Brussels is world-famous for its architectural and historical monuments:
Grand Place (Grand’Place, Grote Markt) is one of the main attractions of Brussels, a historical square of the 12th century, on which the Brussels City Hall and the Bread House (King’s House) are located. The square is surrounded by houses built in the 17th century. Each house once belonged to a certain guild. The architectural ensemble of the square is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Brussels City Hall is a grandiose building included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, a magnificent example of the Barbant Gothic, construction continued from 1402 to 1420. The interior of the town hall is decorated with amazing tapestries and gilded mirrors.
Today the building houses the mayor’s residence.
Bread House (House of the King) – a building of the XIII century, the house was at different times a warehouse for bakers, a tribunal and a prison. In 1873, the famous architect Viktor Yamar rebuilt the building in the Gothic style. Today it houses the Communal Museum.
Cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudula in Brussels (Cathédrale Saints-Michel-et-Gudule de Bruxelles) is the famous Brussels Gothic cathedral of the 11th century. The architecture of the cathedral is striking in its grandeur: length – 114 m, height – 64 m (almost twice as high as Notre Dame in Paris). Inside the cathedral is decorated with beautiful stained-glass windows of the 16th century.
Atomium– the famous building, designed for the opening of the World Exhibition in 1958 by architect Andre Waterkeyn. The atomium symbolizes the peaceful atom. The height of the building is 102 m, the weight is about 2400 tons, the diameter of each of the nine spheres is 18 m. The spheres are interconnected by corridors with escalators.
Arc de Triomphe – a monumental arch, erected to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the independence of Belgium, the arch is crowned with an antique quadriga with a figure of a Brabant, who holds a waving national flag.
Mini Europe– a grand miniature park located at the foot of the Atomium. The park with an area of 24,000 m2 represents about 80 cities and 350 buildings located on the territory of the European Union. Also in Mini-Europe there are many attractions, including: the eruption of Vesuvius, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the gondolas of Venice.
Stoclet Palace (Palais Stoclet) is the mansion of the Brussels banker Adolf Stoclet, which was built for him in 1911 by the famous Viennese architect Josef Hofmann. Diaghilev, Stravinsky, Cocteau have been here. The mansion is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Basilica of the Sacré-Coeur (Brussels) (Basilique du Sacré-Coeur)– a Catholic basilica, an analogue of the Parisian Sacré-Coeur, is located in Elisabeth Park on top of the Kukelberg hill. The construction of the basilica lasted intermittently from 1901 to 1969. The majestic church with a height of 89 m rises above the landscapes of the city. Many important events take place in the basilica, and there are also two museums, a theater, a restaurant, a Catholic radio station.
The headquarters of the European Union is the elegant 14-storey Berlaymont building, built in 1960 in the shape of an irregular cross. The European Commission sits here.
Mount Arts – located between the Upper and Lower City. On the mountain are: the Royal Library, as well as a complex of museums and art galleries:
the Royal Library of Belgium (Albertina)– the national scientific library, which stores all publications published in Belgium, as well as the works of Belgians living abroad.
The Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels is an art museum that includes the Museum of Old Art and the Museum of Modern Art, as well as the Antoine Wirtz Museum and the Constantin Meunier Museum. The museum has the richest unique collection of world masterpieces. Thus, the Museum of Old Art presents about 1,200 works of European art from the 14th to the 18th centuries. Among the great masters: Rubens, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, van Dyck and many others. In the Museum of Modern Arts, you can see the works of artists and sculptors of the 19th century: Auguste Rodin, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Paul Signac, Magritte, Salvador Dali and others.
Museum of Chocolate and Cocoa– Located on the Grand Place. The museum introduces the history of Belgian chocolate and the process of its production. Visitors can also try themselves as confectioners and taste chocolate products.
The Gueuze Beer Museum is a museum of the famous Belgian beer, which is called “Brussels Champagne”. Here you can learn about the history and process of making beer, as well as taste it and buy branded varieties.
The Comic Museum is a unique museum founded in 1864. The 4,000 m2 museum displays characters from almost all famous comics, as well as the history of their creation and drawings by famous artists. The museum is housed in a beautiful Art Nouveau building designed by renowned architect Victor Horta.
Manneken Peace
For many, the symbol of Brussels is associated with the world-famous Manneken Pis sculpture “Manneken Pis”. This small bronze fountain statue depicting a boy urinating into a pool is located in the heart of Brussels, on the Grand Place. The sculpture dates back to the 15th century, but the statue acquired its current form in 1619, when it was made by the court sculptor Jerome Duquesnoy, who worked in the genre of mannerism. The statue has been stolen several times over the centuries and has many traditions associated with it. For example, “Manneken Pis” has a rich wardrobe of 800 costumes, which are stored in the Communal Museum in the King’s House. On celebrity birthdays, the statue is dressed up in their costumes, and on holidays wine or beer is used instead of water.
