Grand Place, Brussels
The square shows how urban guilds and government expressed their identity through architecture. The coherent ensemble also makes visible the social significance of rebuilding after wartime destruction.
Photo: Celuici · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Facts
- Place
- Brussels, Belgium
- Civilisation / patron
- Brussels guilds and civic government in the Southern Netherlands
- Built
- 1695 – 1700
- Destroyed
- 1695 · French bombardment destroyed most of the buildings around the square.
- Status
- Rebuilt/restored
- UNESCO World Heritage since
- 1998
- UNESCO World Heritage
History
From the medieval period, the Grand Place developed into the administrative and commercial heart of Brussels. The Gothic town hall largely escaped damage when French bombardment destroyed much of the surrounding buildings in 1695. The guildhalls were quickly rebuilt with richly decorated façades, brought into harmony by local building regulations. The stated construction period refers to this decisive rebuilding, not to the origin of the square or every individual building.
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Sources: Wikipedia — Grote Markt van Brussel