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BRUSSELS
Brussels is a cosmopolitan city, with a
liveliness and an appeal that are intimately related to its role as a
crossroads for all of Europe. Architectural styles range from Gothic
cathedrals and churches to the gracious classical facades of the Palais
des Nations, the Royal Palace and to the many art nouveau and art deco
houses in the comfortable neighborhoods where the Bruxellois live.
The heart of Brussels and the place to start getting to know the city is
the Grand'Place.
This historic square, lined with exuberantly ornate guild houses and
focused on the Gothic heights of the Hotel de Ville, is widely held to
be one of Europe's finest.
THE
GRAND'PLACE : (Grote
Markt - Market Square)
"One
of the most beautiful town squares in Europe, if not in the world",
is a phrase often heard when visitors in Brussels try to describe the
beauty of the central market square. French-speakers refer to it as the
'Grand-Place', whereas in Dutch it is called 'de grote Markt'. The
tourists of the 20th century are not alone in their admiration .
Archduchess Isabella, daughter of Filip II of Spain wrote about the
square during her visit to Brussels on September the 5th 1599:
" Never have I
seen something so beautiful and exquisite as the town square of the city
where the town hall rises up into the sky. The decoration of the houses
is most remarkable ".
Writers like Victor Hugo and
Baudelaire were also struck by the charm of the market square with its
beautiful set of
Guild houses
dominated by the
Town hall and the
King's house.
The origins of the Grand-Place, however, are humble. The site still
formed a sand-bank between two brooks which ran downhill to the river
Senne. Once the sand-bank was reclaimed it turned into the "Niedermerckt",
or 'lower market'. Already in the 12th century Brussels had become a
commercial crossroads between Bruges (in Flanders) , Cologne , and
France. English wool, French wines and German beer were sold in the
harbour and on the market.
During the early Middle Ages
small wooden houses were scattered around the market, but as from the
14th century the rich and powerful patrician families built stone
mansions. Gradually the market turned into the main commercial and
administrative centre of the city. In 1402 the construction of the
town hall started (which would eventually be completed around 1455).
The square had by then already become the political centre where
meetings were held, where executions took place and where dukes, kings
and emperors where officially received. In the following centuries most
wooden houses where replaced with beautifully decorated stone ones,
mostly owned by the Brussels guilds.
On
August the 13th 1695, however, the prestigious square was bombed
to ruins by Field Marchal DE VILLEROY. By order of Louis XIV of
France he had Brussels destroyed in reprisal of a lost Battle in Namur
(south Belgium).Between 1695 and 1700 the guilds rebuilt all the houses.
Also the heavily damaged townhall was entirely reconstructed.In the 18th
and 19th centuries most of the houses became private property. After
attempts of several owners to modernize the facades of their houses,
which would have resulted in a mutilation of the unity of style, the
mayor of Brussels, Karel Buls, decided that the houses of the
Grand-Place had to be preserved as much as possible in their original
style. Since that year the owners of the houses are bound by a
servitude.
Above
: One of the drawings depicting the destruction of the Grand'Place after
the bombardment in 1695 by A. Coppens.
Reproduced by kind permission of Het museum van het Broodhuis - the city
museum of Brussels
Nowadays, the Grand-Place is
the main tourist attraction of the
City of Brussels. All
through the year it is visited by thousands who like to spend some time
wandering around and admiring the beautiful buildings, or sitting down
on one of the many terraces having a good Belgian beer. Concerts and
musical happenings are organized all through the year on the square. The
most famous events that take place here are the annual Ommegang (an
historical procession at the beginning of July) and the biennial flower
carpet.