Grand Place

UNESCO has designated the Grand Place of Brussels, Belgium, as a World Heritage Site. Its construction began in the 15th century, with the first market halls, trade guild buildings, and a town hall being built to solidify the commercial center’s authority.

The French army bombed it for three days in 1695, almost entirely destroying it, but it rose from the ashes in less than five years, like a phoenix. That’s why Gothic, opulent baroque, neoclassical, and neogothic styles coexist or even overlap; it’s a fantastic mix of Gothic, opulent baroque, neoclassical, and neogothic. The tower stands approximately 96 meters tall.

History

Several historic events took happened at the Grand Place:

The Inquisition burns the first Protestant victims, Hendrik Voes and Jan Van Essen, in 1523.

There are beheadings of the counts of Egmont and Hoorn in 1568.

August 1695: During the War of the League of Augsburg, the French troops of marshal De Villeroy bombarded the city, destroying most of the homes on the Grand-Place. Only the City Hall’s front and tower, as well as some stone walls, were spared by the blazing cannonballs. The numerous guilds soon restored the dwellings surrounding the square, this time in stone. Among these is the Brewers Guild House, which now houses the Brewers Museum.