World most beautiful town square - La Grand-Place, Brussels 857; Ommegang of Brussels, an annual historical procession and popular festival 01366
What and Why
Possibly one of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful, city squares in the world, the Grand-Place, in French and English, is the landmark of Brussels (French: Bruxelles). The square is surrounded by impressive mediaeval and opulent guildhalls and buildings. The Grand Place is voted the most beautiful square in the world in almost every travel surveys.
An important biennial event at even number of year is the ephemeral flower carpet, which takes place usually in August, during which a colossal is woven out of colourful begonias. Begonia is the only main flower chosen as it is the main Belgian export since the mid-19th century CE. Unfortunately I visited during an odd year and, at the time of writing the important event is cancelled due to the worldwide COVID pandemic.
Brussels was founded in the 10th century CE and almost immediately this piece of land is identified as the central marketplace for the city, just like any other European cities. The square gained in prominence during the 14th century CE and remained until today, although like other European cities, the square and its surrounding buildings was burnt down by fire over and over again during its history. Today, while the buildings around the square still functions commercially somehow the place is largely a tourist spot.
See
The square measures 68 m by 110 m with the Town Hall (Hôtel de Ville) facing South approximately.
Town Hall (Hôtel de Ville)
Widely considered as a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, the town hall is the only mediaeval building still standing in the square, dating back to 1420s CE. The impressive tower in the middle is the archangel Michael (Hebrew: מִיכָאֵל, Mîkhā'ēl), the patron saint of Brussels.
While the building belongs to the Middle Age, the town hall has of course undergone multiple number of renovations and restorations, and as a matter of fact the lavish front facade and its sculptures are largely restored during the late 19th century CE. The tower is conspicuously off-centre, as a result of the multiple extensions and rebuilding during its long history.
King's House (Maison du Roi)
If the Town Hall is impressive, the opposite King's House (Maison du Roi) is of equal stature and probably takes more photoshots as its facade shows more opulence and decor. The building was originally a bakery house and hence its Dutch name Bread House (Dutch: Broodhuis) still sticks. The original building was replaced in the 15th century CE by its current form which housed the administrative services of the Duke of Brabant (Dutch: Hertog Van Brabant), and the same duke became the King of Spanish Netherlands (Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden), it was renamed the King's House. In the 16th century CE, the Holy Roman Emperor (Latin: Imperator Romanorum) Charles V (German: Karl V, né Karl Habsburg) rebuilt it in a Gothic style similar to the then contemporary design. The building was badly damaged during Nine Year's War (Dutch: Negenjarige Oorlog), and was heavily renovated in the mid-18th century CE with a Gothic-revival style, which stands until today. It now houses the Brussels City Museum (Musée de la Ville de Bruxelles), where the original statue of Manneken Pis is placed.
Other important buildings around
There are a number of impressive buildings around the square, for example the House of the Dukes of Brabant (Maison des Ducs de Brabant) at the Eastern end. The entire square houses many guildhalls of a variety of professions.
The building next to the Town Hall is called Le Cygne (the swan) where Karl Marx wrote his Communist Manifesto (German: Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei) in the late 19th century CE, while almost direct opposite was Victor Hugo's residence during his stay in Belgium.
Manneken Pis
If the Grand Place is the main face of Brussels, then the Manneken Pis (little pissing mannequin) is literally the other rather sarcastic symbol of Brussels, which is replicated all around the world in various fountains. The original statue, that dates back to the 1600s CE is housed in the City Museum, while this current statue is a replacement that is fairly recent in the 1960s CE. The statue area, is naturally extremely crowded. The statue is apparently both an embodiment of the Belgian sense of humour, free spirit and independence of mind. The statue is so famous that it has suffered from a large number of theft and vandalism and hence the original is placed inside a museum.
Stock Exchange (Bourse)
A totally vacant building which has become a tourist resting spot.
Palace of the Nation (Palais de la Nation)
The Belgian parliamentary building.
Royal Palace (Palais Royal)
The Royal Palace of Brussels (Palais Royal de Bruxelles) is the official and ceremonial reception palace of the Belgian Monarch, although this is not their residence.
Hill of Arts (Mont des Arts)
The Hill of Arts (Mont des Arts) offers the best and unrivalled view of the city centre as it sits on a small mount at a short distance of walk from the Grand Place. As the name suggests, it is the culture meeting point of Brussels where the art museum and library is located. The area used to be a Jewish quarter until it was entirely renovated as an art area during the end of the 19th century CE. Bears an uncanny micro-resemblance to Trocadéro of Paris.
Poelaert Square (Poelaertplein)
Poelaert Square, named after the architect of the adjacent Palace of Justice (Palais de Justice), is the largest square in Brussels and provides another good and spacious view point of the city. During our visit the Palace of Justice was under renovation. Most unfortunately they have erected to eye-sore ferris wheel in the square recently.
Parliamentarium and European Parliament
While there is no 'official' capital of European Union (EU), Brussels is its de facto capital of the European Union and hence this is the centre of Europe. Its Parliamentarium is an absolute gem of a visitor-centre-cum-museum. The cluster also holds the European Council and European Commission. Absolutely unmissable.
The EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012 CE for its contribution to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe by a unanimous decision.
Tintin Comic Mural
Created in 1929 CE, the adventurous reporter Tintin, with his quiff hairdo and his loyal dog Snowy is without any doubt Belgium’s most emblematic figure. Tintin solves mysteries and stands up against injustice. Similar to our blog on George Town, there is now a comic mural route right next to the Grand Place. Tintin is not alone, there are other non-Belgian comic murals, but Tintin is definitely the most beloved of them all. Tintin is perhaps Belgian most famous export, outside its chocolate. However, there have been recent criticisms of Tintin's earlier strips, as naturally it includes various references of racial stereotypes, animal cruelty, colonialism, violence, and prejudiced portrayals of non-Europeans, understandably so when the world had vastly different values; hence resulting in some of the these murals being vandalised.
Buy and Do
Chocolate (Chocolat)
What else but chocolates? There is almost a chocolatier, either branded, chained or homemade in every blocks in Brussels, and you just cannot be under more evil temptation. We have already covered the origin of chocolates in Belgium in our blog on Bruges (Dutch: Brugge). In particular the confection praline, chocolate with a soft-centred filling, is a genuine Belgian invention.
On this particular blog, it has to be emphasised that the famous chocolatier Godiva opened its shop in the Grand Place in 1926 CE, and the shop is still in operation today, although the brand is now owned by a Turkish company.
Amongst the myriads of the brands, we were recommended these top Belgian brands:
In particular, Neuhaus, Godiva, Leonidas are genuine Brussels brand. Lead us not into temptation...
By the way, the high-street of Belgium is along the exceptionally ornate Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, where your shopping thirst might be quenched.
Ommegang
As mentioned in my earlier blog on Brussels (Bruxelles) - Outer districts, I arrived in Brussels in August and hence I missed the famous Ommegang of Brussels (Ommegang de Bruxelles), although I did read a lot about this in the City Museum. The processional parade is a commemoration of the victory entry into the city of the Holy Roman Emperor (Latin: Imperator Romanorum) Charles V (German: Karl V, né Karl Habsburg) and is now mainly staged in the Grand-Place. Ommegang in Dutch simply means to 'roam around' and it signifies the leisure and happy nature of this procession. Today it is an important tradition of the great processions of notable riders and giants that are found everywhere in Belgium and France, and has become an important ICH.
Eat and Drink
Moules-frites
Moules-frites (mussel-fries) is the national dish of Belgium, and originates from the Flemish coasts with a humble origin as it was considered cheap. The correct way to eat the mussel is to use the mussel shell as a clamp to ply open the mussel and pick out the meat like a pair of tongs. There is a large variety of flavour, and my favourite is moules marinière, which is white-wine based broth. The dish can be found in every block.
Getting There and Around
All these sites can be completed by foot on a full day of walk, and Brussels is well connected by metro. Clearly I would recommend a Brussels visit of at least three days to fully immerse into its classic atmosphere, as Brussels is a massive city. The entrance fee to the City Museum is EUR €8.
UNESCO Inscriptions
La Grand-Place in Brussels is a remarkably homogeneous body of public and private buildings, dating mainly from the late 17th century. The architecture provides a vivid illustration of the level of social and cultural life of the period in this important political and commercial centre.
Ommegang of Brussels, an annual historical procession and popular festival takes place annually over two evenings in July in the historic centre of Brussels. The celebration begins with a crossbow competition and a ceremony in Sablon Church. In the surrounding streets, various groups form a large procession. The procession follows a 1.5 km route through the city to the Grand-Place, where the groups join the Magistrate of Brussels and bearers of various forms of living heritage. Together, they march around and some groups partake in an organic performance that has evolved since 1930. Having originated as a religious event in 1348, the tradition declined in the 18th century and the modern Ommegang was then recreated in 1928-1930 based on descriptions of the procession Charles V attended in 1549. Nowadays, the tradition has evolved into a festive, local heritage event. Among the participants are various groups of volunteers who meet and prepare their roles together, encouraging younger members to get involved. These groups have become club associations which, during the Ommegang in early July, meet and socialize with other groups. Children attend with their parents, and many people have been involved for forty or fifty years. The viability of the practice is constantly monitored, and the association overseeing the Ommegang is continuously engaged in preparing and promoting the next event.
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