displayed. Impressive guild houses, unbelieveable chocolate and waffle shops round out the main square.
Overlooking the old Lower Town is the stately Mont des Arts. It was the vision of King Leopold II, Belgium’s second monarch, that this hill between his palace in the Upper Town and the town hall be developed as a center for culture. It now hosts some of the city’s most prestigious museums: the Magritte Museum, the Musical Instruments Museum (considered one of Europe’s best) the BELvue Museum and the Coudenberg, the excavated remains of the former palace of Brussels.
A grand view of both the gardens on the Mont des Arts and the town hall spire in the Lower Town
Brussels Town Hall
Closeups of some of the 203 royals standing watch over Grand Place
Actually six buildings united with one facade, the House of the Dukes of Brabant, sports the busts of former rulers.
The King's House once was the home of royals, now it's the Museum of the City of Brussels with Manneken-Pis outfits on display.
Brussels' little squirt
One of Manneken's almost 900 costumes
One of Manneken's almost 900 costumes
One of Manneken's almost 900 costumes
One of Manneken's almost 900 costumes
Found beneath the BELvue Museum of Belgian History are the remains of Brussels' 12th century palace.
Now subterranean, the Rue Isabelle was once an open-air street connecting the Palace to St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral. The outside wall of the building that housed the prestigious banqueting hall, the Aula Magna, which was the scene of the major events of the Brussels Court, can be seen on the left. Rue Isabelle sits directly under the concrete slab of today's Place Royale.
A sleepy resident forgot to douse all the candles, leading to a massive fire in 1731.
Flames destroyed the palace. Eventually the remaining parts of the palace were razed and a new one built above them.
The place where members get down to the day-to-day aspects of the EU, propose and implement EU laws and treaties.
Crafted by Belgian artist May Claerhout, the statue features the embodiment of the goddess Europa carried on a spiral of humanity and holding above her head the monetary Euro symbol, also as sign of the unity of European people and nations.
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Brussels' Lighter Side
Brussels’ lighter side can be seen with lively comic figures and murals, reminders the city is the birthplace of such popular cartoon characters as Tintin, with his faithful dog Snowy, and the Smurfs. Aficionados of all things cartoon will revel at the Belgian Comic Strip Center or the MOOF (Museum of Original Figurines), and enjoy spotting larger than life depictions of favorite characters along the Comic Book Route.
Entrance to Museum of Original Figurines
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NEARBY: LEUVEN
A little sibling rivalry existed between Brussels and Leuven, a city about 20 miles to the east. Both wanted to be the main seat of power for what was then called the Duchy of Brabant. Tangible reminders of their competitiveness are their respective town halls. Brussels’ Hotel Ville, originally completed in 1405 with a modest tower, was greatly enlarged and the spire with St. Michael’s statue were added to the spire to boost its height in 1455, after Leuven started construction on its massive and impressive town hall in 1448. Although Brussels won the race to be capital city, Leuven won on architectural splendor and its hall is widely viewed as a masterpiece of Gothic design. During the 19th century, renovations to the hall added a veritable hall of fame to its exterior in the form of 236 statues, each representing a prominent scientist, artist, noble or historical figure associated with the city.
Leuven has another prestigious building and lock on history – its university. Founded in 1425 by Pope Martin V, Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven is one of the oldest and most respected universities in Europe; the oldest surviving Catholic university. It also has its own mascot, Pieter de Somerplein, who turns up all around town in souvenir shops. He was immortalized in 1975, during the university’s 550th anniversary, as the Font Sapienza, a fountain of a young boy, affectionately called Fonske, reading a book while pouring what some believe is knowledge into his empty head. Others contend it’s more likely beer – given Leuven is also the home of Stella Artois beer, first brewed in 1366 at then Den Horen Brewery.
The European Union
About a mile east of the Belgium’s ruling bodies, the Royal Palace and the Parliament, lies the governing body for most of Europe under the umbrella known as the European Union. Committee meetings for the 751 delegates representing 28 nations take place at the European Parliament in Brussels. Belgium was among the EU’s founding six countries following WW II, under the concept that countries who trade with one another become economically interdependent, and a WW III is less likely. What started as a exclusively economic mission, with the title of European Economic Community, has since morphed into both an economic and political body, leading to a name change in 1993 to simply the European Union. At the Parlimentarium, the path from independent countries to the United States of Europe is played out through multi-media displays.
Europe on a 1:25 scale
Latvia's Symbol of Independence
Memorial to those who fought during the Napoleonic Wars
Europe on a 1:25 scale
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For a visual, lighthearted overview of EU member countries, the outdoor Mini-Europe park is the place to go. On the surface, the painstakingly recreated miniatures of European landmarks might seem like child’s play, but the 350 monuments depicted have been carefully selected to champion what the countries have in common and decry what tears them apart: the Arc de Triomphe with its Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, instantly identifiable as a Parisian landmark, also represents Napoleon’s battles through Europe and recurring tensions; likewise Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate is a reminder of when Napoleon dismantled the Quadriga topping the famous structure and took it back to Paris after conquering the town. Other displays salute the unifying spirit of adventure and enterprise, technology and culture, democracy and social thinking. Brussels’ guild houses surrounding Grand Place represent trades people – and reminds visitors of the economic basis of the EU foundation. All miniatures are done on a scale of 1:25; the complete Brussels display alone took 19,000 hours of labor at a cost of €350,000.
Standing tall beyond Mini-Europe is the Atomium, a 335-foot monument left over from the 1958 World’s Fair. Although never intended to be a permanent exhibit, it’s popularity led to it becoming an enduring landmark. The giant depiction of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times, is a symbol of progress and innovation. Five of the structure’s nine spheres host a combination of permanent and temporary exhibitions examining architecture, design and modern society – and a great view over Brussels!
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236 statues of important Leavens
