Brussels main square. Belgium, Brussels: Grand Place. Guild houses on the 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 in Brussels for some time, called the Grand Place the most beautiful of the main squares in Europe, and for good reason)

Grand Place(in Flemish Grote Markt), or the 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 sights are located here - the Brussels City Hall and the Bread House or the King's House.

The market square arose in the 12th century on the site of dried marshes. At the very beginning, it was only the market place of old Brussels, one of the villages on the ancient shepherd's road, along which the herds were driven. The village grew and grew rich thanks to trade. The development of the Grand Place began in 1402 with the building of the town hall Hotel de Ville, which occupies most of its side of the square and was mostly completed in 1480. The original town hall tower, 91 meters high, was built from 1449 to 1455. Its spire is crowned with a weather vane in the form of a five-meter copper figure of the Archangel Michael trampling on 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. 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, the Dutch language still uses the older name (bread house), while in French this building is called the "king's house". In the years 1873-1895 it was renovated in all the splendor of the architectural style of the XVI century, and now it houses the City Museum. In one of its most interesting halls, a collection of costumes is presented, numbering more than 350 exhibits.

On August 13, 1695, the shelling of Brussels by the French army began, which lasted several days. As a result, the entire city center was destroyed. On Grand Place only the town hall survived, and, in part, the Bread House.

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

Every day in the morning, a flower market opens on the square, and on Sundays - a bird market. Once upon a time in the old days, the Burgundian nobility arranged jousting tournaments here.

Not far from the Grand Place is the famous "Manniken Pis", or "Manneken Pis", - "the oldest citizen of the capital" and "the impudent emblem of Brussels". The first copy, which has not survived, dates from the 14th century. Oddly enough, this monument is the most famous monument in the country and today has 517 textile suits for ceremonies and has been awarded many orders.

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

Immediately after, which I called the most uninteresting attraction in Brussels, I decided to move in my stories to the Grand Place - a place that has become my favorite in the capital of Belgium, yes, what is Belgium, perhaps, this is one of the most beautiful squares in all of Europe. I often noted in the reports of other tourists a condescending and sometimes critical attitude towards Brussels, but in my opinion even one Grand Place justifies visiting this city.

We owe the emergence of the Grand Place in its modern form to the Sun King. One of the episodes of the Nine Years' War was the siege of Brussels. During the bombardment of the city by the French in 1695, hundreds of buildings were destroyed, including the Grand Place, which was almost completely destroyed, only the Town Hall building survived. But just a few years later, the area was restored. More precisely, it was built up according to a new unified plan, all the guild buildings were erected in the then popular Flemish Baroque style.

I am a well-known cartographer, without a map at the beginning of the story I feel like the Leaning Tower of Pisa without a foundation. Therefore, I will lay out the layout of buildings on the square and then I will use the numbering from this map of the Grand Place.

I'll start with the most impressive building on the Grand Place - town halls. The Gothic Town Hall was built in the 15th century. This is the only building on the Grand Place that has survived from that time. I was very happy when I found out that the building of the Town Hall is real (well, almost), and not an imitation of Gothic built in the 19th century, as, say, in or Vienna.

This photo shows that the building is not symmetrical. According to legend, the architect, who discovered the asymmetry after the construction was completed, jumped from the tower onto the pavement in desperation. Not really. Initially, only the left side (10 windows) was built, then a shorter (7 windows) right wing of the building was added to it.

The rich sculptural decoration of the Town Hall facade dates back to the 19th century. Here you can find images of many saints, the Dukes of Brabant, horsemen, gargoyles, heroes of various legends. On the spire of the tower stands a statue of the patron saint of Brussels, the Archangel Michael, who defeats a hundred dragons.

According to legend, Saint Michael the Archangel saved the son of Lambert II Count of Leuven from death. True, I don’t know which Heinrich and Renier, according to Vicki, Lambert had two sons. In my brief retelling, the story goes like this. The earl's heir fell in love with a girl. The girl was undoubtedly worthy, but she was not fit to marry the son of the count because of her lower origin. In addition, the young man himself did not like her. Then he came up with a brilliant idea - to kidnap the girl. But his plan failed and the heir was put in jail and was about to be executed soon. Here a change took place in the woman's heart, the girl changed her mind about the admirer who had suffered because of her and went to visit him in prison. After the meeting, she began to pray to God to save the count's son and, as it turned out, quite successfully. God was touched by the prayers and sent Archangel Michael to arrange for the young man to escape from prison. Then the young lovers, I hope, got married, as it should be in the legends. And in gratitude for the miraculous salvation, the count declared the Archangel Michael the patron saint of the city.

I can’t tell you what events are displayed on this console. But if you are in the square, then try to find the legend of Judge Herkenbald on one of the consoles above the Lion's Porch. The judge stabbed his own nephew for raping a certain girl. Both the scene of the murder and the scene of the loss of honor are colorfully, if I may say so about the sculpture, depicted in stone.

I borrowed the picture. By the way, a very interesting magazine about Brussels, I recommend it. And the console itself is located at this lion in the picture below, under which two girls are sitting smoking a joint for two (yes, on the main square, this is Amsterdam Brussels).

You can get to the Town Hall only with a guided tour, they do not take place so often, I think you can find the schedule on the Internet. I personally decided to skip this event. That's it, one more photo of the Lion's Porch of the Town Hall and I'll end here.

Moving on to the next building on the Grand Place House of the Dukes of Brabant(13-17). No dukes lived here, but the facade is decorated with their busts, as many as 19 pieces - hence the name. In fact, this is not one house, but as many as seven, united under one roof. Above each door is a symbol of the guild that owned the house. The names of the houses come from these images. I'm not a fan of shooting details, so when you are on the square you can find images yourself (from the right edge): Glory (13), Legacy (14), Good Luck (15), Mill (16), Pot (17), Hill ( 18) and Exchanges (19).

Every even year in August, the Grand Place is covered with a carpet of flowers. Look in my friend's journal:
http://platpaul.livejournal.com/310394.html
We missed this spectacle, because. were 2015, i.e. odd. But still, a few flowers were found on the square. Selling off last year's carpet?

We pass to the next side of the square, perhaps the most picturesque. Let's start from the right side. The widest building belonged to the Bakers' Guild. It's called King of Spain(1), on the façade between the second and third floors there is a bust of Charles II, King of Spain. The roof of the house of the Spanish king is crowned with a weather vane with Mercury. On the ground floor is the most famous cafe of the Grand Place, also called the "King of Spain", at least I recommend to go in and have a beer.

The next building with a funny name" Cart"(2) belonged to the guild of an oil merchant (or fat? Translator from French from me is so-so).

building" Bag"(3) the guild of carpet weavers owned.

"She-wolf"(4) belonged to the guild of archers. The pediment (triangular garbage under the roof) is decorated with a bas-relief of Apollo piercing with arrows (the guild of archers after all) a python. a snake, but a real dragon.Python guarded the entrance to the Delphic soothsayer, and he himself could prophesy, the soothsayers Pythia went on his behalf (I think everyone watched the Matrix).Under Python and Apollo are four medallions with Roman emperors: Trajan, Tiberius , Augustus and Julius Caesar. Let's go down to the floor below and see four statues - allegories of Truth, Falsehood, Peace and Troubles. Above the door - the image of the Capitoline she-wolf, which gave the name to the house. The roof is crowned with a statue of the Phoenix - a symbol of the revival of the Grand Place and Brussels after the wars and destruction.

"Horn"(5) the only house by the appearance of which you can determine which guild it belonged to. Look at the last floor. Guessed? That's right, this is the stern of the ship! This means that the guild of boatmen settled here. One floor below from the stern, the facade is decorated with statues of tritons and marine horses.A postal horn is depicted above the entrance to the building.

And, completes the side of the guild houses" fox"(6). Here was the center of the haberdashers' guild. As you already understood, a gilded figurine of a fox is installed above the door. Just don't ask what the fox has to do with haberdashery. However, this also applies to other guilds. The first floor is supported by the Atlanteans. On the second the facade is decorated with statues representing the four continents: Europe, Asia, Africa and America, in the center - the statue of Justice, the third is supported by caryatids, and on the roof there is a statue of St. Nicholas, the patron of these merchants (now under restoration).

You will be surprised, but when I walk around the city, the last thing I care about is how I will later describe my walk in a magazine. If I were a normal blogger, of course, I would have photographed every detail of the guild houses that I wrote about above to make the story better illustrated. But this time, I did capture something. I hope, in this form, the details of the magnificent decor can be seen a little better. In the picture below, the houses are "Bag" (with caryatids, i.e. semi-columns in the form of aunts) and "Cart".

Statues of the continents on the "Fox" facade. In the center is Justice with a giant sword. Atlantes supporting the balcony are also good.

Allegorical statues on the facade of the She-Wolf. On the right with sagging boobs - Trouble, then with a scroll (why?) - Mir, False, aims at tourists with some kind of stone, and the far left Pravda holds a book (but does not read it clearly), while Pravda is wearing the least clothes of all honest four.

At night, the Grand Place is chicly illuminated, I came here almost every evening in Brussels, since the Grand Place is located on the road from our hotel to the famous Dellirium.

Incredible beauty, I think.

I was in Brussels for four evenings (returning from trips around the area) and one full day, and each time I stopped at the Grand Place, so don't be surprised at the number of identical photos at different times of the day.

The next side is five more houses. On right " Star"(8) - one of the narrowest houses of the Grand Place. Its roof is decorated with a golden six-pointed star. On the ground floor there is a gallery in which the lying (then probably laid) monument to Everard t "Serclaes is installed. I'll write more about it below.

"Swan"(9) - the tallest building on this side. Quite a contrasting building, the first floors are very strict, then the higher, the more the architect's fantasy roamed. In fact, the house was built in several stages, in the 18th century it was bought by a rich guild of butchers and apparently decided to tweak the building to her meaty taste.In "The Swan" Karl Marx, who lived in Brussels for five years, celebrated the new year 1848. In some reports about the Grand Place, I met the statement that he lived here and even wrote here his "Capital", but it is not.

"golden tree"(10) - the most magnificent and useful house of the five. Why is it useful? Yes, because it is the house of the Brewers' Guild! The roof is decorated with a statue of Charles Alexander of Lorraine, the governor of the Netherlands. As a governor, he earned a good reputation for his wise and gentle rule. As a person he was strict, but He was not angry and quick-tempered, a lover of life and a subtle connoisseur and lover of art, patronized well-known musicians, which, apparently, earned him a golden statue.

"Rose" (11) and " Mount Tabor"(12) nothing special stands out, but also pleasant.

Let's take a closer look at the roofs of the Swan and the Golden Tree. Three angels are installed on the roof of the "Swan", under the central one there is an inscription "This house was built by wool". Frankly, I didn’t quite figure out where the butchers, whose guild belonged to the Swan, got the wool, it seems, like waste products.

It was getting dark and the lights began to light up in the windows of the houses. And, despite some pomposity, the buildings began to look cozy and warm.

Gallery of the house "Star". See the Japanese taking pictures on the left? And a little behind them in a niche is Monument Everard t "Serclaes. This resident of Brussels in the 14th century led the liberation of the city from the Flemings who occupied it. The monument is located on the spot where the house stood, in which Everard died of his wounds. The statue of the dying knight is made in the style of the Italian Renaissance, which at one time angered some critics, allegedly this is an anachronism, because the hero of Brussels lived in Gothic times, so the monument had to be made Gothic.

The monument also depicts three scenes from the history of Brussels. It's funny that in at least three places the author of the monument played on the nickname of the people of Brussels, like " chicken eaters"(well, the inhabitants of the city used to love to use this bird in finished form): a woman drags a cart with poultry, a cook holds a chicken, a prankster has a mug with the inscription "chicken eaters" in his hands.

Tradition requires tourists to rub their hand, knee or dog at the feet of a knight, while making a wish that must be fulfilled. Allegedly, this custom originated during the occupation of Brussels by the Germans during the First World War, as the inhabitants of the city demonstrated their patriotism (hmm).

Something about writing my trip report hit a dead end. I would like to write about Brussels in more detail, but somehow all the sights are not grouped, and the story about them does not line up in a logical sequence ...
I came to the conclusion: those sights about which I found a lot of information, I will put them in separate posts, and I will write about the rest in the final part of Brussels.

So, today the most beautiful square in the world, according to Victor Hugo, and not only him, is Grand Place (Grand Place - French or Grote Markt - Dutch "big market"):

Grand Place - the central square of Brussels, about 110 m long and 68 m wide. The market square arose in the 11th century on the site of dried marshes. In the early Middle Ages, small wooden houses were scattered throughout the area, but starting from the 14th century, they were replaced by stone buildings. Gradually, the market turns into the main commercial and administrative center of the city.

Due to the growing importance of the city, the city's city authorities decide to demolish some of the wooden houses and build a new town hall in their place, which would meet the city's need for a large administrative center. Thus, in 1402, the construction of the town hall building began, which to this day is the dominant feature of the square. The left longer wing of the building was built in 1402-1422 by the architect Jacob Van Tienen to expand the existing tower. Later, a decision was made on a new expansion of the town hall. So in 1444-1448, an unknown architect completed the right wing, shorter than the first. This was due to the fact that the surroundings of the square had formed by that time and neighboring buildings did not allow to make the right side symmetrical to the left. In 1449-1455, a new 96-meter tower was erected on the site of the old tower, designed by the architect Jan van Ruysbroek. The tower is crowned with a gilded statue of Archangel Michael killing the devil, the patron saint of Brussels.

Looking at the town hall, one cannot help but notice the asymmetry, which I have already written about above. Therefore, there was even a legend in Brussels that the architect committed suicide by throwing himself from the tower when he noticed that the tower was not in the middle.

Opposite the tower stands the building of the Bread House (or the House of the King) in neo-Gothic style.

The presence of two such different names for one building was determined by history. In the 13th century, there was a wooden building on this site, which was used by bakers as a place to sell bread. Hence the Nideladian "Broodhuis" - a bread house. At the beginning of the 15th century, the building became less used by bakers, but more and more used for the administrative purposes of the Duke of Brabant, hence the French name "Maison Du Roi" - the king's house. During the reign of Emperor Charles V, a stone building in the Gothic style was built (1515-1536). In subsequent years, the building housed the royal court and even a prison. It was here that the Counts of Egmont and de Horne spent their last night before their execution at the Grand Place on June 5, 1568. After shelling in 1695 by the French army, the Bread House was partially destroyed. In 1868, by order of the mayor Jules Anspach, the city authorities bought this house, which by that time was in a deplorable state. The entire building was rebuilt from scratch in the Neo-Gothic style, designed by the architect Viktor Yamar (1873). Bread House June 2, 1887 became a museum of the city of Brussels.

However, the glory and beauty of the Grand Place is created not only by the town hall and the King's House, but, and perhaps, above all, by the amazing beauty of the Guild House. And although all the houses located on the square are commonly called "guild houses", some of them never belonged to the guilds of artisans, but were privately owned.

In the Middle Ages and later in every city there were many guilds - associations of artisans. The wealthy and politically powerful guilds sought to show their importance in the decor of their homes, where they met regularly to discuss new rules and regulations for trading their wares. In Brussels, the guilds, of course, built their representative houses around the Grand Place. After the almost complete destruction in August 1695, the city authorities ordered the guilds to submit plans for the restoration of houses for final approval. Thus, the stylistic unity of the square was preserved.

In the Middle Ages, houses were not numbered, but had names. The names of the houses were indicated by some small statue or part of the decoration of the facade. Of course, after so many centuries, it is not always possible to find the detail that gave the house its name.

I tried to find out the names of all the houses and the names of the guilds to which they belonged. In general, this is not an easy task, but an interesting one ...

Houses to the left of the town hall (numbered from right to left)

No. 1 "King of Spain". The house belonged to the guild of bakers. Above the door is a bust of Saint Aubert, the patron saint of bakers, and even higher, a bust of Charles II, King of Spain.
No. 2-3 "Trolley". The house belonged to the guild of fat and oil producers, and later tallow candle merchants, and is decorated with a statue of Saint Gilles, patron of this guild.
No. 4 "Bag". The house belonged to the guild of coopers and cabinetmakers.
No. 5 "Wolf". The house belonged to the guild of archers. The façade is crowned with a figure of a phoenix reborn from ashes and flames, which has become a symbol of the city's rebuilding after being bombarded by French troops in 1695. The house is decorated with a relief depicting Romulus and Remus fed by a she-wolf, hence the name.
No. 6. "Cornet" (or "Horn"). The house belonged to the boatmen's guild, so the pediment of the house is made in the form of a ship's stern.
No. 7. "Fox". The house belonged to the haberdashers' guild. The reliefs above the second floor depict allegories of the four continents. Previously, the house was crowned with a statue of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of the guild.

Houses located to the right of the town hall (numbered from right to left)

No. 8 "Star". Amman house. In 1852, the house was demolished, and in 1897, on the initiative of Mayor Charles Bulls, it was restored, although the first floor was replaced by an arcade. Behind the arcade is a plaque paying tribute to Charles Buls for his services to the preservation of the historical appearance of the Grand Place, as well as to the architects of the Grand Place.

And this is a monument to the mayor of Brussels Charles Bulls, not far from the Grand Place

Next to the board is a monument to Everard "t Serclaes - the medieval hero of Brussels.
No. 9. "Swan". The house belonged to the guild of butchers. In the 19th century, this house was a cafe where Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels used to visit.
No. 10 "Golden Tree". The house belonged to the guild of brewers. The facade is completed by an equestrian statue of Charles of Lorraine.
No. 11 "Rose". A private house.
No. 12 "Mount Tabor". A private house.

House numbering from right to left

No. 12a "King of Bavaria" - a private house.
No. 13-18 "House of the Dukes of Brabant". In fact, behind one monumental facade designed by Guillaume de Bruyna, there are 6 separate houses. The facade is decorated with 19 busts of the Dukes of Brabant, who gave the house its name.
No. 13 "Glory". A private house.
No. 14 "Hermitage". The house belonged to the guild of tapestries and furniture upholsterers.
No. 15 "Luck". The home of the tanners' guild.
No. 16 "Windmill". House of the Millers' Guild.
No. 17 "Tin Pot". Home of the Guild of Carpenters and Carriage Makers.
No. 18 "Hill". House of the Guild of Sculptors and Stonemasons. Or otherwise, the “House of the Four Crowned Guilds”: sculptors, masons, roofers and stonemasons.
No. 19 "Purse". A private house.

To the right of the Khlebny Dom (numbered from right to left)

No. 20 "Deer". A private house.
No. 21-22 "Joseph and Anna". Two private houses united by a common facade.
No. 23 "Angel". A private house.
No. 24-25 "Golden boat". House of the guild of tailors. Above the entrance is a bust of St. Barbara.
No. 26-27 "Dove". House of the Guild of Artists. During his stay in Brussels, Victor Hugo lived in this house.
No. 28 "Rooms of Amman". A private house.

To the left of the Bread House (numbering from right to left)

No. 34 "Helmet". A private house.
No. 35 "Peacock". A private house.
No. 36 "Oak". A private house.
No. 37 "Fox". A private house.
No. 38 "Saint Barbara". A private house.
No. 39 "Donkey". A private house.

Still, it is interesting to study history by the names of houses, to find out which guilds existed in medieval Brussels ...

To be continued...

The magnificent Grand Place in the center of Brussels is majestic and elegant at the same time. Once on this square, you understand that all other sights of Belgium simply pale in front of this masterpiece of real Gothic art.

through the pages of history

The history of this city square is rooted in the centuries-old thickness of ancient times. All the significant events of this city took place here, the Grand Place saw many rulers and statesmen, great people and celebrities. Each stage of its history is a capture of the pages of urban history:

• XII century - the city Market Square was built on the site of dried marshes;
• XIII century - the Bread House was erected, where bread was stored: hardly anyone at that time could have known that this building would soon turn into the King's House, the main decoration of the square;
• 1402-1455 - the Gothic building of the town hall was built;
• 1695 - the square was destroyed as a result of the shelling of the city by the French army that lasted several days; many sights of Brussels died this year;
• beginning of the 17th century - the Grand Place was rebuilt by rich guilds; now you can see the luxurious guild houses of that time, built in the Baroque or Louis XIV style.

Each building on this square is a real masterpiece of world Gothic art. Nearby are hotels in Brussels, where you can relax after all the excursions.

Grand Place: architectural appearance

The beauty of the square is the buildings that are located on it. For example, the 15th century town hall is unique in its architecture:

• the original town hall tower is 91 meters high;
• its spire is crowned with a weather vane in the form of a 5-meter copper figure of the Archangel Michael;
• the facade of the building is decorated with hundreds of statues;
• the interior of the Town Hall is richly decorated with paintings and carpets;
• in the courtyard you can see two picturesque fountains.

The King's House, which now houses the Belgian City Museum, is a fine example of neo-Gothic style in architecture. You can also visit the beautiful museum complex Royal Museums of Fine Arts.

One of the great traditions of the Grand Place is the creation of a huge carpet of flowers every two years. An incredible sight is a drawing of millions of multi-colored begonias. Its size is 24 x 77 meters, and the total area is 1,800 square meters. meters.

Once in the very center of Brussels - on the Grand Place - you can not pass by this Gothic splendor. Here you want to walk endlessly, seeing the sights of Brussels, decorating this square with their Gothic lace.

Working hours: a large market is open daily from 9:00 to 20:00.

Grand Place - Grand Place (Grote Markt). Square in the center Brussels, a major tourist attraction, one of the most beautiful squares in the world. The area has a length of 110 meters and a width of 68 meters. It is surrounded by houses built in the 17th century - Guild houses. The ensemble of the market square as a whole was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998. Grand Place was named 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 living 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 style of the Flemish Baroque and Brabant Gothic. The architectural ensemble of the Brussels Grand Place took shape in the 16th-18th centuries. The market square itself (just an open trading platform) arose at the end of the 11th century on the site of dried-up swamps, 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, other buildings surrounded it. Built in the 13th century Bread House(used to store bread), later the building became known as King's house. Between 1402 and 1455 the building was erected town halls, which has been preserved to this day. However, many buildings around the square were destroyed at one time. On August 13, 1695, the bombardment of Brussels by a French army of 70,000 began for several days. As a result, the entire city center was destroyed. On the market square stood only town hall and (partly) Bread House. After the end of the war, the square was rebuilt in four years by wealthy guilds (it's something like medieval trade unions). The Guild Houses are built in the Baroque and Louis XIV styles. Their facades are decorated with carvings, garlands, figurines and columns. Each has its own name and once belonged to a particular guild. Narrow - three or four windows - the facades of these buildings are easy to recognize today. For example, the House "Rozhok" belonged to the shipbuilders' workshop and its facade in the upper part looks like the stern of a ship. A House "Swan" was the office of butchers and is decorated accordingly with a sculpture of a swan. In 1845, during the stay of Marx and Engels in Brussels, they often visited a cafe located in this house (this is house number 9), they presented their "Communist Manifesto" to interested parties here. Standing next door house "Star" famous for high relief Everard Circlas(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 the statues of noble people and even the symbols of Christianity. The buildings were in a terrible state, the facades were mutilated, repainted and not restored. But the new mayor at the end of the 19th century brought order here - and the square shone in its former splendor. Until November 19, 1959, the square remained really a market place - there was trade 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 and with a total area of ​​1,800 sq.m. is created on the Grand Place for several days. The event attracts a lot of tourists from all over the world. In other years, they decorate with flowers City Hall. Details of promotions - at www.flowercarpet.be.