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Home - City Guide - Brussels - Key Attractions | ||
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Key Attractions Grand-Place A web of narrow cobbled streets suddenly open out into the vast Grand-Place - the economic and social heart of Brussels since the Middle Ages. The array of filigree Gothic buildings is dominated by the asymmetrical Hôtel de Ville built in the fifteenth century. Its 96m (315ft) spire is topped with a gilded copper statue of St-Michael. Opposite the Town Hall, and almost as grand, is the Maison du Roi, commissioned in 1515 and faithfully rebuilt in the 1890s. Sometime pied-à-terre of the Hapsburg monarchy, the building now hosts the MusÉe de la Ville de Bruxelles and its small collection of tapestries and altarpieces, as well as the costumes worn by the Manneken-Pis. A series of lavish Guildhouses complete the rectangle of the square, number ten still houses the guild of brewers - Maison de l'Arbre d'Or. Events, displays and markets are often held in the square. MusÉe de la Ville de Bruxelles, Grand-Place Tel: (02) 279 4355. Fax: (02): 279 4362. Transport: MÉtro Bourse. Opening hours: Tues-Fri 1000-1700; Sat and Sun 1000-1300. Admission: BFr100. Manneken-Pis The Rue de l'Etuve leads from the grandeur of Grand-Place to this allegory of irreverence and symbol of Bruxellois self-mockery - a bronze statuette of a pissing boy. If it were not for the occupation of the young child, the sculpture might resemble an angelic putto, such as the ones decorating the façade of the nearby Bourse (Stock Exchange), said to have been sculpted by Rodin. JÉrôme Duquesnoy cast Manneken-Pis in the 1660s, perhaps as a reference to the peasant lads of legend who extinguished fires with their urine. Manneken-Pis is kitted out regularly in a choice of some 500 outfits - supplied by foreign countries, companies and charities wishing to flaunt their name or brand. Manneken-Pis was recently wearing a suit of coloured condoms to celebrate World Aids Day on the 1 December, 2000. Rue de l'Etuve Transport: MÉtro Bourse. Place du Grand-Sablon & Place du Petit-Sablon Although the smartest square in town, the Place du Grand-Sablon remains laid-back - the ideal place to enjoy a coffee, biscuits or chocolates, or buy an antique. Notre-Dame du Sablon (Mon-Fri 0900-1800; Sat-Sun 1000-1800) dominates the square. Though it began as a humble chapel for the guild of archers, the arrival of a statue of Mary - with reputed magical healing properties - from Antwerp in 1348 increased its popularity dramatically. The building was expanded into an impressive Gothic church, which still hosts the annual Ommegang procession (see Special Events section). The MusÉe Postal et MusÉe des TÉlÉcommunications is closed for the foreseeable future but the library remains open and is worth a visit, while intriguing cul-de-sacs lead off from the square to shady spaces - such as the charming Impasse Saint-Jacques. The nearby Place du Petit-Sablon is a small, green square, surrounded by 48 bronze statuettes representing the sixteenth-century guilds, with larger statues at its heart, including the martyr-heroes Egmont and Hornes, and Mercator, the cartographer. MusÉe Postal et MusÉe des TÉlÉcommunications. Place du Grand-Sablon 40 Tel: (02) 511 7740. Transport: Bus 20, 34, 48, 95 or 96; or tram 92, 93 or 94. Opening hours: Library Mon-Fri 1000-1630. Admission: Free. Place des Palais & Palais Royal Some of Brussels' most opulent buildings are clustered around the centrally located Parc de Bruxelles, a formal 1870s park, with poker-straight tree-lined avenues and central fountain. The southeast edge is graced by the Palais des AcadÉmies, a former residence of the Prince of Orange and Place du Trône, an impressive statue of LÉopold II astride a horse. Opposite the park lies the Palais Royal, begun in the nineteenth century by King William I (1815-30) and later expanded by LÉopold II. The royal family now resides in Laeken, in northern Brussels, allowing visitors to view the Throne Room, with its chandeliers, tapestries and gracious dining room. Royal memorabilia is on display in the recently renovated MusÉe de la Dynastie. More intriguing, perhaps, are the recently excavated ruins of Emperor Charles V's palace, the Aula Magn. MusÉe de la Dynastie et MÉmorial Roi Baudouin, Hôtel Bellevue, Place des Palais 7 Tel: (02) 513 8877 or (04) 239 9739 - reservation. Fax: (02) 263 6853. Transport: MÉtro Trône or Parc; or tram 92, 93 or 94; or bus 20, 21, 22, 34, 38, 54, 60, 71, 95 or 96. Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1800. Admission: BFr250 (including audio-guide); concessions available. Parc et MusÉe du Cinquantenaire Everything conceived by LÉopold II was on a grandiose scale and the Parc du Cinquantenaire, built to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Belgian independence, is no exception. The MusÉe de l'ArmÉe, situated in the north wing, has an interesting display of vintage aircraft and offers free entrance. The MusÉe du Cinquantenaire, formerly known as the MusÉes Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire (Royal Art and History Museum), has collections from five continents, ranging from prehistory to the present, it includes Art Nouveau furniture designed by Victor Horta and fine examples of centuries-old lace. Comic strip fans may find some pieces familiar - the large Egyptian collection was the source of inspiration for Belgium's artists, including HergÉ. Parc du Cinquantenaire 10 Tel: (02) 741 7211. Fax: (02) 733 7735. Transport: Train/mÉtro MÉrode or Schuman; or tram 81 or 82 (to MÉrode); or bus 20 or 80 (to Nerviens), 22 (to Cinquantenaire), 61 (to MÉrode), 28, 36 or 67 (to Schuman). Opening hours: Tues-Fri 0930-1700, Sat and Sun 1000-1700 (separate times for the Salle aux TrÉsors). Admission: BFr150 (free 1300-1700 first Wed of the month). MusÉes Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique (Belgian Royal Museums of Fine Art) The most important of Belgium's museum complexes is located close to Place Royal. It boasts two rich museums, their collections ranging from the fourteenth century to the modern day: the MusÉe d'Art Ancien, housed in the former court of Charles de Lorraine and underground MusÉe d'Art Moderne, inaugurated in 1984. The Museum of Ancient Art (known locally as the Museum of Fine Arts) excels in its collection of the Old Masters, with works by Rubens, Bouts and Memling. Collections of Pieter Brueghel the Elder (room 31) and Hieronymus Bosch (room 17) are small, as Belgium's foreign masters took these treasures with them. A passageway leads to the Museum of Modern Art, with its splendid collection of the Belgian Surrealists. RenÉ Magritte is given pride of place, but the haunting works of Paul Delvaux are also of interest. Picasso, Chagall, Henry Moore and Francis Bacon are also well represented. Rue de la RÉgence 3 Tel: (02) 508 3211. Fax: (02) 508 3232. Transport: Gare Centrale; or tram 92, 93 or 94 (to Royale); or bus 38, 60, 71, 95 or 96 (to Royale). Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1200 and 1300-1700. Admission: BFr150. |