Brussels City Hall on the Grand Place

The Brussels City Hall is a Gothic and Classical style building located on the Grand-Place of Brussels in Belgium, south of the square, facing the Maison du Roi.

It constitutes the only medieval vestige of the Grand-Place and is considered a masterpiece of civil Gothic architecture and, more particularly, of Brabant Gothic.
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The tower is made up of two very different parts that nevertheless form a harmonious whole: a square base dating from the first phase of construction and a lantern tower built by Jan van Ruysbroeck nearly half a century later.

The spire is surmounted by the statue of Saint Michael, patron saint of the city of Brussels, slaying the dragon: this statue is a work of Martin Van Rode, placed on the tower in 1454.

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The main facade of the town hall consists of two asymmetrical wings framing the tower and terminated by corner turrets. The façade is decorated with numerous statues representing the Dukes and Duchesses of Brabant. Each of these statues rests on a historiated cul-de-lampe and is sheltered under a finely carved stone canopy surmounted by a pyramid-shaped stone pinnacle decorated with foliage and topped with a finial. Before the 19th century, the town hall was not adorned as it is now with innumerable statues, apart from the tailpieces, the statues of the eight prophets and a few statues with corner turrets.


The two wings have several asymmetries:

• the left wing (the oldest) is made up of 10 bays while the right wing has only 7;
• the left wing has 11 arcades while the right wing has only 6;
• the windows on the first floor are simple mullioned windows on the left while on the right they are ogival windows incorporating a trilobed oculus;
• the first floor windows are surmounted by a row of statues to the left but not to the right;
• the bays on the second floor are made up of mullioned windows inscribed under a pointed arch surmounted by a trefoil arch which is blind on the left but openwork on the right.