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93-507: The Grand-Place ( French: [ɡʁɑ̃ plas] ; "Grand Square"; also used in English) or Grote Markt ( Dutch: [ˌɣroːtə ˈmɑr(ə)kt] ; "Big Market") is the central square of Brussels , Belgium. It is surrounded by opulent Baroque guildhalls of the former Guilds of Brussels and two larger edifices; the city's Flamboyant Town Hall , and the neo-Gothic King's House or Bread House building, containing

186-557: A "square" has a wider meaning. There are public squares of the type described above but the term is also used for formal open spaces surrounded by houses with private gardens at the centre, sometimes known as garden squares . Most of these were built in the 18th and 19th centuries. In some cases the gardens are now open to the public. See the Squares in London category. Additionally, many public squares were created in towns and cities across

279-556: A carpet-like tapestry , and the display covers a full 24 by 77 metres (79 by 253 ft), for area total of 1,800 m (19,000 sq ft). The first Flower Carpet was created in Brussels in 1971 by the Ghent landscape architect Etienne Stautemans in an effort to advertise his work, and due to its popularity, the tradition continued in subsequent years. Starting in 1986, the event has been regularly held biannually, each time under

372-586: A different theme, with the Flower Carpet now estimated to attract between 150,000 and 200,000 local and international visitors. Twice a year, at the turn of June and July, the Ommegang of Brussels , a type of medieval pageant and folkloric costumed procession, ends with a large spectacle at the Grand-Place. Historically the largest lustral procession of Brussels , which took place once a year, on

465-598: A fort at this point marks the origin of what would become Brussels. By the end of the 11th century, an open-air marketplace was set up on a dried-up marsh near the fort that was surrounded by sandbanks. A document from 1174 mentions this lower market (Latin: forum inferius ) not far from the port (Latin: portus ) on the Senne. It was called the Nedermerckt (meaning "Lower Market" in Old Dutch ) and likely grew around

558-463: A large pedestrian zone in the centre of Brussels. The City of Brussels had been thinking about pedestrianising the square and its surrounding streets for several years, but a car park nearby prevented the project from materialising. When its licence ran out in September 1990, the city took the opportunity to conduct a pedestrian experiment. For three-and-a-half months, all traffic was to be banned on

651-627: A marketplace but were built in front of large palaces or public buildings to emphasise their grandeur, as well as to accommodate military parades and ceremonies, among others (for example the Place Royale in Brussels and the Koningsplein in Amsterdam ). Palace squares are usually more symmetrical than their older market counterparts. In Russia, central square ( Russian : центра́льная пло́щадь , romanised : tsentráĺnaya plóshchad́ )

744-459: A massive bombardment of the mostly defenceless city centre with cannons and mortars , setting it on fire and flattening the majority of the Grand-Place and the surrounding city. Only the stone shell of the Town Hall and a few fragments of other buildings remained standing. That the Town Hall survived at all is ironic, as it was the principal target of the artillery fire. After the bombardment,

837-597: A meat market, a bread market, and a cloth market. These buildings, which belonged to the Duke of Brabant , allowed the wares to be showcased even in bad weather, but also allowed the Dukes to keep track of the storage and sale of goods, in order to collect taxes. Other buildings, largely constructed of thatch and timber , with some made of stone (Old Dutch: steenen ), enclosed the Grand-Place. Although none of these steenen remain, their names live on in nearby streets, such as

930-692: A particle in a proper noun. Like the Italian piazza and the Portuguese praça , the plaza remains a center of community life that is only equaled by the market-place. A plaza de toros is a bullring . Shopping centers may incorporate 'plaza' into their names, and plaza comercial is used in some countries as a synonym for centro comercial i.e. "shopping center". In the United Kingdom, and especially in London and Edinburgh ,

1023-479: A plaza can mean one of several things: Today's metropolitan landscapes often incorporate the plaza as a design element, or as an outcome of zoning regulations, building budgetary constraints, and the like. Sociologist William H. Whyte conducted an extensive study of plazas in New York City : his study humanized the way modern urban plazas are conceptualized, and helped usher in significant design changes in

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1116-441: A remarkably harmonious layout for the rebuilt square, despite the ostensibly clashing combination of Gothic , Baroque and Louis XIV style . During the following two centuries, the Grand-Place underwent significant damage. In the late 18th century, French revolutionaries known as the sans-culottes sacked it, destroying statues of the nobility and symbols of Christianity . The guilds declined in importance in conjunction with

1209-405: A seasonal ceremony, whilst the square's façades are illuminated by a sound and light show . These festivities usually take place from the end of November until the beginning of January and attract a large number of people. Town square A town square (also a plaza , public square or urban square ) is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town , and which

1302-725: A very important phenomenon in the 20th century in the south of the Dutch language area: there has been an expansion in the use of Brabantian by the dominant presence of native Brabantian-speakers in the modern mass media like radio and television. About one quarter of the Dutch-speaking population lives in the Brabantian dialect zone. In the Netherlands, rural areas still retain some of their original Brabantian dialects. In large Dutch cities, such as Breda and Eindhoven , where

1395-460: Is a back formation, since krásnaja (the term for "red") also means "beautiful" in archaic and poetic Russian, with many cities and towns throughout the region having locations with the name "Red Square." Gwanghwamun Plaza ( Korean : 광화문광장) also known as Gwanghwamun Square) is a public open space on Sejongno , Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It against the background of A Gwanghwamun Gate(Korean: 광화문). In 2009, Restoration of Gwanghwamun Gate made

1488-675: Is a cognate of Italian piazza and French place (which has also been borrowed into English). The term is used across Spanish-speaking territories in Spain and the Americas, as well as in the Philippines . In addition to smaller plazas, the Plaza Mayor (sometimes called in the Americas as Plaza de Armas , "armament square" where troops could be mustered) of each center of administration held three closely related institutions:

1581-470: Is a common term for an open area in the heart of the town . In a number of cities, the square has no individual name and is officially designated Central Square , for example Central Square (Tolyatti) . The most famous central square is the monumentally-proportioned Red Square which became a synecdoche for the Soviet Union during the 20th century; nevertheless, the association with "red communism"

1674-532: Is also considered one of the world's most beautiful squares, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. The square frequently hosts festive and cultural events, among them, in August of every even year, the installation of an immense flower carpet in its centre. It is also a centre of annual celebrations during the Christmas and New Year period, and a Christmas tree has been erected annually on

1767-601: Is known in the Southwestern United States , is a common feature within the boundaries of the former provincial kingdom of Santa Fe de Nuevo México . They are a blend of Hispano and Pueblo design styles, several of which continue to be hubs for cities and towns in New Mexico , including Santa Fe Plaza , Old Town Albuquerque , Acoma Pueblo 's plaza, Taos Downtown Historic District , Mesilla Plaza , Mora , and Las Vegas Plaza . In U.S. English ,

1860-483: Is often a well , monument , statue or other feature. Those with fountains are sometimes called fountain squares . The term "town square" (especially via the term "public square") is synonymous with the politics of many cultures, and the names of a certain town squares, such as the Euromaidan or Red Square , have become symbolic of specific political events throughout history. The city centre of Adelaide and

1953-456: Is recognised as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO . Christmas and New Year celebrations have been held on the Grand-Place every year since 1952 or 1954. They have been officialised since 2000 as part of the "Winter Wonders" in the city centre. A Christmas tree is erected on the square for the occasion and is decorated with lights that are switched on at

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2046-685: Is referred to as The Piazza. In the Low Countries , squares are often called "markets" because of their usage as marketplaces . Most towns and cities in Belgium and the southern part of the Netherlands have in their historical centre a Grote Markt (literally "Big Market") in Dutch or Grand-Place (literally "Grand Square") in French (for example the Grand-Place in Brussels and

2139-465: Is still called the Grote Markt ("Big Market") in Dutch. Neighbouring streets still reflect the area's origins, named after the sellers of butter, cheese, herring , coal , and so on. During the 1960s, in a low period of appreciation, the square served as a car parking area, but the parking spaces were removed in 1972 following a campaign by citizens. However, car traffic continued to pass through

2232-559: Is the work of Jan van Ruysbroek , the court architect of Philip the Good . Above the roof of the Town Hall, the square tower body narrows to a lavishly pinnacled octagonal openwork. At its summit stands a 2.7-metre-tall (9 ft) gilt metal statue of Saint Michael , the patron saint of the City of Brussels, slaying a dragon or demon. This statue is a work by Michel de Martin Van Rode, and

2325-524: Is used for community gatherings. A square in a city may be called a city square . Related concepts are the civic center , the market square and the village green . Most squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets , concerts , political rallies, and other events that require firm ground. They are not necessarily a true geometric square . Being centrally located, town squares are usually surrounded by small shops such as bakeries, meat markets, cheese stores, and clothing stores. At their center

2418-656: The Grote Markt in Antwerp ). The Grote Markt or Grand-Place is often the location of the town hall , hence also the political centre of the town. The Dutch word for square is plein , which is another common name for squares in Dutch-speaking regions (for example Het Plein in The Hague ). In the 17th and 18th centuries, another type of square emerged, the so-called royal square (French: Place royale , Dutch: Koningsplein ). Such squares did not serve as

2511-667: The Le Pigeon (Dutch: De Duif ) guildhall in 1852, as well as Charles Baudelaire , who gave two conferences at the King's House in the 1860s. In 1885, the Belgian Workers' Party (POB/BWP), the first socialist party in Belgium, was founded during a meeting at the Grand-Place, at the same place where the First International had convened, and where Karl Marx had written The Communist Manifesto in 1848. At

2604-538: The Brussels City Museum . The square measures 68 by 110 metres (223 by 361 ft) and is entirely paved. The Grand-Place's construction began in the 11th century and was largely complete by the 17th. In 1695, during the Nine Years' War , most of the square was destroyed during the bombardment of Brussels by French troops. Only the façade and the tower of the Town Hall, which served as a target for

2697-460: The Duke of Brabant , which is why it was first called the Duke's House (Middle Dutch: 's Hertogenhuys ), and when the same duke became King of Spain , it was renamed the King's House (Middle Dutch: 's Conincxhuys ). In the 16th century, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V ordered his court architect Antoon II Keldermans  [ nl ] to rebuild it in a late Gothic style very similar to

2790-597: The Dukes and Duchesses of Brabant and knights of the Noble Houses of Brussels ), saints , and allegorical figures. The present sculptures are mainly 19th- and 20th-century reproductions or creations; the original 15th-century ones are kept in the Brussels City Museum in the King's House or Bread House building across the Grand-Place. The 96-metre-high (315 ft) tower in Brabantine Gothic style

2883-580: The Industrial Revolution drew many people from other parts of the country, the dialect has been diluted by contact with Standard Dutch. Because people tended to migrate towards the cities from the surrounding rural areas, Brabantian influence is still seen in some terms and in pronunciation (the "Brabantian accent" of Dutch), but the original Brabantian city dialects have largely disappeared there. However, some large cities, such as Tilburg and 's-Hertogenbosch , still have many people speaking

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2976-578: The Mass in a church in Jette . Moreover, the use of Dutch is reviving because of young Dutch-speaking families moving back from the suburbs to the old city of Brussels , and an increasing number of non-Dutch-speaking families putting their children in Flemish schools. The comic artist Hergé based fictional languages like Syldavian in his childhood Marols . Brabantian is rather close to and contributed to

3069-588: The Plattesteen , the Cantersteen , or the Rue des Pierres / Steenstraat . In the middle of the market square stood a primitive public fountain. In 1302, it was replaced by a large stone fountain with eight water jets and eight basins, directly in front of the bread market. Improvements to the Grand-Place from the 14th century onwards would mark the rise in importance of local merchants and tradesmen relative to

3162-488: The Rue des Chapeliers / Hoedenmakersstraat and the Rue de la Colline / Bergstraat , are the houses no. 13 to 19. On the north-eastern side, the King's House, which is located between the Rue des Harengs / Haringstraat and the Rue Chair et Pain / Vlees-en-Broodstraat , is to the right of the houses no. 20 to 28 and to the left of the houses no. 34 to 39. Festivities and cultural events are frequently organised on

3255-535: The Spanish Netherlands (roughly what is now Belgium) to the United Provinces of the Netherlands . That made the cultural elite move from the oppressive Spanish and Roman Catholic region to the more liberal (and Protestant) north. Dutch linguistics historian Nicoline van der Sijs says that it is a popular myth that Brabantian was a dominant influence during the standardisation of Dutch from

3348-449: The cathedral , the cantabile or administrative center, which might be incorporated in a wing of a governor's palace , and the audiencia or law court. The plaza might be large enough to serve as a military parade ground. At times of crisis or fiestas , it serves as the gathering space for large crowds. Diminutives of plaza include plazuela and the latter's double diminutive plazoleta , which can be occasionally used as

3441-503: The nobility . As he was short on money, the Duke gradually transferred parts of his control rights over trade and mills to the local authorities, prompting them to build edifices worthy of their new status. In 1353, the City of Brussels ordered the construction of a large indoor cloth market (French: Halle au Drap ), similar to those of the neighbouring cities of Mechelen and Leuven , to

3534-580: The piazze of Italy are central to most towns and cities. Shops, businesses, metro stations, and bus stops are commonly found on piazzas, and in multiple locations also feature Roman Catholic Churches , such as in places known as the Piazza del Duomo , with the most famous perhaps being at Duomo di Milan , or government buildings, such as the Piazza del Quirinale adjacent from the Quirinal Palace of

3627-493: The 14th century, emphasis in society shifted to Brabant and so the Brabantian dialect became dominant. A migration to the north was occurring; the West Flemish dialect influenced the coastal area of the province of South Holland ('s-Gravenhage and Leiden), and migrants from Brabant came to the provinces of North Holland and Utrecht. In the 16th century, when the Low Countries were in turmoil, another migration occurred from

3720-542: The 16th century. She says that Standard Dutch is a standardised Hollandic dialect. However, researchers of variance linguistics at the Ghent University and Dutch linguists in Berlin recognise the distinctive influence of Brabantian on the first Dutch standardisation in the 16th century. The first major formation of Standard Dutch also took place in Antwerp , where a Brabantian dialect is still spoken. That made

3813-472: The Grand-Place was swiftly rebuilt in the following four years by the city's guilds and other owners. Their efforts were regulated by the city's councillors and the Governor of Brussels, who required that their plans be submitted to the authorities for approval, and fines were threatened against those who did not comply. In addition, the alignments of the buildings were once again improved. This helped deliver

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3906-434: The Grand-Place, and also on the adjacent streets. After 1 January 1991, they would decide for good. The Grand-Place was named by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1998. The place is now primarily an important tourist attraction. A number of guildhalls have been converted into shops, terraced restaurants and brasseries . Notable institutions include Godiva chocolatier and Maison Dandoy speculoos confectionery. One of

3999-426: The Grand-Place, has taken place since 2010. The square has also been used for community gatherings and public celebrations, such as receiving athletes following sporting events. Every two years in August, coordinating with Assumption Day , an enormous flower carpet is set up in the Grand-Place for three to four days. On this occasion, nearly a million colourful begonias or dahlias are set up in patterns forming

4092-466: The Grand-Place, such as sound and light shows during the Christmas and New Year period as part of the "Winter Wonders", as well as concerts in the summer. Among the most important and famous are the Flower Carpet and the Ommegang , both taking place in the summer. The Belgian Beer Weekend, an event dedicated to Belgian beers , during which small and large breweries present their products at

4185-773: The Italian president. The Piazza San Marco in Venice and Piazza del Popolo in Rome are among the world's best known. The Italian piazzas historically played a major role in the political developments of Italy in both the Italian Medieval Era and the Italian Renaissance. For example, the Piazza della Signoria in Florence remains synonymous with the return of the Medici from their exile in 1530 as well as

4278-790: The Middle Ages to today. Squares located opposite a Palace or Castle ( German : Schloss ) are commonly named Schlossplatz . Prominent Plätze include the Alexanderplatz , Pariser Platz and Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, Heldenplatz in Vienna, and the Königsplatz in Munich. A large open square common in villages, towns and cities of Indonesia is known as alun-alun . It is a Javanese term which in modern-day Indonesia refers to

4371-475: The Netherlands and Flanders. Compared to the other dialects and sublanguages of Dutch, Brabantian has historically had a major influence on the development of Dutch. During the Middle Ages , manuscripts from the 10th to 15th centuries show that Limburgish and then West Flemish were the predominant literary languages, but there is no evidence of literary manuscripts farther north. In the second half of

4464-519: The Sunday before Pentecost , since 1930, it has taken the form of a historical reenactment of the Joyous Entry of Emperor Charles V and his son Philip II in Brussels in 1549. The colourful parade includes floats, traditional processional giants , such as Saint Michael and Saint Gudula , and scores of folkloric groups, either on foot or on horseback, dressed in medieval garb. Since 2019, it

4557-509: The Town Hall's original sculptures are shown. The Grand-Place is lined on each side with a number of guildhalls and a few private houses. At first modest structures, in their current form, they are largely the result of the reconstruction after the bombardment of 1695. The strongly structured façades with their rich sculptural decoration including pilasters and balustrades and their lavishly designed gables are based on Italian Baroque with some Flemish influences. The architects involved in

4650-881: The UK as part of urban redevelopment following the Blitz . Squares can also be quite small and resemble courtyards, especially in the City of London . In some cities, especially in New England , the term "square" (as its Spanish equivalent, plaza ) is applied to a commercial area (like Central Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts ), usually formed around the intersection of three or more streets, and which originally consisted of some open area (many of which have been filled in with traffic islands and other traffic calming features). Many of these intersections are irregular rather than square. The placita (Spanish for "little plaza"), as it

4743-725: The United States, to refer to a verandah or front porch of a house or apartment, such as at George Washington's historic home Mount Vernon . Several countries, especially around the Mediterranean Sea, feature Italian-style town squares. In Gibraltar, one such town square just off Gibraltar 's Main Street , between the Parliament Building and the City Hall officially named John Mackintosh Square

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4836-450: The adjacent suburb of North Adelaide , in South Australia, were planned by Colonel William Light in 1837. The city streets were laid out in a grid plan , with the city centre including a central public square, Victoria Square , and four public squares in the centre of each quarter of the city. North Adelaide has two public squares. The city was also designed to be surrounded by park lands , and all of these features still exist today, with

4929-476: The artillery, and some stone walls resisted the incendiary balls. The houses that surrounded the Grand-Place were rebuilt during subsequent years, giving the square its current appearance, though they were frequently modified in the following centuries. From the mid-19th century, the square's heritage value was rediscovered, and it was thoroughly renovated. Nowadays, the Grand-Place is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in Brussels. It

5022-421: The burning at the stake of Savonarola during the Italian Inquisition . The Italian term is roughly equivalent to the Spanish plaza , the French term place, the Portuguese praça, and the German Platz. Not to be confused, other countries use the phrase to refer to an unrelated feature of architectural or urban design, such as the "piazza" at King's Cross station in London or piazza as used by some in

5115-446: The contemporary design, although without towers or galleries. The King's House was rebuilt after suffering extensive damage from the bombardment of 1695. A second restoration followed in 1767 when it received a neoclassical portal and a large roof pierced with three oeil-de-boeuf windows. It was reconstructed once again in its current neo-Gothic form by the architect Victor Jamaer  [ fr ] between 1874 and 1896, in

5208-442: The development of Standard Dutch . A characteristic phrase, houdoe ("take care"), derives from houd u goed (literally, "keep yourself all right"), but colloquial Dutch and Hollandic use doei ("bye"). In South Brabantian ( Belgium ), "Ale, salu(kes) e!", based on loanwords from French "Allez!" and "Salut!", is a common parting phrase . Brabantian dialects have a characteristic historic tendency toward accusativism ,

5301-494: The gate's front space as a public plaza. The square has been renovated to modern style has new waterways & rest Areas, exhibition Hall for Excavated Cultural Assets in 2022 Aug. The Spanish-language term for a public square is plaza ( [ˈplasa] or [ˈplaθa] depending on the dialectal variety). It comes from Latin platea , with the meaning of 'broad street' or 'public square'. Ultimately coming from Greek πλατεῖα (ὁδός) plateia (hodos) , it

5394-426: The growing obsolescence of this form of economic organisation and the rise of proto- capitalism . They were abolished in 1795, under the French regime , and the guildhalls ' furniture and archives were seized by the state and sold at public auction on the square in 1796. The remaining buildings were neglected and left in poor condition, with their façades painted, stuccoed and damaged by pollution. The square itself

5487-403: The houses owned by the brewers' guild is home to a brewers' museum. In addition, the Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate (since 2014, Choco-Story Brussels) was founded in July 1998 in the De Valck building, at 9–11, rue de la Tête d'or / Guldenhoofdstraat , just off the Grand-Place. The Town Hall (French: Hôtel de Ville , Dutch: Stadhuis ) is the central edifice on the Grand-Place. It

5580-420: The left of the Rue au Beurre / Boterstraat in a counter-clockwise direction. The most beautiful houses are probably no. 1 to 7 on the north-western side. On the south-western side, between the Rue de la Tête d'or / Guldenhoofdstraat and Rue Charles Buls / Karel Bulsstraat , are the Town Hall, and the houses no. 8 to 12 to the left of it on the south-eastern side. Still on the south-eastern side, between

5673-410: The likewise richly furnished ballroom and the Wedding Room (formerly the courtroom). As early as the 12th century, the King's House (French: Maison du Roi ) was a wooden building where bread was sold, hence the name it kept in Dutch; Broodhuis ( Bread House or Bread Hall ). The original building was replaced in the 15th century by a stone building which housed the administrative services of

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5766-490: The main square was the geographical centre of the towns and cities in these regions (for example the Grand-Place of Mons , Tournai , Arras , or Lille ). The Grand-Place of Brussels is the location of the city's Town Hall , and thus its political centre. It also housed the largest marketplace in the city (hence its official names Grote Markt or Groote Markt , pronounced [ˌɣroːtə ˈmɑr(ə)kt] ; literally meaning "Big Market", in Dutch ). Nowadays,

5859-451: The making of plazas. They can be used to open spaces for low-income neighborhoods, and can also the overall aesthetic of the surrounding area boosting economic vitality, pedestrian mobility and safety for pedestrians. Most plazas are created out of a collaboration between local non-profit applicants and city officials which requires approval from the city. Throughout North America, words like place , square , or plaza frequently appear in

5952-478: The market whose place it took. Over time, wealthy merchants and the increasingly powerful Guilds of Brussels built houses around the square. The Grand-Place witnessed many tragic events unfold during its history. In 1523, the first Protestant martyrs Jan van Essen and Hendrik Vos were burned by the Inquisition on the square. Forty years later, in 1568, two statesmen, Lamoral, Count of Egmont and Philip de Montmorency, Count of Horn , who had spoken out against

6045-402: The modern French form would be Grande Place . In the Brabantian dialect of Brussels (known as Brusselian , and also sometimes referred to as Marols or Marollien), the Grand-Place is called Gruute Met . In the 10th century, Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine , constructed a fort on Saint-Géry Island , the furthest inland point at which the river Senne was still navigable. The installation of

6138-434: The names Grand-Place (with a hyphen ) in French and Grote Markt (with one 'o') in Dutch are most commonly seen. The historical spellings Grand'Place (with an apostrophe ) in French and Groote Markt (with a double 'o') in Dutch are outdated, but are also still in use in certain sources, such as on wall plaques giving the name of the square. This outdated French spelling is a grammatical exception; place being feminine,

6231-436: The names of commercial developments such as shopping centers and hotels. Brabantian dialect Over the relatively-large area in which it is spoken, Brabantian can be roughly divided into three subdialects, all of which differ in some aspects: Over 5 million people live in the area where some form of Brabantian functions as the predominant colloquial language; this compares with a total of 22 million Dutch-speakers across

6324-409: The new development were Jan Cosijn , Pieter Herbosch  [ nl ] , Antoine Pastorana  [ fr ] , Cornelis van Nerven  [ fr ] , Guilliam or Willem de Bruyn  [ fr ] and Adolphe Samyn  [ fr ] . In addition to the name of the respective guild, each house has its own name. The house numbering starts at the northern corner of the square to

6417-447: The original Brabantian dialect. In Antwerp , the local dialect, known as "Antwerps" in Dutch, is Brabantian; however, Het Nieuwsblad wrote in 2020 that "few people can still master it", with its city folk now speaking Tussentaal and Standard Dutch instead. In Brussels , French largely replaced Dutch in the mid-20th century , but there are many cultural activities that use the Brussels dialect (sometimes called Marols ), such as

6510-424: The policies of King Philip II in the Spanish Netherlands , were beheaded in front of the King's House. This triggered the beginning of the armed revolt against Spanish rule , of which William of Orange took the lead. In 1719, it was the turn of François Anneessens , dean of the Nation of St. Christopher, who was beheaded on the Grand-Place because of his resistance to innovations in city government detrimental to

6603-425: The power of the guilds and for his suspected involvement with uprisings within the Austrian Netherlands . On 13 August 1695, during the Nine Years' War , a 70,000-strong French army under Marshal François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy , began a bombardment of Brussels in an effort to draw the League of Augsburg 's forces away from their siege on French-held Namur in what is now Wallonia . The French launched

6696-525: The provisional government operated from there during the Belgian Revolution . The oldest part of the present building is its east wing (to the left when facing the front). This wing, together with a shorter tower, was built between 1401 and 1421. The architect and designer is probably Jacob van Thienen with whom Jean Bornoy collaborated. The young Duke Charles the Bold laid the first stone of

6789-563: The same time as Brussels' commercial development. It was also well situated near St. Nicholas' Church and along the Causeway (Old Dutch: Steenwegh ), an important trade route between the prosperous regions of the Rhineland (in modern-day Germany) and the County of Flanders . At the beginning of the 13th century, three covered markets were built on the northern edge of the Grand-Place;

6882-656: The site of the May Fourth Movement , the Proclamation of the People's Republic of China , the 1976 Tiananmen Incident , the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests , and all Chinese National Day Parades . The German word for square is Platz , which also means "Place", and is a common term for central squares in German-speaking countries. These have been focal points of public life in towns and cities from

6975-524: The site of the first cloth and bread markets, which were no longer in use, and it became known first as the Duke's House (Middle Dutch: 's Hertogenhuys ), then as the King's House (Middle Dutch: 's Conincxhuys ), although no king has ever lived there. It is currently known as the Maison du Roi ("King's House") in French, but in Dutch, it continues to be called the Broodhuis ("Bread House"), after

7068-416: The south of the square. At this point, the Grand-Place was still haphazardly laid out, and the buildings along the edges had a motley tangle of gardens and irregular additions. The city expropriated and demolished a number of buildings that clogged the square, and formally defined its edges. Brussels' Town Hall was erected in stages, between 1401 and 1455, on the south side of the Grand-Place, transforming

7161-401: The square into the seat of municipal power. The Town Hall's spire towers some 96 metres (315 ft) high, and is capped by a 2.7 metres (8.9 ft) statue of Saint Michael slaying a demon or devil. To counter this, from 1504 to 1536, the Duke of Brabant ordered the construction of a large Flamboyant edifice across from the city hall to house his administrative services. It was erected on

7254-467: The square since the mid-20th century. This site is served by the premetro (underground tram) station Bourse/Beurs (on lines 3 and 4 ), as well as the bus stop Grand-Place / Grote Markt (on line 95). The toponyms Grand-Place or Grand'Place ( French , pronounced [ɡʁɑ̃ plas] ; "Grand Square"; also used in English) are generic names designating a central town square , namely in Belgium and Northern France . Originally,

7347-486: The square until 1990. In 1979, the Grand-Place was bombed by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). A bomb planted under an open‐air stage where a British Army band was preparing to give a concert injured at least 15 persons, including four bandsmen, and caused extensive damage. In 1990, the Grand-Place was pedestrianised, a first step in the pedestrianisation of central Brussels, and it is currently part of

7440-469: The squares maintained as mostly green spaces. In Mainland China, People's Square is a common designation for the central town square of modern Chinese cities, established as part of urban modernization within the last few decades. These squares are the site of government buildings, museums and other public buildings. One such square, Tiananmen Square , is a famous site in Chinese history due to it being

7533-459: The standard language develop mainly from Brabantian influence. The early modern Dutch written language was initially influenced primarily by Brabantian, with strong influence from the Hollandic dialect after the 16th century. Since then, it has diverged from Standard Dutch and evolved its own way, but it is still similar enough for both to be mutually intelligible . Berlin scientists point to

7626-436: The start of World War I , as refugees flooded Brussels, the Grand-Place was filled with military and civilian casualties. The Town Hall served as a makeshift hospital. On 20 August 1914, at 2 p.m., the occupying German army arrived at the Grand-Place and set up field kitchens . The occupiers hoisted a German flag at the left side of the Town Hall. The Grand-Place continued to serve as a market until 19 November 1959, and it

7719-516: The style of his mentor Eugène Viollet-le-Duc . On that occasion, Jamaer built two galleries and a central tower. He also adorned the façade with statues and other decorations. At the back, he added a new, much more sober wing in Flemish neo-Renaissance style. The new King's House was officially inaugurated in 1896. The current building, whose interior was renovated in 1985, has housed the Brussels City Museum since 1887, in which, among other things,

7812-564: The term "maidan" across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, including Ukraine, in which the term became well-known globally during the Euromaidan . A piazza ( Italian pronunciation: [ˈpjattsa] ) is a city square in Italy , Malta , along the Dalmatian coast and in surrounding regions. Possibly influenced by the centrality of the Forum (Roman) to ancient Mediterranean culture,

7905-527: The tower. More likely, the asymmetry of the Town Hall was an accepted consequence of the scattered construction history and space constraints. After various waves of restoration, the interior of the Town Hall has become dominated by neo-Gothic : the Maximilian Room, the States of Brabant Room and their antechamber with tapestries depicting the life of Clovis , the splendid Municipal Council Room,

7998-666: The twenty-fifth anniversary of the reign of King Leopold I was installed in the centre of the square. It was replaced in 1864 by a fountain surmounted by statues of the Counts of Egmont and Horn, which was erected in front of the King's House and later moved to the Square du Petit Sablon/Kleine Zavelsquare . Thirty years later, during the Belle Époque , a bandstand was raised in its place. The Grand-Place attracted many famous visitors during that period, among them Victor Hugo , who resided in

8091-672: The two large open squares of kraton compounds. It is typically located adjacent a mosque or a palace. It is a place for public spectacles, court celebrations and general non-court entertainments. In traditional Persian architecture, town squares are known as maydan or meydan. A maydan is considered one of the essential features in urban planning and they are often adjacent to bazaars, large mosques and other public buildings. Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan and Azadi Square in Tehran are examples of classic and modern squares. Several countries use

8184-445: The use of the accusative case instead of the nominative case . While the cases themselves have fallen out of use in modern language, the accusative form survives in Brabantian, rather than the nominative case of the more northern dialects ( nominativism ). As the accusative case had different forms for masculine and feminine nouns, both genders have thus remained separate in Brabantian. The first attempts at standardising Dutch were in

8277-507: The west wing in 1444. The architect of this part of the building is unknown. Historians think that it could be William (Willem) de Voghel who was the architect of the City of Brussels in 1452, and who was also, at that time, the designer of the Aula Magna ; the great hall at the Palace of Coudenberg . The façade is decorated with numerous statues representing the local nobility (such as

8370-415: Was erected in stages, between 1401 and 1455, on the south side of the square, transforming it into the seat of municipal power. It is also the square's only remaining medieval building . The Town Hall not only housed the city's magistrate, but also, until 1795, the States of Brabant ; the representation of the three estates ( nobility , clergy and commoners ) to the court of the Duke of Brabant . In 1830,

8463-512: Was placed on the tower in 1454 or 1455. It was removed in the 1990s and replaced by a copy. The original is also in the Brussels City Museum. The Town Hall is asymmetrical, since the tower is not exactly in the middle of the building and the left part and the right part are not identical (although they seem so at first sight). According to a legend, the architect of the building, upon discovering this "error", leapt to his death from

8556-410: Was proclaimed "Square of the People" by a decree of the 30 Ventôse An IV (1795) and a " Liberty tree " was planted on that occasion. At the first hours of Belgian Independence , in 1830, skirmishes occurred on the Grand-Place, which became, for an extremely short time, the "Square of Regency". By the late 19th century, a sensitivity arose about the heritage value of the buildings – the turning point

8649-406: Was the demolition of the L'Étoile (Dutch: De Sterre ) guildhall in 1853 to widen the street on the left of the Town Hall in order to allow the passage of a horse-drawn tramway . Under the impulse of the city's then-mayor , Charles Buls , the authorities had the Grand-Place returned to its former splendour, with buildings restored or reconstructed. In 1856, a monumental fountain commemorating

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