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Grand Place

Brussels · City Centre · Belgium

Grand Place

squareguild-housesbaroquegoogle verified
easy
9/10
best: evening, night
grand, historic, theatrical
A local would say...

The French bombarded this square to rubble in 1695 — then Brussels rebuilt it even more beautiful, just to prove a point.

Victor Hugo called it the most beautiful square in the world and it's hard to argue: this magnificent central square is ringed by elegantly gilded guild-halls rebuilt after 1695 when French forces bombarded the originals. The Gothic-spired Hôtel de Ville — ironically the main French target — is the lone survivor from before the bombardment. At night the flood-lit gold facades create a theatrical effect that stops conversations mid-sentence.

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