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For popular concerts, where the stadium bands stop in.
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Bourse/Beurs
Former stock market building. Locals like to sit on the steps, sometimes with fries. A local restaurant owner has proposed turning the unused building into a beer hall.
From 1238 onwards the Franciscans were given permission to settle between the Senne river and the Grand-Place, which were strategic points in the city in the Middle Ages. This settlement reflects the important role played by these men in the city’s social and religious life. The site knew good times and periods of adversity, expansion, destruction during the Calvinist period and the 1695 bombardment; it was rebuilt several times, only to finally disappear during the French period. In this underground archaeological museum, the history of Belgium’s capital city is told from a different angle.
Hôtel de Ville/Stadhuis
The oldest part of the present Town Hall is its east wing (to the right when facing the front). This wing, together with a shorter belfry, was built and completed in 1420 under direction of Jacob van Thienen. Initially, future expansion of the building was not foreseen, however, the admission of the craft guilds into the traditionally patrician city government apparently spurred interest in providing more room the building. As a result, a second, somewhat longer wing was built on to the existing structure, with Charles the Bold laying its first stone in 1444. This left wing was built by Guillaume de Voghel who in 1452 also built the Magna Aula at the Coudenberg. The facade is decorated with numerous statues representing nobles, saints, and allegorical figures. The present sculptures are reproductions; the originals have been moved to the city museum. The 96-meter tall tower in Brabantine Gothic style emerged from the plans of Jan van Ruysbroek, the court architect of Philip the Good. By 1454 this tower replacing the older belfry was completed. Above the roof of the Town Hall, the square tower body narrows to a lavishly pinnacled octagonal openwork. Atop the spire stands a 5-meter tall gilt metal statue of the archangel Michael, patron saint of Brussels, slaying a dragon or devil. The tower, its front archway and the main building facade are conspicuously off centre relative to one another. According to legend, the architect upon discovering this "error" leaped to his death from the tower. More likely, the asymmetry of the Town Hall was an accepted consequence of the scattered construction history and space constraints. After the bombardment of Brussels in 1695 by a French army under the Duke of Villeroi, the resulting fire completely gutted the Town Hall, destroying the archives and the art collections. The interior was soon rebuilt, and the addition of two rear wings transformed the L-shaped building into its present configuration: a quadrilateral with an inner courtyard completed by Corneille Van Nerven in 1712. The Gothic interior was revised by Victor Jamar in 1868 in the style of his mentor Viollet-le-Duc. The halls have been replenished with tapestries, paintings, and sculptures, largely representing subjects of importance in local and regional history. The Town Hall accommodated not only the municipal authorities of the city, but until 1795 also the States of Brabant. In 1830, a provisional government assembled here during the attempt of the Third French Revolution which provoked the separation of the Southern Netherlands from the Northern Netherlands, resulting in the formation of Belgium as is known now. At the start of World War I, as refugees flooded Brussels, Town Hall served as a makeshift hospital. On 20 August 1914, the occupying German army arrived at the Grand-Place and hoisted a German flag at the left side of the Town Hall. The Town Hall has been designated a historic monument since 9 March 1936.
Daily bike tours in English allow you to see the main sights in about 3.5 hours. It includes a halfway stop for fries and beer (not included in price). Reservations recommended.
Église Saint-Nicolas/Sint-Niklaaskerk
One of the oldest remaining churches of Brussels, the history of the St. Nicholas Church dates back to the 12th century with the construction of a chapel for traders in the market district. It is named after St. Nicholas, the protector of merchants in Christian mythology. The church had a turbulent history and suffered many natural and cultural disasters. Its belfry tower was destroyed by a storm in 1367, but had been rebuilt by 1380 in the new Gothic style of the era, but with preservation of the Romaneque foundations. One of the first automated mechanical clocks in the world were installed in the tower. It served as the meeting hall of the city council, and trumpetters announced new acts and decisions. Between 1662 and 1665 an additional floor and dome was added by architect Leo van Heil. It then was attacked by iconoclasts in the 16th century, which became a Parish church in 1618. It was again under attack in 1695 by French marshall Villeroy whose cannons destroyed nearly the entire center of the city and started a fire in the church. The bells crashed down from the bell tower. One of the cannon balls, penetrating one of the stone pillars, can still be seen today. Once again the church was rebuilt in 1712-1713, and architect Willem De Bruyn replaced the upper floors. Unfortunately, proper foundations were neglected, and because of the marsh around the Zenne, the tower collapsed for a second time in 1714. The City Museum has a scale model of the tower on display that eventually never got erected. It took until 1956 for the Gothic front of the church to be rebuilt after the collapse of the tower, but small Romaneque remains can also be observed. A final restoration was completed between 2002 and 2006. The church is under the care of Father Mario Rosas, and religious ceremonies are still frequently held in the church. The buildings to the south east side of the church have been occupied by merchants throughout the churches' history, and give a good impression of the size and scale of merchant houses in Medieval Brussels. The peculiar orientation of the building is attributed to the flow of the original Zenne river. Of particular interest in the interior of the church are the choir chairs dating from 1381, with medaillons telling the story of St. Nicholas.
Informative 3-hour tour. Groups can be large due to the low price!