Grand Place
Grand Place stands as one of Europe’s finest squares, a UNESCO icon. A thousand years of markets, parades and drama (yes, executions too) played out here.
Look up
The Town Hall’s Gothic spire will make your neck crane. This masterpiece somehow survived when the French bombarded the city in 1695. Up top, there’s a statue of St. Michael, our city’s guardian angel, keeping watch over the square like he has for centuries.
Just opposite is the Maison du Roi (King’s House), now home to the Brussels City Museum, where visitors can explore the city’s history and see the famous wardrobe of Manneken Pis. Over the centuries, it’s been everything from a bread market to a nerve center for the Habsburg Empire.
Meet the neighbors
The real stars? The guild houses, each one bursting with drama and history. After the devastating French bombing in 1695, the guilds rebuilt them bigger and fancier than ever, because Brussels knows how to bounce back. Here are three that tell fascinating tales.
The She-Wolf
Once the archers’ guild house. Keep an eye out for Romulus and Remus under the she-wolf, plus a golden phoenix rising – showing off Brussels’ comeback spirit.
The Swan
Originally the butchers’ guild house, later a café where Karl Marx partied and penned parts of his Communist Manifesto.
The Pigeon
The painters’ old guild house that later hosted Victor Hugo during his exile from France. Apparently, nothing inspires great writing like a room with a view of the Grand Place.
The great pointing game
Tell your friends or family to spot the statues pointing fingers at each other on the guild houses. Local legend says it’s all about a scandalous pregnancy and the age-old question: “Who’s the father?” Is it true? Probably not. But who cares—it’s Brussels at its quirkiest.
Insider tip
Come twice: once to catch all the details in daylight, then again after dark. With the floodlights on, the square glows like it’s lit from within—fewer crowds, more magic.
