Dad-Daughter European Trip: Brussels | The Beautiful Grand-Place (and Christmas Markets!)
Continuing with my series of photographs (finally!) from the most epic European dad-daughter trip of (probably?) our lifetime –
29 days from December 2023 to January 2024 via planes, trains and automobiles.
So, after five days in Paris, we took an Uber from our hotel to the Gare du Nord railway station and boarded a train (with tickets purchased via NS International) for our 70 minute ride to our next European city – Brussels, the capital city of Belgium.
DID YOU KNOW? Belgium borders the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France. Because of its geographical location, it has three official languages: Dutch, French and German – with Dutch being the most widely spoken language in Belgium. However, In Brussels (and the south) — what’s called the Wallonia region — you’ll mostly hear French. There is still a rather contentious divide between the Flemish (Dutch) and Walloon (French) communities in Belgium but you could Google the history of Belgium if you’re really that interested in it.
Upon our arrival to Brussels, we checked into the lovely NH Collection Brussels Grand Sablon hotel right across the street from the majestic Church of Our Lady of Victories at the Sablon, a 15th-century Catholic church known for its baroque chapels and Gothic architecture.
The Grand-Place
Our next order of business was a visit to the historic Grand-Place (Grote Markt) and its renowned Christmas markets. The Grand-Place or “Grand Square” is the central square of Brussels, Belgium. It is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in Brussels. It is also considered one of the world’s most beautiful squares (to which Miranda and I unreservedly concur), and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.
The Grand-Place is surrounded by opulent Baroque guildhalls of the former Guilds of Brussels (an association of artisans and merchants that dominated the economic life of Brussels in the late medieval and early modern periods). It’s most famous landmark is the city’s flamboyant Town Hall (French: Hôtel de Ville – Dutch: Stadhuis).
Built in the early 15th century, the building partially escaped the bombardments of the French army during the Nine Years’ War. The Town Hall is the only remaining medieval building of the Grand-Place and is considered a masterpiece of civil Gothic architecture.
The Town Hall underwent many restoration campaigns throughout the 19th century. It was also at this time that most of the Town Hall’s statues were made. Architect Victor Jamaer reworked the façade by adding non-existent niches. Between 1844 and 1902, nearly three hundred stone statues, created by famous artists, including Charles Geefs, Charles-Auguste Fraikin, Eugène Simonis and George Minne, were completed.
Across from the City Hall sits the neo-Gothic “Maison du Roi” (The King’s House) in French and “Broodhuis” (Bread House) in Dutch. “Broodhuis” refers to the origin of the location. In the 13th century, a bread market was located on the central market square of Brussels, the current Grand-Place. The French name, “Maison du Roi”, refers to the title of the owners of the buildings: the Duke of Brabant, who replaced the 13th century wooden bread market building with a prestigious building that would be a symbol of his power.
At the beginning of the 16th century, the owner of the place was none other than Charles V, the king of Spain. After being destroyed in the 16th century, it was rebuilt in the Gothic Revival style in the 19th century by city architect Victor Jamaer. Since 1860, it is home to the Brussels City Museum.
Inside, the Brussels City Museum gives a comprehensive overview of Brussels’ history, with particular attention given to the arts, crafts, urbanism and architecture. Moreover, the original statuette of the beloved Manneken-Pis (more on him in PART 1 of this series), which had been stolen and damaged on several occasions, now rests safely in the Brussels City Museum.
On the south side of Grand Place, beside the Town Hall, L’Arbre d’Or (“Golden Tree”) is the only house still owned by a guild – the Brewers’. Look for the equestrian statue of 18th-century aristocrat, Charles of Lorraine on top.
On the eastern side of Grand Place, you will find the House of the Dukes of Brabant (La Maison des Ducs de Brabant) – a set of seven guild-houses grouped behind the same monumental facade and named after the nineteen busts of dukes of Brabant that grace the facade’s pilasters.
The Grand-Place is truly “grand” and was easily the highlight of our three days in Brussels, but the “Place” takes on a whole other dynamic when evening arrives and the ‘Winter Wonders’ Christmas markets light up – it becomes truly magical…
And did I mention the eye-popping laser light show projected onto the Town Hall building? Photographs really don’t do it justice. Check out the short video below to see what I mean…
For our first Christmas market experience in Europe, you really couldn’t ask for a better “first” than this one here.
See more photographs in the gallery link below…
CLICK HERE for the FULL GALLERY
That’s all for our first post from Brussels in what will be an extended series of photography posts from our trip. Stay tuned for more images from our visit to Brussels including the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium before we move on to Prague. SUBSCRIBE HERE to not miss it!
