The Grand Place, also sometimes not without reason called the Market Square, Grote Markt, is the central and most important square of Brussels. In addition, it is the main and most visited tourist attraction of the Belgian capital.
If a tourist takes a sightseeing tour of Brussels, then he will definitely get to the Grand Place. The fact is that two of the most important sights of the city are located here at once - the city hall and the Bread House (also known as the King's House). A general ensemble area is listed world heritage UNESCO.
The Grand Place is also famous for the tradition of having an incredible flower carpet on the square every two years. The first such event was held in 1971 and since then has constantly attracted tourists from the most different countries. Since August 15, for several days, a huge carpet of millions of multi-colored begonias has been created on the square.
The size of the flower carpet is impressive - 24 by 77 meters. It covers an area of 1800 square meters.
In addition, the Christmas market, which is traditionally held in winter, is of the highest interest among travelers and residents of Brussels itself. At this time of the year, the square is decorated, a Christmas tree is put up, various stalls with souvenirs and food appear.
Not far from the square there is a huge number of hotels (both very expensive and luxurious, and quite budget, by the standards of Brussels) and guest houses, apartments are also rented out. This is the most popular part of the city among tourists, so there are enough offers here. Bookings should be made in advance, as everything is usually fully booked here during the season.
You can have a bite to eat on the square in one of the popular restaurants or cafes located in historical buildings.
Directly a large market on the square is open from 09:00 to 20:00.
History of the Grand Place
The appearance of the Grand Place began to take shape in the XII century. Prior to that, on the territory of the current area there was a vast swampy area, which had to be drained. Already in the XIII century, the Bread House was built, the building of which now houses a museum, which you should definitely visit if you find yourself in Brussels. As for the Brussels City Hall in the Gothic style with a tower 91 meters high, it was built over 50 years, from 1402 to 1455.
Fortunately, during the attack of the French army on Brussels in August 1695, the town hall was practically not damaged. Remained untouched and her patio with two fountains. But the Bread House was partially destroyed by explosions. However, it took only 4 years to completely restore the central square. In many ways, this was facilitated by wealthy merchants who lived in Brussels. It was then that the Guild houses in the Baroque and Louis XIV style appeared here. From the 18th century to the present day, the area has not undergone practically any changes.
How to get there
Usually tourists come to the square for the first time in the composition group tour. A visit to the square is included in any of sightseeing tours in the capital of Brussels (there are a lot of offers). If you rest here for several days or a week, then you will surely visit the square more than once, as this is the center of the cultural and tourist life of the city.
You can get here on your own either on foot if you live in the historical center, or on public transport if you settled in another area of Brussels. So, if you arrived in Brussels by train, then from the Central Station to the Grand Place is only about 400 meters.
As for the metro, the nearest station is De Brouckere (line 1 and 5 of the Brussels metro) is only 500 meters from the square. It's about 15 minutes at a leisurely pace. This is the same distance from the Gare Centrale metro station (the same metro lines 1 and 5).
The closest bus stops to the square are Parlement Bruxellois, Beurs, Grand-Place. Buses No. 33, 48, 95 stop here. You can also get off at the Arenberg stop (buses No. 29, 66, 71), it is located in the north of the Grand Place. You can also take the tram to the Beurs stop. The routes you need are No. 3, 4, 32.
In addition, you can use taxi services. The Uber app is very popular in Brussels. It is fashionable to order a car using a special application on your smartphone. In addition, you can call a taxi from the local Brussels official service. True, the cost of a taxi in the Belgian capital is quite high. Specify it in advance, before the trip, so as not to be surprised at the final amount.
Panorama of the Grand Place on Google Maps:
Video "Light show at the Grand Place, Brussels"
The historic Grand Place is of great importance for the Belgian capital. The most significant sights of the city are located on the square. In addition, the Grand Place has a rich past, which tourists from all over the world enjoy looking at today.
Grand Place: echoes of history
The market square in the Belgian capital was rebuilt in the 13th century. On the site of dried marshes, counters were set up and the first Bread House was built. Bread was stored in this building for a long time. Then the people began to call given place House of the King.
In the 15th century, a Gothic-style town hall was erected on the main square. In 1695, Brussels came under fire, all buildings and structures on market square were almost completely eliminated. Only the town hall and the Bread House survived.
Grand Place in 1895 After the end of the war, the Belgian rich restored the square by building houses of their guilds there. Thus, the Grand Place acquired its current appearance, which is so pleasing and impressive to all those who see it for the first time.
Brussels Square today
The Grand Place can rightly be called the "square of flowers". Since 1971, florists have been creating a flower carpet on the square. The action begins in mid-August. The flowers are fragrant and bloom all the time, as long as it is warm enough outside.
Begonias are used to decorate the Grand Place. Flower ornament covers an area of 1800 square meters.
The King's house on the square is today given over to a museum. There are exhibitions of fine arts.
There are 33 buildings of various guilds along the perimeter of the square. They are made in pseudo-Gothic style. There are also buildings in the Baroque style.
Every morning, flower and bird markets open on the Grand Place. In addition, the area itself is included in world list organizations of UNESCO.
Not far from the famous square is the iconic Belgian statue of Manneken Pis.
Hotels and restaurants successfully operate in the historic buildings of the Grand Place. There are many shops on the territory of the square, which do not spoil its appearance at all, but hide behind the old facades of houses of interest.
In the evening, the buildings are illuminated on the Grand Place, and the old square begins to resemble a picture from a fairy tale. V winter holidays on the Grand Place, the main Christmas tree of the capital is installed. All festivities and Christmas markets of the Belgians take place there.
How to get to the Grand Place?
Almost all urban transport in Brussels stops at stops near the square. Only 400 meters separate the Grand Place from the city railway station. Therefore, from there it is possible to reach the square on foot.
The following metro stations are located near the square:
- De Brouckere;
- Gare Centrale.
The bus stop at the square is called Parlement Bruxellois. The tram stop is marked Beurs. The most significant sights of the capital are located within walking distance from the Grand Place.
The magnificent Grand Place in the center of Brussels is majestic and elegant at the same time. Once on this square, you understand that all other sights of Belgium simply pale in front of this masterpiece of real Gothic art.
through the pages of history
The history of this city square is rooted in the centuries-old thickness of ancient times. All the significant events of this city took place here, the Grand Place saw many rulers and statesmen, great people and celebrities. Each stage of its history is a capture of the pages of urban history:
- XII century - the city Market Square was built on the site of dried marshes;
- XIII century - the Bread House was erected, where bread was stored: hardly anyone at that time could have known that this building would soon turn into the King's House, the main decoration of the square;
- 1402-1455 - the Gothic building of the town hall was built;
- 1695 - the square was destroyed as a result of the shelling of the city by the French army that lasted several days; many sights of Brussels died this year;
- beginning of the 17th century - the Grand Place was rebuilt by rich guilds; now you can see the luxurious guild houses of that time, built in the Baroque or Louis XIV style.
Every building in this area real masterpiece world gothic art. Nearby are hotels in Brussels, where you can relax after all the excursions.
Grand Place: architectural appearance
The beauty of the square is the buildings that are located on it. For example, the 15th century town hall is unique in its architecture:
- the original town hall tower is 91 meters high;
- its spire is crowned with a weather vane in the form of a 5-meter copper figure of the Archangel Michael;
- the facade of the building is decorated with hundreds of statues;
- the interior of the Town Hall is richly decorated with paintings and carpets;
- in the courtyard you can see two picturesque fountains.
The King's House, which now houses the Belgian City Museum, is a fine example of neo-Gothic style in architecture. You can also visit the beautiful museum complex Royal Museums of Fine Arts.
One of the great traditions of the Grand Place is the creation of a huge carpet of flowers every two years. An incredible sight is a drawing of millions of multi-colored begonias. Its size is 24 x 77 meters, and total area– 1,800 sq. meters.
Once in the very center of Brussels - on the Grand Place - you can not pass by this Gothic splendor. Here you want to walk endlessly, seeing the sights of Brussels, decorating this square with their Gothic lace.
Working hours: a large market is open daily from 9:00 to 20:00.
The Grand Place, or Grote Markt, is an important historical and tourist center Brussels, where city hall and the King's House (or Bread House). The market square ensemble, built in the style of Louis XIV and Baroque, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Grand Place is the most magnificent and elegant central square, surrounded by a square of carefully selected architectural masterpieces that belonged to the guilds of merchants and artisans: the House of the Painter, the Tailor's House, the Boatman's House. The most impressive are the King's House and the City Hall. The town hall was erected in 1402, its high spire is decorated with a five-meter copper weather vane in the form of the Archangel Michael, and the statues of the facade depict various stories from the life of the city.
Today, the Communal Museum is located in the huge King's House, which tells about the history of the creation of Brussels. Despite its name, this building has never been the home of any king. The lacy stone architecture of the King's House arose on the site of the former Bread House, where in the 13th century. baked and sold bread.
Twice a year, a huge rectangular carpet of flowers is created on the square, decorating the Grand Place for three days. Multi-colored begonias are specially grown near Ghent for this occasion.
You can admire this grandiose spectacle and the beauty of the architectural ensemble by sitting comfortably in one of the cafes on the square. Here you will also see the famous tavern "Golden Barkas", where Victor Hugo lived, as well as the restaurant "House of the Swan", the entrance to which is decorated with a swan sculpture. It was in this restaurant that the pub was located, where Marx and Engels first read the Communist Manifesto.
Brussels turned out to be rich in sites included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. There were three of them here. But the most visited is the former market, the central square of the city La Grand-Place.
It is visited by almost, if not all, who come to the Belgian capital. Many do not even suspect that this area is separately allocated by a respected international organization. However, in 1998, La Grand-Place was included in the list of UNESCO sites under number 857.
The official website of UNESCO comments on the inclusion of the square in its list:
"La Grande Place in Brussels is an outstanding integral complex of public and private buildings, dating mainly from the end of the 17th century. Their architecture vividly illustrates the level of social and cultural life Brussels as an important political and shopping center Europe of that time" (whc.unesco.org/en/list/857)
well versed English language can read a lot more on the UNESCO website, but I will allow myself a short historical digression and a few photos of the objects that form this architectural ensemble.
UNESCO defines La Grand-Place as a 15th century monument. It is this century that dates back to the construction of the majestic Gothic town hall, which has been completely preserved, and determines the face of the entire complex of buildings.
The town hall began to be built in 1402, and acquired its final form in 1455 with the completion of the construction of the bell tower, 96 meters high. This is the only surviving building in the center of Brussels after the artillery bombardment by the French in 1695. The town hall to this day sometimes serves as the mayor's residence, but is more used for tourist excursions.
An even more ancient building, however, partially destroyed in the same 1695, and later restored, is the Bread House or the King's House (Dutch Broodhuis, French Maison du Roi)
The bread house was built in the 13th century on the market, where bread was baked and sold. But during the reign of Emperor Charles V at the beginning of the 16th century, the house was rebuilt in the Gothic style. Since then, they have been talking about it as the "King's House". So until now he has two equivalent names. Now there is the Brussels Museum, in which, among numerous valuable exhibits, there are more than five hundred costumes of the "Manneken Pis", the first fully preserved costume of which was donated by the French King Louis XV back in 1747.
The remaining buildings, collectively called "Guild Houses", were rebuilt here within four years by various guilds in Brussels immediately after the destruction of the city center at the end of the 17th century.
It was overcast on the morning of October 6, 2014, when I was photographing this material. But, I think it won't hurt to leave the most "bright" impressions about the square... For a bigger impression, you can see how bright and contrasting the same place looked the night before Night cities... Brussels Central Square + bonus
P.S. I'll add a few words to last photo monument Everard "t Serclaes - the folk hero of Brussels. (For those who want to know who it is, I give the link en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everard ...) I noticed how many tourists queue up to touch, but rather rub some part of the body of the sculpture.Something is sure to mean, and I also "rubbed".
It turned out that the locals believe that the statue brings good luck and helps in the fulfillment of desires, if touched (already zealous tourists began to rub). And, if you touch your hands, then you will definitely return to Brussels someday ...
