Grand Place Detail
by Joan Carroll
Title
Grand Place Detail
Artist
Joan Carroll
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photograph
Description
This is the first stop everyone makes in Brussels: the Grand Place or Grote Markt. It is the central square of Brussels, surrounded by magnificent guildhalls, the city's Town Hall, and the Breadhouse. The square is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in Brussels. It measures 68 by 110 metres (223 by 361 ft), and was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. The Grand Place was also voted the most beautiful square in Europe in 2010. A lot of the social life in Brussels seems to happen here too! During our visit we wanted to get a panoramic picture of the square and the buildings but there was always a festival or a concert happening, always workers tearing down one venue and putting up another! Here on this sunny autumn afternoon, the sun beats down on the historic facades. Most of the square dates from after August 13, 1695 when a 70,000-strong French army under Marshal Francois de Neufville, duc de Villeroi began a bombardment of Brussels. Most of the main square of Brussels was flattened but was rebuilt in the following four years by the city's guilds. You can see the date 1697 on the facades of one of the guildhalls. 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.
FEATURED PHOTO, Pin Me - Daily group, 9/19/17
FEATURED PHOTO, Arts Fantastic World group, 9/16/17
FEATURED PHOTO, UNESCO World Heritage Sites group, 8/28/14
Uploaded
August 27th, 2014
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Viewed 3,913 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 04/18/2024 at 10:25 AM
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