Town square of Brussels

The Grand-Place (in Dutch Grote Markt ) is the central place of Brussels. Universally re-elected for its decorative richness, it is bordered by the houses of the corporations, the Town hall and the House of the King (in Dutch Broodhuis ). She is generally regarded as one of the most beautiful places of the world (according to Victor Hugo, inter alia). The Town square of Brussels was registered in 1998 on the Liste of the world heritage of UNESCO.

Historical place, it saw proceeding many happy or tragic events. In 1523, the first Protestant martyrs, Henri Voes and Jean Van Eschen, are burned there by the Inquisition, forty years later, the counts of Egmont and of Hornes is decapitated there.

In August 1695 the majority of the houses, of which some are still built out of wood, are destroyed at the time of the bombardment of the city by the French troops ordered by the marshal of Villeroy. Only the frontage and the tower of the Town hall, which was used as target to the artillerists, and some stone walls resisted the balls flamers. The houses surrounding the place were rebuilt out of stone by the various corporations. among those, the house of the corporation of the Brewers shelters the Museum of the Brewers today.

Frequent festive or cultural events are organized there, of which mid-August each even year, the installation in the center of the Town square of an immense carpet of flowers (25 X 75 meters) composed of more than 500.000 seedlings.

History of the place

The establishment of a place of market at this place is undoubtedly contemporary beginning of the commercial development of the locality, towards the end of the 11th century. A writing gone back to 1174 mentions a low market (forum inferius) located not far from the point from which the Senne became navigable and had been arranged to allow the loading of boats (portus). This shopping area depend on the church Saint Nicolas's Day (owner of the merchants), is presented then as a space discovered which occupies the site of an old marsh drained along Steenweg (fitted), important road at the time, which links two prosperous regions, the Flanders and the the Rhineland.

At the beginning of the 13th century are built three commercial markets between the place and the steenweg, a market with the meats or Great Butchery, vis-a-vis the districts of the butchers, and side places, a market with the bread and a market with cloths. These markets which belong to the duke of the Brabant, make it possible to expose the goods to the shelter of the bad weather and to control its storage and its sale in order to levy the taxes. Installations of the place starting from the beginning of the 14th century, mark the emergence of the importance of the authorities of the city, consisted the merchants and the trades, vis-a-vis the authority of the lords. To money court, the duke gradually yields against payment part of his prerogatives as for the control of the trade and the mills to the Magistrate, council of the City. The town of Brussels, which is also in competition with the close cities, Malines and Leuwen initially makes build with its expenses in 1362 a news and vast market with cloths, on the other side of the place, then repurchases to demolish them the houses and shops which encumber the place and defines the limits of them. The construction of the Town hall in several phases between 1401 and 1455 transforms the place into seat of the municipal capacity, answering the central capacity symbolized by the palate of Coudenberg. Opposite the Town hall, the capacity of the duke remains however present, the old market with the bread, which will take later the name of House of the King, lost since 1406 its function commercial and was transformed into place of perception and princely justice. Around the place the houses of some rich person traders and especially of the corporations are built whose influence is increasingly important. For the wood majority, some of these houses are rebuilt out of stone during the 17th century.

After the bombardment and the fire of 1695 which almost entirely destroys it, the place is rebuilt in a few years, more beautiful than front.

During two centuries following, the place will have to undergo important degradations. At the end of the 18th century the Sans-culotte destroy a good part of the symbols and statues of the Ancien mode. Thereafter the buildings will be victims of transformations and restorations unhappy, frontages stuccoed and bleached, removed decorations, as well as pollution. Under the impulse of the Burgomaster Charles bulldozers, the unit gradually will be restored or rebuilt, thanks to the plans and representation of the time of the rebuilding.

In the center of the place in 1856 a monumental fountain in commemoration of the twenty-five will be installed ème birthday of the reign of Léopold Ier, replaced in 1860 by the statues of the counts of Egmont and of Hornes decapitated at this place. This monument will be moved with the small Fine sand thirty years later, a bandstand will be installed there during the Belle Time.

The Place of the Large-Market (Gruute Puts as inhabitant of Brussels) with preserved its secular function of morning market until November 19th 1959. in Dutch it is always called Grote Markt.

The Town hall

The Town hall was built between 1402 and 1455. He is the only architectural witness of the place of the Moyen-âge. The original architect is probably Jacob Van Thienen. The right wing, whose young Charles the Bold installation the first stone in 1444, is the work of Guillaume (Willem) of Voghel. The Gothic tower of style of 96 meters is due to the architect Jan Van Ruysbroeck. At its top is a statue of Saint Michel, the owner of Brussels, embanking a dragon.

To note the asymmetry of the Town hall (see photo on the right). Indeed, the tower is not exactly in the middle of the building and the part of left and that of right-hand side are not really identical (although they appear it with the first glance). An old known legend of the Inhabitants of Brussels wants that the architect who designed the building is committed suicide while throwing himself of his top after being itself given an account of this architectural “error”. In fact the two parts were not built together.

For Paul of St Hilaire, this asymmetry has to connect to the omnipresent alchemical symbolism of Large Places. the left part of the Town hall counts twelve arches - the alchemical belfry included/understood representing wet one in twelve stages, while the right part counts seven arches - belfry included/understood celebrating “new” dry alchemy, in seven stages. The figure seven is largely represented besides in architecteure of Large Places.

The House of the King

The House of the King was as of the 12th century a building of wood where the bread was sold, from where the name which it preserved in Dutch, broodhuis (house of the bread). It was replaced at the 15th century by a stone building which sheltered the administrative services of the duke of the Brabant, i.e. the office of the general Receiver of the Field of the Brabant. Reason for which one called it Maison of the Duke, and when this same duke became king d' Espagne, Maison of the King. Charles Quint made it in its turn rebuild in late Gothic style, extremely similar to that which one can currently see, though without turns nor galleries. Because of the sudden damage during time, in particular during the bombardment of 1695, the city made it rebuild in 1873 in the style Néo-gothique.

The building, renovated in 1985, shelters today the museum of the city since 1887.

Houses of the Town square

Between the street of the gold Head and the street with Butter (western):

n° 1: the King of Spain , Maison of the Corporation of the Bakers , built in 1696 in the beginning the three spans on the right of the entry constituted a detached house, ( Saint-Jacob ) accessible by a door located street at Butter. The very faded building at summer entirely rebuilt in 1901 - 1902 it is decorated busts of St Hubert and Charles II, king of Spain.
n° 2-3 : the Wheelbarrow , Maison of the Corporation of Graissiers since the 15th century, built hones in 1644 of it, the frontage resists the bombardment partly and is rebuilt in 1697 under the direction of Jean Cosyn. Decorated by the statue with Holy Gilles (owner of the graissiers), it is restored in 1912, the door of left opened on a lane now disappeared which gave street to Butter.
n° 4: the Bag , Maison of the Corporation of the Cabinetmakers , with which the tools decorate the frontage, since the 15th century, built hones some in 1644 partly saved by the bombardment it is rebuilt by the architect cabinetmaker Antoine Pastorana in 1697. The sculptors are: Pierre van Dievoet and Laurent Merkaert. The lower part of the Bag, with the carved sign (1644) was not demolished during the bombardment and it is starting from the third stage that the rebuilding by the architect Antoine Pastorana in 1697 begins. It is thus starting from this stage which begin the sculptures of Pierre van Dievoet and Laurent Merkaert: a very decorated gâble, flares and vases with the angles, the top a sphere on which is placed a compass and on the semicircular arch of the windows, of heavy garlands of flowers and fruits and a shell, the plank of the third stage is made up of cartridges including three raised heads of angels. It is about a gâble typically of Brussels. Let us note that this house was restored in 1912 by the architect Jean Seghers and that the current caryatids are the work of the sculptor Edouard Going (1852).

n° 5: the She-wolf , House of the Oath of the Archers built in 1690, in 1696 the frontage is rebuilt with a horizontal cornice, the pediment following the drawings of origin is restored in 1890 - 1892 by the architect of the Ville of Brussels, P.Jamaer, the low-relief represents Romulus and Rémus nursed by the She-wolf.
n° 6: the Horn House of the Corporation of the Boatmen since the 15th century, rebuilt in 1697 by Antoine Pastorana which draws its pinion in the shape of poop of ship. The sculptures are of Pierre van Dievoet, and by last contract on April 3rd, 1697, the seniors of the Trade of the Boatmen entrusted to Pierre van Dievoet the execution of all the sculpture of the frontage. Restored 1899 with 1902.
n° 7: the Fox , House of the Corporation of the Drapers since the 15th century, rebuilt in 1699 low-reliefs with the top of the ground floor, allegories of the four continents, at the top rules of holy Nicolas, owner of the drapers.

Between the street Charles bulldozers and the street of the Hatters (southern):

n° 8: the Star , House of Amman rebuilt in 1695. It is demolished in 1852 with a whole side of the street of which it occupies the angle, and who was called then street of Star, to allow the passage of a tram equine traction. Rebuilt in 1897 on the initiative of Charles bulldozers in substituent a colonnade at the ground floor, it becomes an appendix of the close house. The street is renamed in the honor of the Bourgmestre and a plate is affixed by it under the house in homage to this last and the builders of the Town square, beside the monument with Everard you Serclaes.
n° 9: the Swan , middle-class house rebuilt in 1698 by the financier hones fariseau which makes place its monogram in the center of the frontage which does not take again the three traditional stages. It is bought in 1720 the corporation of the Butchers which makes modify the upper part. Restoration between 1896 and 1904. The congress of foundation of the Parti working Belgian was held in April 1885 there.
n° 10: the gold Tree, House of the Corporation of the Brewers (arranged today in museum of the brewery). Gone back to 1696 and restored in 1901. Decorated sculptures by Marc of Your and Pierre van Dievoet. During the construction of this residence, the architect Guillaume de Bruyn pronounced the famous sentence: “You were the aware to work for eternity! ”. This house is surmounted by the equestrian statue of Charles-Alexandre of Lorraine which was installed in 1752 to replace that of Maximilien-Emmanuel of Bavaria governor during the rebuilding of Brussels.
n° 11: the Rose , particular house rebuilt in 1702, restored in 1901.
n° 12: the Mount Thabor , particular house rebuilt in 1699 and restored in 1885.

Between the street of the Hatters and the street of the Hill (is):

n° 12a (in the past n° 2-4 rue des Chapeliers): Alsemberg , particular house built in 1699 gate out of stone bleure carrying the mark of the mason stone and large Oculus on the pinion.
n° 13-19 : House of the Dukes of the Brabant , together of seven houses separated behind the same monumental frontage drawn by Guillaume de Bruyn and modified in 1770, called thus because of the busts of Dukes of the Brabant which decorate it. restored between 1881 and 1890.

n° 13: the Fame , only one span giving access to a back-house
n° 14: the Hermitage , old property of the city sold in 1696 to finance the rebuilding of the Town hall.
n° 15: Fortune , old property of the city sold in 1696 to finance the rebuilding of the Town hall.
n° 16: the Windmill , old property of the city sold in 1696 to finance the rebuilding of the Town hall, acquired by the Corporation of the Millers.
n° 17: the tin Pot, House of the Corporation of the Carpenters and Cartwrights
n° 18: the Hill , House of the Corporation of the Four Crowned (sculptors, masons, masons stone and slaters)
n° 19: the Stock Exchange , old property of the city sold in 1696 to finance the rebuilding of the Town hall

Between the street of the Hill and the street of Herrings (north-eastern):

n° 20: the Kite , particular house frontage rebuilt in 1710 and restored in 1897
n° 21-22: Joseph and Anne , two particular houses under only one frontage, the pinion destroyed at the 19th century is rebuilt in 1897 according to a watercolour of 1729 of F. De Rons.
n° 23: the Angel , particular house of the Jan merchant Of Your rebuilt in 1697 on a drawing of Guillaume de Bruyn which remade the style italo-Flemish. The denatured frontage, is reconstituted in 1897 according to old images.
n° 24-25 : the Launch of Gold , Maison of the corporation of the Tailors drawn by Guillaume de Bruyn in 1697, it was to be the center of a monumental frontage covering all the north-eastern side, which will be refused by the owners of the houses neighbor. She is surmounted statue of Saint Hommebon of Casement bolt, owner of the Tailors. The sculptures are the work of Pierre van Dievoet, which also carried out for the Corporation of the Tailors, of the “keerse”, i.e. richly carved signs which were carried by the members of the corporations at the time of the processions. The current bust of holy Barbe above the main door is the work of Godefroid Van den Kerckhove (1872).
n° 26-27 : the Pigeon , since the 15th century, was the property of the Corporation of the painters which sells it in 1697 to the architect and stone mason Pierre Simon, considered like the author of the frontage. It sheltered Victor Hugo and will be restored in 1908.
n° 28 : the gold Merchant, particular house of the faience manufacturer Mombaerts Crow, rebuilt in 1709 and restored in 1882.

Between the street Flesh and Bread and the street with Butter (north-western):

n° 34 : Heaume , particular house. According to Guillaume Of Marez, the architect is Pierre van Dievoet. It was extremely restored in 1920
n° 35: the Peacock , surmounted pinion characteristic of the houses of the 18th century, restored in 1882.
n° 36-37 : the Samaritan (or the Small Fox) and the Oak , two houses gone back to 1696 and restored in 1884 - 1886.
n° 38 : Holy-Bores , particular house built in 1696
n° 39: the Ass , particular house restored in 1916

Latin inscriptions

But the Town square is also a book of poetry to open sky, indeed, many Latin poems decorate the houses of the Town square, it acts of elegiac poems or of very clever chronograms, they are the work of a brilliance Latin poet of the time Petrus van der Borcht (1676-1739) which died in Neigem. Let us notice that at the same time with Paris, the poet Santeul had also decorated Latin distiches the fountains of Paris.

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