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Statue of Charles Buls, mayor of Brussels from 1881 until 1899. Charles was a prominent defender of equal rights, an intellectual, writer and widely regarded as the greatest mayor in modern history of the city. As son of a jeweler, young Charles was gifted with creativity and intelligence, and taught himself several languages including Latin and French. From 1879 he was elected into the Brussels city council and assigned the mandate of education. Through cunning diplomacy and liberal view points, he was promoted to mayor and gained fame as the defender of the Brussels cultural heritage. Most notable are his efforts to protect the historic city center, including the now classified Grand-Place, from demolition by king Leopold II. The king envisioned a layout for Brussels that resembled the graneur of Paris, with little regard for the organic growth of the city or its history. Charles Buls was among the only few politicians brave enough to oppose the large scale demolitions orchestrated by the king to make room for monumental buildings such as Law Courts building. Buls succeeded at preserving the Grand-Place but lost the Rochus neighborhood to make room for the Hill of Arts, a project ultimately cancelled and turned into the park it is today. Exhausted by his opposition against the king, and frustrated by the French dominion, he resigned as mayor in 1899 and withdrew from politics. His statue, around the corner of the Grand-Place he managed to save, was paid for by the architects who restored the facades of the Grand-Place buildings in 1999. It stands at the Grasmarkt where the jewelry store of his father used to be, and depicts Charles Buls with his dog.
Charles François Gommaire Buls was a Belgian politician and mayor of the City of Brussels.
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MOOF Museum
Belgium has a rich history of comics and comic characters, with titles like Suske en Wiske, Jommeke and Kiekeboe known by all Belgian children. Comic character figurines are popular, and the come to life in the museum. Visitors are immersed in the third dimension of the 9th art through a unique collection of comic book figurines. The collection is accessibly presented to a wider audience of young and old enthusiasts with numerous well known figures on display, as well as less known characters for a professional audience. Some figurines from American and French comic books are on display as well. Most of the sets are handcrafted by young local artists and students, staging a graphic and colorful universe. Temporary exhibitions are also occasionally hosted. Guided tours cost €85 and last 50-70 minutes. The final room of the museum is a pub that serves MOOF's beer.
Brussels City Tours is the main bus-tour company, with 2¾-hour tours of all the major sights.
An arthouse cinema and exhibition venue within the Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries. Cinéma Galeries, 26 Galerie de la Reine - Koninginnegalerij.
A traditional Brussels' puppet theater, and an authentic café. Housed in a historic building with brick walls and tiles, crumbling plaster and wooden benches, the theater will give you an impression of what Brussels theater is like. The shows are only in French, but you don't need to understand what's being said to enjoy them. A variety of local beers is being served during shows, and afterwards of course.
Chapelle de la Madeleine/Maria Magdalenakerk
One of the oldest churches in Brussels, dating from the 15th century. It is constructed from red bricks and local sandstone with a high carbonate content, making it very sensitive to acidic rain. The pointed facade, incorporating an octagonal bell tower, dates from 1453. The Baroque entrance portal with broken pediment bears the inscription DOM · S. MARIA MAGDALENA · SACRUM · ANNO 1637. The oak wood broker between the door leaves is special because the sculpture depicts the crucifixion of Christ, along with Mary Magdalene and angels. The current broker is a replica, the original one is hosted in the Museum of the City of Brussels. The north side of the chapel hosts a sacristy in pseudo-traditional style, against which the west facade of the former St. Anna chapel is built in Baroque style, a design by Leo van Heil dating back to 1661. The statue of Anna with Mary above the gate is a replica of a sculpture by Duquesnoy, the original can be viewed in the St. Gudula cathedral. The interior of the chapel has a basilic nave and two side aisles. Furniture and glass windows are modern, unfortunately nothing is left of the historical altars, burial tombs and paintings. The history of the chapel dates back to the 13th century, when it was founded by a mendicant order. They were taken over by the St. Gudula convent in 1299 and a monastery was built, but after a dispute with pope Clement V, the estate came in the hands of the city magistrate of Brussels who assigned it to the hospital friars of St. Nicholas brotherhood. By the end of the 15th century their numbers had dwindled however, and the endowments were assigned to the Carthusians of Scheut. The church was replaced by a late Gothic design, an initiative from the Brussels baker's guild. The bell tower was completed in 1453, and the monastery buildings demolished. From 1581 to 1585 the church was managed by the French Reformation, and in 1637 it received the status of an auxiliary church of St. Gudula. It sustained heavy damage by the shellings of the Nine Year War, but rebuilt in 1696. The scorched walls were demolished, and a new Baroque nave and choir added. In the early 20th century, the church was threatened by construction of the north-south railway connection, but its historic importance was recognized and the building saved, after which restoration commenced. Under coordination of architects Simon Brigode and Maxime Brunfaut, the 15th century building was restored based on iconographic documents and excavations. They removed the plastering and reconstructed the chapel walls that had been torn down in 1676, as well as buttresses, pillars, and the choir. The former sacristy was also built across the church with the facade of the former St. Anna chapel. The Baroque facade was rebuilt brick by brick. During the restoration between 1956 and 1958, older retaining walls were discovered, which are possibly remnants of a building constructed by the Templars, dating from before the first church.
Maison du Roi/Broodhuis
A 19th-century building hosting the Brussels City Museum, with an extensive collection items of the city's history. The Dutch name Broodhuis (literally bread house) dates from the 13th century, when a wooden hut existed on the Grand-Place where bakers sold their bread. It was replaced by a stone building in 1405, but at the beginning of the 15th century it was gradually abandoned when bakers started selling their wares door to door. The vacant building was then occupied by the Duke of Brabant, turning it into an administrative centre, and renaming it to Duke's House ('s Hertogenhuys). It later became the property of emperor Charles V, but its condition soon deteriorated due to lack of maintenance, and was razed to the ground at orders of the emperor. This architect Antoon II Keldermans was commissioned to design a new building in Gothic style, the plans finished in 1514 and construction was carried uit from 1515 to 1536. After Keldermans' death, subsequent architects finished the building. Under Spanish reign, queen Isabella of Spain ordered the renovation of the facade in 1625 and placed it under protection of the Holy Mary foundation. During French bombardments in 1695, the building was damaged to such an extent that extensive maintenance was required, but due to lacking finances this was limited to the minimal efforts to prevent collapse. Only in 1767 a second renovation was carried out. Taken over by the city of Brussels in the 1860, the house was renamed House of the People (Volkshuis), but fell prey to decay a second time and razed at the end of the 19th century, then reconstructed in neo-Gothic style, which was very popular at the time. It was one of the achievements of major Carl Buls, known for his progressive ideas, and Jules Anspach. Construction responsibilities were assigned to architect Pierre-Victor Jamaer, who constructed the building based on the original plans of Antoon Keldermans. Construction started in 1873 and took over 20 years and cost 2 million francs, which was a fortune at the time. It became the best example of neo-Gothic style in Belgium, and assigned the function of city museum in 1887. From 1895 to 1895, the belfry's carillon featured 49 bells, which were planned to be extended by another 6 bells in 1895, and moved to the City Hall's belfry. However, this was never carried out because of the failing mechanism of the carrillon, and it was eventually removed from the Belfry completely in 1898. The belfry has remained empty ever since. Since 1998 the King's House is a . It hosts many statues that used to decorate the City Hall and were removed and replaced with replicas to preserve the originals. Over 500 costumes of Manneken Pis are stored in the basement of the King's House, and a smaller selection is on display.