Between history and culture: Brussels from the Grand-Place, the center of antiquity, to modern cosmopolitan reality.
One of the cities with fascinating and timeless stories.
Brussels is not only the European city par excellence, home to political institutions, but it is also everything you could ever imagine: beauty in every corner that blends perfectly with history and folklore. Every city has its corners of paradise and Brussels has many, but perhaps the most breathtaking and indescribable is the beautiful and magical Grand-Place.
The origins of the city’s name
Who would have thought that geography often determines the fate of a city? It’s hard to believe but fate has reserved a special story for this city.
Its original name, Brossela, literally meaning “hamlet in the marsh,” fully illustrates its ancient nature: the city was founded thanks to river trade on the Senne, which served as a route to the sea.
Its characteristic feature has always been its structural duality: the Lower Town, a center of craftsmanship and maritime trade, and the Upper Town, the center of political and religious power.
Medieval evolution and the walls
During the Middle Ages, specifically starting in the 13th century, the city underwent a series of structural transformations, essentially the result of political power that extolled its imposing role in social control, defense, and the maintenance of prestige. In fact two walls were built: one in the 13th century AD and the other in the 15th century AD and that’s not all.
What is now a World Heritage Site, the Grand Place, was once the historic and commercial centre of the city. It was destroyed in 1695 by Louis XIV’s bombardment and rebuilt in Baroque style, ready to embrace the spirit of those years: the history of the guilds.
Guilds were associations of craftsmen and merchants who represented the backbone of the economy and held a monopoly on a specific productive activity. In Brussels they had considerable political influence as they also shared the management of the city with the patriciate (noble families).
The main guilds present in Brussels traces of which remain in the buildings surrounding the square, are as follows: Le roy D’Espagne (bakers, building with a dome), Le Sac (carpenters, whose building has a façade decorated with tools), La Louve (archers, whose building has bas-reliefs), Le Renard (merchants, whose building has statues), Le Cornet (boatmen, whose building has a stern-shaped tympanum) and finally l’Arbre d’Or (brewers, whose building now houses the Beer Museum).
The city had a distinctly mercantile character, which can also be understood from the names of the streets (Rue du marché aux Poulets, Rue du marché aux Herbes). Another interesting site is the iconic Halles Saint-Géry, once a general market built on the surrounding marshland and now a venue that not only houses a brewery but also hosts fashion exhibitions.
The era of transformation (16th-19th centuries)
During this period, the city underwent numerous transformations, especially under the reign of William I, thanks to whom the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie was built and the dismantling of one of the city walls built in the Middle Ages began. In addition, the river was buried due to the flooding it caused, and Parisian-style canals were built to stem its flow.
The modern era: infrastructure development and internationalisation
In 1800 the city flourished in a different light; modernity by bringing innovation and renewal transformed Brussels.
Large neighbourhoods began to spring up and infrastructure developed; the two current railway stations of Brussels North and Brussels Midi were inaugurated connecting the city and the European Quarter (Quartier Léopold) flourished with the subsequent establishment of the institutions.
Behind every wonder there is a story to be discovered, and it is perhaps destiny that this city, with one of the most sumptuous squares in the world, is visited every day by thousands of tourists from all over the world, giving it that touch of cosmopolitanism that makes it unique.