La Grande Place in Brussels.  Ariadne's Thread: Guide ~ Belgium ~ Brussels ~ Grand Place

The decoration of the architectural complex of the square can rightly be called the Gothic Town Hall (Hotel de Ville, XV century). Oddly enough, it remained the only ancient building that survived in this square, although in 1695 it was the main target of French artillerymen. The town hall is crowned by a 97 m high tower, built in the 15th century by the architect Jan van Ruysbroeck. In 1997, after restoration, the gilded figure of St. Michael, the patron saint of the city, was reinstalled on the tower. The building is asymmetrical: it was not possible to complete the construction of the western wing in accordance with the plan, since Karl the Bold forbade narrowing the passage along the neighboring street, so the wing is somewhat shorter than the eastern wing. The first floor is decorated with a portico with 17 arches. The high window openings of the upper floors are decorated with sculpture. In the Gothic meeting room (25 x 12 m, 16th century) the floor is oak with ebony inserts, and the ceiling and walls are decorated with gilded stucco and tapestries (1875-1881) . The town hall regularly hosts excursions €5 adults, €3 students. and pensions, children under 6 years old - free.

Since the city government was located on the Grand Place, all craft workshops and trade guilds built their representative offices on it - guild houses (Guildhalls). Each house had its own name and symbol, which have survived to this day. For example, Baker's House (Maison des Boulangers) decorated with six allegorical figures representing Strength, Bread, Wind, Fire, Water and Caution. House Wheelbarrow (La Brouette) first belonged to the workshop of tallow traders, later to the workshop of tallow candle traders; in 1912, a statue of St. Egidia (Joseph van Hamme). House Bag (Le Sac) was the pride of coopers and cabinetmakers, and the Volchitsa house (La Louve), which belonged to the archers' guild, is decorated with a gilded phoenix - a symbol of the restoration of Grand-Place after the French bombardment. House Rozhok (Le Cornet) occupied by a shipwright's shop; its architectural decoration resembles the stern of a ship. House of Foxes (Le Renard)- the headquarters of the haberdashery workshop, decorated with the figure of St. Nicholas. In ancient times, from the balcony of the Zvezda house (L'Etoile) The Brussels prosecutor monitored the execution of the sentences. Here I completed my life path national hero Everard Circles (Everard"t Serclaes). This patriot, who prevented the Flemings from capturing Brussels in 1356, died in 1388, again defending hometown. A cenotaph was erected under the building's colonnade in memory of him. (memorial tombstone), which is popularly called the “Sleeping Knight”. There is a belief that great luck awaits those who touch the bronze hand of a knight. House Swan (Le Sygne) decorated with an image of a swan. Initially, the house was a butcher shop, then a restaurant was opened here, which Marx and Engels loved to go to. House Dove (Le Pigeon) belonged to the guild of city artists; in 1852, Victor Hugo, expelled from France, lodged there.

In 1695, after a 36-hour bombardment by French artillery, most of the guild houses were destroyed. They were restored in early XVIII century. In 1998, the Grand Place was included by UNESCO in the List of World Cultural Heritage Monuments. In August, for three days, a carpet of begonia flowers is laid out on the square. (110 by 68 m), and in winter the skating rink is filled.

Opposite the town hall was the King's House (Maison du Roi), which now houses the Brussels City Museum (Musee de la Ville de Bruxelles; tel. 02 279 43 50, Tue-Wed, Fri-Sun 10.00-17.00, Thu until 20.00, Mon closed. €4 adults, €3 pence, and students, children under 6 years - for free). Exhibits on three floors introduce the history of the city. On the ground floor there is a painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder “Wedding Procession” (Cortege de Noces, 1567). One of the halls on the third floor is dedicated to gifts to the symbol of Brussels - the Manneken Pis (Manneken-pis). More than eight hundred outfits are stored here - from national costumes, including Ukrainian Cossack, to costumes of Santa Claus and Elvis.

Next to the square is also the Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate. (Musee du Cacao et du Chocolat), which presents the history of chocolate production, methods of preparing Belgian praline, a collection of labels of famous chocolate brands (Rue de la Tete d'Or, 9-11, m. Bourse, tel. 02 514 20 48 Tue-Sun 10.00-16.30, closed Mon.).

Grand Place ( Grote Markt) . Square in the center Brussels, a major tourist attraction, one of the most beautiful squares in the world. The square is 110 meters long and 68 meters wide. It is surrounded by houses built in the 17th century - Guild Houses. The entire market square ensemble was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998. Grand Place was recognized as the most beautiful square in Europe in 2010. Moscow Red Square then took second place. Here are located City Hall building (Town Hall) And Bread House (King's House, Broodhuis, Maison du Roi). Every two years (in even years) the square is decorated with the famous Flower Carpet from live begonias, which attracts tourists from all over the world.

In the city center in general, and on the Grand Place in particular, the architecture is dominated by medieval houses in the Flemish style, in particular in the Flemish Baroque and Brabant Gothic styles. The architectural ensemble of the Brussels Grand Place took shape in the 16th century. XVIII centuries. The market square itself (simply an open area for trade) arose at the end of the 11th century on the site of dried marshes, near the fortress on the Seine River, from which Brussels began. At first it was called Nedermerckt (lower market). At the beginning of the 13th century, it ceased to be just an open area - the first “pavilions” appeared, so to speak... Soon, as the city grew, it was surrounded by other buildings. It was built in the 13th century Bread House(used for storing bread), later the building became known as The King's House. The building was erected between 1402 and 1455 Town Halls, which is still preserved. However, many buildings around the square were destroyed at one time. On August 13, 1695, the shelling of Brussels by seventy thousand began, which lasted for several days. French army. As a result, the entire city center was destroyed. Only survived in the market square Town Hall and (partially) Bread House. After the end of the war, the square was rebuilt in four years by wealthy guilds (something like medieval trade unions). The Guild houses are built in Baroque and Louis XIV. Their facades are decorated with carvings, garlands, figurines and columns. Everyone has their own proper name and once belonged to a certain guild. The narrow – three or four windows – facades of these buildings are easily recognizable today. For example, the Rozhok House belonged to a shipbuilding workshop and its façade in the upper part resembles the stern of a ship. A House "Swan" was the butchers' office and was accordingly decorated with a sculpture of a swan. In 1845, during the stay of Marx and Engels in Brussels, they often visited the cafe located in this house (this is house number 9), they presented their “Manifesto” here Communist Party" to interested persons. Standing next door house "Star" famous for its high relief Everard Circles(No. 8). Another house, "She-Wolf", was occupied by the guild of archers, the house "Cart" was built in 1697 by the guild of oil and fat producers. There is also "Oak", "Little Fox", one of the houses was built by the brewers guild (No. 1) - and there now Beer Museum. In the 18th century, the revolutionary masses defaced the Grand Place, destroyed statues of noble people and even symbols of Christianity. The buildings were in terrible condition, the facades were disfigured, repainted and not restored. But the new mayor is at the end XIX century brought order here - and the square shone in its former splendor. Until November 19, 1959, the area remained truly a market place - trade was going on here... And the famous Flower Carpet appeared here in 1971. This action turned out to be popular - and therefore, since 1986, every two years, on an ongoing basis, from August 15, a huge carpet of multi-colored begonias measuring 24 by 77 meters is created on the Grand Place for several days. total area 1,800 sq.m. The event attracts a lot of tourists from all over the world. In other years they decorate with flowers Town Hall. Details of the promotions are on www.flowercarpet.be.

	Grand Place

The Grand Place has been the heart of Brussels since the Middle Ages. Victor Hugo, the famous French writer of the last century, who lived for some time in Brussels, called the Grand Place the most beautiful of the main squares in Europe, and for good reason)

Grand Place(in Flemish Grote Markt), or Great Market, is a historical square in the center of Brussels, one of the most important tourist sites in the city. Two of the most important attractions are located here - the Brussels City Hall and the House of Bread or the House of the King.

The market square arose in the 12th century on the site of dried marshes. At the very beginning, it was just the market square of old Brussels, one of the villages on the ancient shepherd's road along which herds were driven. The village grew and became rich thanks to trade. The development of the Grand Place began in 1402 with the Hôtel de Ville town hall building, occupying most of its side of the square and largely completed in 1480. The original town hall tower, 91 meters high, was built from 1449 to 1455. Its spire is topped with a weather vane in the shape of a five-meter copper figure of the Archangel Michael trampling the devil. On the facade of the building there are more than a hundred statues, these are copies of ancient originals made in the last century. The interiors are richly decorated with Brussels wall hangings and paintings. The two fountains in the courtyard symbolize the two main rivers of Belgium - the Scheldt and the Meuse.

Brussels City Hall day and night

On the opposite side of the square, the Bread House was built in the 13th century, which, as the name suggests, was used to store bread. Later this building became known as the King's House. Interestingly, in Dutch the older name (bread house) is still used, while in French the building is called “the king’s house.” It was renovated in all the splendor of its 16th-century architectural style between 1873 and 1895, and now houses the City Museum. One of its most interesting halls displays a collection of costumes with more than 350 exhibits.

On August 13, 1695, the French army began shelling Brussels for several days. As a result, the entire city center was destroyed. On Grand Place Only the town hall and, partially, the Bread House survived.

However, after the end of the war, the square was quickly (in just four years) rebuilt by wealthy guilds. As a result, the square took on an appearance very close to its current one. 33 guild buildings built in the 17th century, either in pseudo-Gothic or Baroque style, complete the rectangle of the square.

Every day in the morning a flower market opens on the square, and on Sundays there is a bird market. Once upon a time, the Burgundian nobility organized knightly tournaments here.

Not far from the Grand Place is the famous “Manniken-Pis”, or “Manneken Pis”, “the oldest citizen of the capital” and “the bold emblem of Brussels”. The first, unsurvived copy dates back to the 14th century. Oddly enough, this monument is the country's most famous monument and today has 517 textile ceremonial costumes and has been awarded many orders.

Ensemble of Brussels Grand Place included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

I continue my story about our trip to Belgium. Today I have a short note about one of the most beautiful central squares in Europe - Grand Place. Brussels Market Square was one of the few that was built in a single style, and what is most amazing is that it has retained its pristine beauty to this day!

We weren't very lucky with the weather in Brussels. It was quite cloudy, and the air temperature varied from +18 to +20 degrees, which is quite cool for the month of June. In one of my previous posts, I already wrote about, which was quite well located. So, let's start our walk around the city from the most beautiful square in Europe - Grand Place, which is located in the very heart of Brussels.

Grand Place in Brussels

The main attraction of Brussels is the Grand Place. In various unofficial rankings of the most beautiful squares, Brussels Market Square ranks highest. What can I say, she is really very beautiful.

The cascade of houses on the Grand Place is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Construction of the square began at the beginning of the 12th century. Two landmarks stand out clearly on the Grand Place - the town hall and the bread house. If by the appearance of the town hall, you can still understand that this is the building of the local parliament, then the bread house, in my understanding, is a completely different building.

Bread House or King's House

In fact, another name for this structure is the king's house. The first mention of the bread house dates back to the 13th century. In fact, at first, supplies of bread were actually stored in it. Later, the building began to be used as a court and prison. The building now houses the Brussels Communal Museum. This is such a gothic prison, however!
Brussels City Hall looks even more majestic. In its beauty, it can only be rivaled by the building of the same name in Vienna.

The building is also made in the Gothic style. The texture and structure of the façade have been perfectly preserved. To be honest, this building alone can be considered different angles very long.

It’s amazing how everything has been preserved, human figures, some mythical creatures protruding from the walls. Of course, the Grand Place is business card cities!

There are also various merchant houses on the square. In total, there are more than 40 houses on the square, built in the Gothic style of the 14th-17th centuries! One of the most beautiful buildings on the Grand Place, in my opinion, is the house of the Belgian brewers.

Built at the end of the 17th century, the building now serves as a brewing museum. By the way, in my opinion, Belgian beer is one of the most delicious in the world. The only thing that can compete with it is Czech, and only in lung segment beer. I don’t know how interesting it is to visit this museum, but Belgian beer is definitely worth trying. It’s better, of course, to sit down somewhere in the alleys, in one of the many pubs in Brussels. On the Grand Place, prices in restaurants will be much higher.

just the façade of a building on the Grand Place

There are always quite a few people on the square, but it is large enough, so there is a place for everyone, both tourists and art sellers, and someone can park their bike!

There are also various small shops with desserts on the square. I already said once, when I talked about ours, that in Belgium, in addition to the cult of beer, there is also very tasty chocolate. So, you can also buy it at the Grand Place.

The store windows look very appetizing. It’s simply impossible to resist going to one of these establishments!

Here you will find fresh strawberries and various chocolate desserts.

What Belgians can’t come up with, well, for example, strawberry kebab with dark chocolate!

We were tempted by this horn! The price is certainly high, but we are on vacation. You cannot constantly save money in life, otherwise you will have nothing to remember in old age!

Eh.. what could be better than eating strawberries in one of the most beautiful squares in Europe! I repeat, do not spare the money. You won’t become too poor, but you’ll get positive energy for the whole day!

Grand Place is one of those places where you want to return again and again. In 1.5 days we were in this area more than 3 times, and all the time we hung here for at least 30-40 minutes.

Photo of Grand Place at night

We had one of these visits late in the evening. Let's see what the area looks like in dark time days.

I have repeatedly said that it is better to take evening photo walks at dusk, when the sky is still dark blue, and not pure black when night falls. In my photo it’s probably almost night, although there’s a slight tint blue is still present in the sky.

In the evening, the Grand Place becomes the main place for young people to hang out. At this time it is especially crowded and noisy here. However, this does not spoil big picture. The lighting of the buildings looks amazing.

The Grand Place never sleeps. To be honest, I don’t know what laws the Belgians have regarding drinking alcohol on the street, but in the central market square of Brussels no one really bothered!

Local youth sing songs right on the square. Everything is very peaceful. I repeat, there was no discomfort in the square.

Just like during the day, the building of the local town hall stands out, which, by the way, is even more difficult to photograph at night than during the day. By the way, about the photo. If you want to photograph the Grand Place at night, be sure to take a tripod with you. There are no parapets on the square and you won’t be able to place your camera somewhere motionless.

This is what it is, the most beautiful square in Europe. I will tell you my opinion that if she had not been in Brussels, most likely we would have simply skipped this city and immediately gone to Paris. But I’m glad that we stopped in the capital of Belgium for one day and had a great time! I wish the same for you!

All night long, music thundered under the window, firecrackers exploded, bottles broke, and a choir of drunken voices sang songs from European charts out of tune. When the decibels died down, the festivities not only did not calm down, but continued with a vengeance. Alternately, Berber mournful motives and black pop rhythms were heard. The Moroccan Chaobi was replaced by rapper recitatives, the Algerian Gauals performed their own songs a cappella, after which the plaintive cry of the Ethiopian Mushos was heard, developing into the two-voices of the Congolese Khamins. Against the background of all the musical improvisations, cries for help were heard from citizens who were being robbed, some were being raped, others were declaring their love. Sometimes the disturbing sounds of a police siren were mixed into all this cacophony. The rattle of breaking glass was heard like ringing beads, and the dull blows were loud, accompanied by cranial and life-threatening consequences. I lay in bed and looking at the ceiling of my room continued to doubt correct assessment pros and cons of proximity to the amusement park. It began to get light, street evil spirits began to hide in secluded corners, as if in Gogol’s Vie. A single shot rang out in the distance and finally everything became quiet.

Following this, I fell asleep in complete awe. Waking up was not easy, but true to army discipline, I got out of bed and, whistling the USSR anthem, performed several physical exercises to quickly recover. It was necessary to sweep the car away from the fragments and install new glass. It was half past ten in the morning, the street sparkled with crystal purity - it is unclear when municipal services managed to remove the garbage and take out the corpses (there must have been at least a dozen of them, judging by the sounds that I enjoyed until the first rooster crowed). With brisk steps, with a broom under my arm, I approached the car and whistled in surprise. Unlucky gopniks robbed my car again, breaking the front passenger window. I laughed until I dropped (the legal validity of the insurance conditions in the European Union allowed me to have fun), you have to be such idiots to rob an already robbed car, being too lazy to simply go around it or at least pull the handles that were not locked. I did not remove the car, because the foolish arabes could search for profit more than once. Having lowered the remaining windows and opened the doors slightly, I went to see the sights, cursing why the light was worth the entire Northern and Equatorial Africa, the faithful navigator walked in step with me. We were heading to the famous Grand Place.

Finding it will not be difficult - take the metro to the station - Bours and from the opposite side - Gare Centrale, go out into the light of day, or better yet, follow our example - walk. Grand Place (alternatively and in Flemish Grote Markt) is an enchantingly beautiful, breathtakingly magnificent and hellishly fascinating place, concentrating one hundred hundred attractions in one place.

But this statement will be indisputable under one condition - you need to be observant by nature and be able to, detached from the world, carefully contemplate the various filigree elements of royal decor.

The history of the emergence of this amazing square is, of course, covered in all sorts of fables. They say that the King of France was regularly told about the phenomenal beauties of Brussels, hinting that Paris... well, you know... The King got angry, drank bitters and poked the chief architect's face at the urban development plan, but this did not help. The only effect of the educational procedures was that the architect, upon seeing the king, immediately urinated in his pants. Then the king came to the capital of Belgium, and seeing that people were not lying, he ordered its destruction - French artillerymen shot at the city from cannons for several days. Stsuko, why not Hitler?

But that's not the end of the story; The people of Brussels were stubborn and restored the city, creating an even more beautiful square, carefully planning every detail. Thus, Grand Place is the only medieval square in all of Europe during the construction of which the entire architectural ensemble was carefully planned.

The development of the Grand Place began in 1402 with the building of the Hôtel de Ville, which occupies most of its side of the square and was largely completed in 1480. The ninety-meter tower of the town hall was built from 1449 to 1455.

Its spire is topped with a weather vane in the shape of a five-meter copper figure of the Archangel Michael hanging a cradle to the devil. On the facade of the building there are more than a hundred statues, these are copies of ancient originals made in the century before last.

On the opposite side of the square, the Bread House was built in the 13th century, which, as the name suggests, was used to store bread. Later this building became known as the King's House.

The walls of this three-story building are cut through by numerous windows. The facade is decorated with arcades, and on each subsequent floor the size of the arches decreases and the decorative elements become more complex. The design of the King's House contains numerous openwork ornaments, twisted spirals, turrets and spiers.

During the shelling of Brussels by French ghouls, it suffered the most, but was then restored and became the residence of the Dukes of Brabant. The name "House of the Dukes" gradually transformed into the name "House of the King", although no monarch ever lived in this house. The building now houses the Brussels City Museum.

Perpendicular to the above-mentioned buildings there are houses where artisans and merchants who belonged to various professional guilds worked: the Painter's House, the Tailor's House, the Butcher's House, and of course the House of the Coca-Chopper and the iPhone Master, if of course I'm not confusing anything.

In the Middle Ages, knights from Burgundy held tournaments here. Yes, yes, the Duchy of Burgundy emerged from France in 1363. From the south it bordered with Savoy, in the southwest with Auvergne. Already under Philip II, Burgundy absorbed Flanders and the Netherlands. The western limit of Burgundy remained Champagne, and the capital of Burgundy was Dijon. Remember what D'Artagnan sang on his way to Paris:

Burgundy, Normandy, Champagne or Provence,

And there is fire in your veins too,

But good fortune, by God, has no time for you,

Not yet in this world, while in this world there is Gascony.

IN modern times The fashion of bludgeoning each other with swords has unfortunately passed. That's why people sit on benches, drink different drinks and get high.

The entire square is an amazing combination of colors - Gothic and Baroque buildings decorated with gold decor, red and green umbrellas of street cafes

and many flowers.

For the last fifty years, it has become a tradition to cover the Grand Place with a carpet of begonias. About 700,000 begonias grown near Ghent are laid out in a rectangle of 77x24 meters and decorated main square capital during three days. The flower show happens twice a year. Unfortunately, we did not become eyewitnesses of this event, but in order to give the reader the opportunity to feel the scale of the holiday, I propose to study the photograph I copied (copied?)