Brussels - Town Hall

(Local Name: Hôtel de Ville / Stadhuis) The Place is dominated by the Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall), one of the biggest and finest buildings of its kind in Belgium. It was begun in 1402 with the intention of upstaging the Stadhuis in the rival city of Bruges. At first the plan was to build only what is now the left wing (1402-10); but in 1444 the right wing was also completed, followed in 1455 by Jan van Ruysbroek's 96m/315ft high belfry surmounted by the figure of St Michael. Although the French bombardment of 1695 left only the walls and tower standing, rebuilding started almost at once. Both wings are embellished with very fine Gothic sculptures beneath which, under the arcades on the right, are the signs of inns previously demolished to make way for the town hall. Inside are several magnificent rooms. Among the most impressive are the Maximilian Chamber hung with Brussels tapestries (historical scenes from the life of Clovis), the large Council Chamber with a superb ceiling by Victor Janssens and tapestries to his designs, the great banqueting hall and the Marriage Chamber, both beautifully panelled, and the Escalier d'Honneur with murals by Lalaing (1893) illustrating the history of Brussels.