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Things to do in Brussels
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Royal Palace
The Royal Palace of Brussels has
been the official palace of the King of the Belgians for
centuries and sits in the middle of the city of Brussels,
Belgium, although it isn't used for the a royal residence, but
for the many functions of the king. The royal family lives in
the Royal Castle of Laeken, just outside the city. The palace
sits in front of the Brussels Park, along a huge square plaza
that separates the palace from the park, and the Belgian Federal
Parliament building, and they both symbolize the type of
government the country now has; a constitutional monarchy. The
facade was constructed sometime after 1900 when King Leopold II
ruled and he had it done. The main part of the huge structure
that was the nucleus of the building dates back to the 18th
century, although the grounds that the palace sits on was once
the older palatial complex that was here during the middle ages.
The original structure that was built on Coudenberg Hill was
constructed between the second half of the 11th century and the
first half of the 12th century and resembled a fortified castle
that might have been part of the fortifications of the city.
That structure was the home of the Dukes of Brabant, who lived
in the next city, Leuven as well as the Castle of Tervuren.
During the following centuries, the castle was reconstructed,
enlarged and improved to reflect the more important prestige of
the Dukes of Brabant and their successors; the Dukes of
Burgundy, the Emperor Charles V, the Archduke Albert of Austria
and Infanta Isabel of Spain and Governors of the Habsburg
Netherlands. The throne room or Aula Magna, would be constructed
for Philip the Good in the 15th century and in this room,
Emperor Charles V abdicated his throne in 1555 so that his son,
Philip II of Spain could become the Emperor. The elegant complex
was destroyed by a huge fire in 1731, and those ruins only were
taken away during the redevelopment of 1775. The urban axes of
the Brussels park were put down and the Place Royale constructed
on top of the ruins. When excavations were conducted by
archaeologists, many remains were discovered that were
identified as various parts of the old palace and the adjoining
town, with enormous vaults still found under the square and
encompassing structures; which can all be seen today. In
1814, after the Congress of Vienna, Brussels and the Hague
became the joint capital of the new United Kingdom of the
Netherlands, ruled by William I of the Netherlands; who had the
street covered and the two mansions joined by a gallery. The new
palace would get a neo-classic facade that was designed by
Tilman-Francois Suys that had a peristyle in the middle and a
balcony with wrought iron parapet encompassing the complete
first floor. The street that was beside the palace was widened
and the Place des Palais built; with the new square called the
Square of the Palaces, since another palace was constructed on
the left side of the palace that became the residence of Crown
Prince, called the Prince of Orange; who would later become King
William II of the Netherlands. The palace now houses the Royal
Academies of Sciences and Arts of Belgium and has been named
"Academienpaleis/Palais des Academies. The various rooms and
salons of the old mansions were incorporated into the new Royal
Palace and just partially furnished. One major addition to the
interior was from the period of William I is the "Empire Room"
that was designed to be a ballroom. The room is furnished in an
elegant cream and gold decoration that was designed by the
famous French sculptor Francois Rude. When the Belgian
revolution was over, the palace was offered to Leopold of
Saxe-Coburg, as he became the first King of the Netherlands;
although he, like William II before him, would only use the
castle for official functions and duties, but also lived in the
Royal Castle of Laeken. He wouldn't do much to the castle during
his reign, which ended in 1865, but his son, Leopold II would
consider it much too non-descript for a monarch of his statue,
and he would keep making it bigger and enhancing it until his
passing in 1909. While he was king, the palace nearly doubled,
with architect Alphonse Balat creating huge and elaborate rooms
like the Grande Gallerie, the Throne Room and the Grand
Staircase. Balat had planned a new facade, but died before he
could accomplish it. Sometime after 1904, the new facade was
constructed using plans designed by Henri Maquet.
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Grand Place
The Grand Place, or Grote
Markt, is the central square of Brussels, Belgium, that is
encompassed by guild halls, the Breadhouse and the Town Hall.
This square is the most prominent tourist destination in the
city and has become the most remarkable landmark in the city;
and along with the Atomium and Manneken Pls. Measuring 223 feet
by 360 feet, the site has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
During the 10th century, Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine, built
a fort on Saint-Gery Island, just about where the Senne River
becomes navigable. That fort became the seed that continued to
grow into the city of Brussels, and by the end of the 11th
century, there was an open market located on the dried marsh
that was near the fort and encompassed by sandbanks. That market
was called the Nedermrckt or Lower Market; and grew like the
commercial development of the city. A document discovered from
1174, talks about this market that wasn't far from the port on
the Senne River and sitting along the Steenweg, that was an
important commercial road connecting the wealthier regions of
the Rhineland and the County of Flanders. In the first part of
the 13th century, there were three marketplaces built there on
the northern edge of the place, containing a meat market, cloth
and break markets, that were owned by the Duke of Brabant, and
they were open every day even in bad weather, so that the Duke
could keep an eye on everything and collect his fair taxes.
There were also other buildings that circled the Place, and
these were either made of wood or stone. The Brussels City Hall
was constructed on the south side in stages between 1401 and
1455, thus making the Place the seat of power. The rich
merchants and growing powerful guilds would be the ones that
constructed their houses around the square. In 695, a French
army, 60,000 strong, led by Marshall Francois de Neufille, duc
de Villeroi, began a bombardment of the city to entice the
League of Augsburgs troops to leave their siege of the French
held Namur that was on the southern end of Belgium. The French
would launch a huge offensive with cannons and mortars against
the defenseless city that put it to blaze and destroying the
Place and the city around it. By the time the bombardment was
over, only the stone shell of the town hall and a few fragments
of other buildings would remain. Many were amazed that the town
hall managed to survive since it was the main target. During the
next four years, the city would rebuild itself thank to the many
guilds, although regulated by the city counselors and Governor;
that would make for a much better layout of the Grand Place.
Every two years, during August, the Grand Place is covered by a
humungous majestic flower carpet for numerous days, containing a
million begonias arranged in various patterns, and covers 79 by
253 feet. The original carpet laying started in 1971, and
because it was so popular that the event has continued; bringing
in huge crowds.
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