Brussels

Although Grand Place is the most marvelous place in Brussels, there are also other interesting sites. When you look at the UNESCO World Heritage list you will find there also for example two hotels designed by Victor Horta. The first one is located in the small Rue Paul-Emile Jansonstraat, visible over the crossing.

It is called Hotel Tassel and is considered as the first true Art Nouveau building, because of its highly innovative plan and its groundbreaking use of materials and decoration.

This is the building in the middle.

Unfortunately, although it is called a hotel, it is currently a private office so visitors are not allowed. The same applies to the second building - The Solvay House.

The house was commissioned by Armand Solvay, the son of the wealthy Belgian chemist and industrialist Ernest Solvay. For this wealthy patron Horta could spend a fortune on precious materials and expensive details. Horta designed every single detail; furniture, carpets, light fittings, tableware and even the door bell. He used expensive materials such as marble, onyx, bronze, tropic woods etc. For the decoration of the staircase Horta cooperated with the Belgian pointillist painter Théo van Rysselberghe.

The Hôtel Solvay and most of its splendid content remained intact thanks to the Wittamer family. They acquired the house in the 1950s and did the utmost to preserve and restore this magnificent dwelling.

Other impressive building of modern Brussels is Palais de Justice.

It was built between 1866 and 1883 in the eclectic style by the celebrated architect Joseph Poelaert. It is reputed to be the largest building constructed in the 19th century. Unesco is considering making it one of the next Belgian world heritage sites.

Just next to it you can admire the glory of Belgian infrantry for their effort in both World Wars ...

... and Anglo-Belgian War Memorial commemorating the support given by the Belgian People to British prisoners of war during the First World War.

But obviously there are also horses in Brussles. Please admire my beautiful ancestor here. He is standing at the center of Place Royale. The strange gentleman riding on his back is Godfrey of Bouillon, the leader of the first crusade in 1096.

Just left from their monument you can find Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg church. But its most important part of are the steps. On theeese steps, on July 21, 1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha took the oath that made him H.M. Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians

Between Palace of Justice and Place Royale there are a few other interestig places. The first one is the first international post office in Brussels, open in 1516 and run by The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis within Holy Roman Empire until 1867, so even after Empire colapsed in 1806.

And here is the post entrance.

The modern post box is still here!

But the most beautiful part is a small park of The Kleine Zavel (Place du Petit Sablon).

In its central point you can take the rest from citi rush next to the Count Egmont and Count Hoorn. They were both key figures in the 16 th-century Dutch revolt against Spanish rule that resulted in the Eighty Years War and an independent Dutch Republic.

Another attraction of the Kleine Zavel park is the fence – each statue, pillar and section of wrought ironwork is unique. These 48 life-sized statues represent the traditional trades and guilds of Brussels. The various guilds and trades can be identified by their typical instruments or symbols. For example, the roofers with a ladder as visible on the picture.

Just next to the park you can admire Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon, which was patronised by the nobility and wealthy citizens of Brussels.

It is characterised by its late Brabantine Gothic exterior.

Typical for Brabanitine was use of light-coloured sandstone or limestone, which allowed rich detailing but is erosion-prone.

It is standing on the location of the chapel of the Crossbow Guild, which is very important for Brussels. According to a legend, a local devout woman named Beatrijs Soetkens had a vision in which the Virgin Mary instructed her to steal the miraculous statue of "Our Lady on the little stick" in Antwerp, bring it to Brussels and place it here. The woman stole the statue and, through a series of miraculous events, was able to bring it to Brussels by boat, in 1348.

The Guild promised to hold an annual procession, called an 'Ommegang', in which the statue was carried through Brussels. It was continuosly run from 1348 to 1785. In 1930, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Belgium, some history enthusiasts supported efforts to commemorate once again this demonstration, in the form of a historical procession. Given the success of this performance, it was decided to repeat it in subsequent years.

Great! That is the end of Brussels visiting. Time for ice cream!

Grand Place

Brussels is the seat of the central institutions of the European Union, so you could almost say that it is Europe's capital city. Inside this interesting city, as in many others, there is a central place. But this one is very unique. Ladies, gentlemen, horses - welcome to Grand Place! Although it is called Grand, it is not due to the size. The square measures just 68 by 110 metres (223 by 361ft) so it is 5 imes smaller from Krakow Market Square, but I have never seen such so many beautifully ornamented buidlings in one place.

As you can see it looks amazing in any weather.



The square was originally set up as Lower Market in the end of the 11th century, on a dried-up marsh near the fort that was surrounded by sandbanks.

On 13 August 1695, a 70,000-strong French army under Marshal François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy, began a bombardment of Brussels in an effort to draw the League of Augsburg's forces away from their siege on French-held Namur in what is now southern Belgium. The French launched a massive bombardment of the mostly defenseless city centre with cannons and mortars, setting it on fire and flattening the majority of the Grand Place and the surrounding city. Only the stone shell of the town hall and a few fragments of other buildings remained standing. That the town hall survived at all is ironic, as it was the principal target of the artillery fire.

The square was rebuilt in the following four years by the city's guilds. Their efforts were regulated by the city councillors and the Governor of Brussels, who required that their plans be submitted to the authorities for their approval. This helped to deliver a remarkably harmonious layout for the rebuilt Grand Place, despite the ostensibly clashing combination of Gothic, Baroque and Louis XIV styles.

In the late 18th century, Brabant Revolutionaries sacked the Grand Place, destroying statues of nobility and symbols of Christianity. The buildings were neglected and left in poor condition, with their facades painted, stuccoed and damaged by pollution. By the late 19th century, a sensitivity arose about the heritage value of the buildings – the turning point was the demolition of L'Étoile guild house in 1852. Under the impulse of mayor Charles Buls, the Brussels' authorities had the Grand Place returned to its former splendour, with buildings being reconstructed or restored.

Let's go around the square. Each of the houses has its name. Let's meet, from left to right: Le Mont Thabor, La Rose, L'Arbre d'or, Le Cygne and L'Étoile, where you can find the passage for a horse-drawn tramway. Good to know something was done here especially for us, horses.

The Town Hall is the central edifice on the Grand Place. It was built between 1402 and 1455 and it is the square's only remaining medieval building. The Gothic tower is 96 m (315 ft) heigh. At its summit stands a 5 m (16 ft) tall statue of Saint Michael, the patron saint of Brussels, slaying a demon.

Going further clockwise we have Le Renard, Le Cornet, La Louve, Le Sac, La Brouette and at the end Le Roy d'Espagne, decorated with bust of Charles II of Spain, last Habsburg ruler of Spanish Empire. Please remember that from 1506 to 1713 Brussels and whole Southern (Catholic) Netherlands were part of the Spanish Empire.

Below we have the north-eastern fasade, with very impressive house that used to have the different names: Bread House (by 15th century), Duke's House (when it was the seat of Duke of Brabant) and King's House later.

Here you can admire it in its full beauty.

Let me introduce you to: Le Marchand d'or, Le Pigeon, La Chaloupe d'or, L'Ange, Joseph et Anne, Le Cerf. The last one houses fantastic shop of Godiva. You should try it!

And the last one: House of the Dukes of Brabant, in fact joining seven houses into one common facade.

The Grand Place was named by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1998.

Let's see what is behind the facades.

It is also beautiful and impressive.

Next week I will show you other interesting parts of the capital of the EU.

Tongeren

I wonder how many of you know in which country Tongeren is located. Any guesses? Well my friends, one thing for sure - this will be a new country on our map. As a hint, you can look at the flags on the Town Hall of Tongeren - they are black, yellow and red. Welcome to the Kingdom of Belgium!

Tongeren is a small, sleepy town with a population of around thirty thousand people. But it is exceptional in more than one way. First, it is the oldest town in Belgium, founded by the Romans in 15 BC. The Roman heritage of the region can be discovered in the Gallo-Roman museum.

I am sure that the first part of the name brought some memories. And no, Asterix was never in Tongeren. But Ambiorix was. He was the chief of a local tribe who tried to push back the Romans. But unfortunately they did not have the magic potion.

The second reason why Tongeren is exceptional is that it has not one but two UNESCO World Heritage Sites! The first one is related to the cathedral.

This time, it is not the church itself that has deserved the recognition of UNESCO but the tower, called beffroi or belfry. This tower was actually built by the city not by the religious movements and it was meant to protect the inhabitants, for example by raising the alarm in case of fire.

Obviously the gothic Basilica of Our Lady itself is also worth seeing. After all, it took over three hundred years to build it.

 Inside it is tall and rather dark.

It is one of many German churches on the Route of Santiago.

Just outside the church I noticed a huge book surrounded with flowers. It was dedicated to Our Lady of Tongeren, called the Queen of Tongeren.

Let's take now one of these nice streets and look for the second UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Here comes the sign. Any guesses which is ours?

Begijnhof or beguinage was a commune of women who lived together for religious reasons, even though they were not nuns.

They were building small nice houses. In former Netherlands, beguinage typically comprised one or more courtyards surrounded by houses in which women could live together and provide each other protection.

Obviously they also had their own churches. The one in Tongeren was built in 1294 and is devoted, not surprisingly, to a female saint - Saint Catherine.

The beguinage in Tongeren is nowadays a museum.

Unfortunately as I arrived, the museum was already closed. Maybe I will be more lucky in another location one day - there are 13 of them on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

I hope that you have enjoyed this walk through Flanders in this really nice town of Tongeren.