The Town Hall (french: Hôtel de Ville, Dutch: ) of the

City of Brussels The City of Brussels (french: Ville de Bruxelles or alternatively ''Bruxelles-Ville'' ; nl, Stad Brussel or ''Brussel-Stad'') is the largest municipality and historical centre of the Brussels-Capital Region, as well as the capital of the Fl ...

is a landmark building and the seat of the

municipality of

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, Belgium. It is located on the south side of the famous Grand-Place/Grote Markt (Brussels' main square), opposite the

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

''King's House'' or ''Bread House'', nl, Broodhuis, link=no building, housing the

Brussels City Museum The Brussels City Museum (french: Musée de la ville de Bruxelles, nl, Museum van de Stad Brussel) is a municipal museum on the Grand-Place/Grote Markt of Brussels, Belgium. Conceived in 1860 and inaugurated in 1887, it is dedicated to the hi ...

. Erected between 1401 and 1455, the Town Hall is the only remaining medieval building of the Grand-Place and is considered a masterpiece of civil

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It ...

and more particularly of Brabantine Gothic. Its three

classicist Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Cla ...

rear wings date from the 18th century. Since 1998, is also listed as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

, as part of the square. This site is served by the '' premetro'' (underground tram) station Bourse/Beurs (on lines 3 and 4), as well as the bus stop / (on line 95).

History

Gothic Town Hall

The Town Hall (french: Hôtel de Ville, link=no, nl, Stadhuis, link=no) of the

was erected in stages, between 1401 and 1455, on the south side of the Grand-Place/Grote Markt, transforming the square into the seat of municipal power. Due to the square's tumultuous history (see details below), it is also its only remaining medieval building. 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. Initially, future expansion of the building was not foreseen, however, the admission of the

craft guilds A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometime ...

into the traditionally patrician city government apparently spurred interest in providing more room for the building. As a result, a second, somewhat longer wing was built on to the existing structure, with the young Duke

Charles the Bold Charles I (Charles Martin; german: Karl Martin; nl, Karel Maarten; 10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), nicknamed the Bold (German: ''der Kühne''; Dutch: ''de Stoute''; french: le Téméraire), was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477. ...

laying its first stone in 1444. The architect of this west wing is unknown. Historians think that it could be Guillaume (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'' at the Palace of Coudenberg. The tower in Brabantine Gothic style is the work of Jan van Ruysbroek, the court architect of

Philip the Good Philip III (french: Philippe le Bon; nl, Filips de Goede; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonge ...

. By 1455, this tower, replacing the older one, was complete. Above the roof of the Town Hall, the square tower body narrows to a lavishly

pinnacle A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was mainly ...

d octagonal openwork. At its summit, stands a gilt metal statue of Saint Michael, the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of the City of Brussels, slaying a dragon or demon. The tower, its front archway and the main building's facade are conspicuously off-centre relative to one another. According to a legend, the architect of the building, upon discovering this "error", leapt to his death from the tower. More likely, the asymmetry of the Town Hall was an accepted consequence of the scattered construction history and space constraints. File:Stadhuis melchesidech van hooren 1565.jpg, ''Brussels' Town Hall'', engraving by Melchisedech van Hoorn, 1565 File:Ernesti bruxellae 2.jpg, ''View of the Grand-Place in Brussels and the Town Hall'', Jan Mommaert, 1594 File:Stadhuis 1640.jpg, Detail from a map of Brussels by Martin de Tailly, possibly by Jacques Callot, 1640 File:A.Van Santvoort, l’Hôtel de Ville.jpg, ''Brussels' Town Hall'', engraving by Abraham van Santvoort after Leo van Heil,

Destruction and rebuilding

On 13 August 1695, during the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between Kingdom of France, France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by t ...

, a 70,000-strong

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

army under Marshal François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy, began a bombardment of Brussels in an effort to draw the

League of Augsburg The Grand Alliance was the anti-French coalition formed on 20 December 1689 between the Dutch Republic, England and the Holy Roman Empire. It was signed by the two leading opponents of France: William III, Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic and ( ...

's forces away from their siege on French-held

Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Na ...

in what is now

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—al ...

. The French launched a massive bombardment of the mostly defenceless city centre with

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

s and mortars, setting it on fire and flattening the majority of the Grand-Place and the surrounding city. The resulting fire completely gutted the Town Hall, destroying the building's archives and art collections, including paintings by Rogier van der Weyden. Only the stone shell of the building remained standing. That it survived at all is ironic, as it was the principal target of the

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during si ...

fire. After the bombardment, the municipal government funded the Town Hall's repair, raising the money by selling houses and land. The interior was soon rebuilt and enlarged by the architect-sculptor Corneille Van Nerven, who added three rear wings in the

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

style over the ruins of the former inner cloth market (), from 1706 to 1717, transforming the L-shaped building into its present configuration; a

quadrilateral In geometry a quadrilateral is a four-sided polygon, having four edges (sides) and four corners (vertices). The word is derived from the Latin words ''quadri'', a variant of four, and ''latus'', meaning "side". It is also called a tetragon, ...

with an inner courtyard. Until 1795, these wings housed the States of Brabant; the representation of the three estates (

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and

commoner A commoner, also known as the ''common man'', ''commoners'', the ''common people'' or the ''masses'', was in earlier use an ordinary person in a community or nation who did not have any significant social status, especially a member of neither ...

s) to the court of the Duke of Brabant. File:NIND MVB-Bombardement ISO200.jpg, The Grand-Place in flames during the bombardment of Brussels in 1695. The Town Hall is on the left. File:Bombardement Bruxelles 1695 03.jpg, The Town Hall burning during the bombardment File:Ruïnes op de Grote Markt te Brussel, 1695, Richard van Orley (II), after Augustin Coppens, 1695.jpg, The surroundings of the Town Hall after the bombardment File:Plan van de benedenverdieping van het Stadhuis rond 1760 (Archief van de Stad Brussel, PP fonds).jpg, Plan of the first floor, ; the

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

L-shape (grey) and the

extension (pink)

19th-century restorations

The Town Hall underwent many restoration campaigns throughout the 19th century, first under the direction of the architect Tilman-François Suys, starting in 1840. The interior was later revised by the architect from 1860, in the style of his mentor

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (; 27 January 181417 September 1879) was a French architect and author who restored many prominent medieval landmarks in France, including those which had been damaged or abandoned during the French Revolution. H ...

. Jamaer was the City of Brussels' architect and also reconstructed the King's House. The interior is now dominated by

: the Maximilian Room, the States of Brabant Room and their

antechamber A vestibule (also anteroom, antechamber, or foyer) is a small room leading into a larger space such as a lobby, entrance hall or passage, for the purpose of waiting, withholding the larger space view, reducing heat loss, providing storage space ...

with

tapestries Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads may ...

depicting the life of Clovis, the splendid Municipal Council Room, the likewise richly furnished ballroom and the Wedding Room (formerly the courtroom). It was also at this time that most of the Town Hall's statues were made. Indeed, before then, the Town Hall was not adorned like it is today with countless statues, with the exception of

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the s ...

s, representations of eight

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the ...

s above the

portal Portal often refers to: *Portal (architecture), an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, or the extremities (ends) of a tunnel Portal may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), two video games ...

, and a few statues located at the corner

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope * M ...

s. Jamaer reworked the facade by adding non-existent

niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development * Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ecology, the ...

s, as well as a gallery and a new portal. Between 1844 and 1902, nearly three hundred statues in

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Charles Geefs, Charles-Auguste Fraikin, Eugène Simonis and George Minne, were executed. The interior rooms were replenished with

, paintings, and sculptures, largely representing subjects of importance in local and regional history, such as a monumental

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...

statue of Saint Michael created by

Charles van der Stappen Charles van der Stappen (also Karl van der Stappen; 19 September 1843 – 21 October 1910), was a Belgian sculptor, born in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. Life Educated at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels (1859–1868), van der Stappen ...

in the entrance.

Contemporary history

The Town Hall not only housed the city's magistrate, but also the States of Brabant until 1795. In 1830, the provisional government operated from there during the

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. T ...

, which provoked the separation of the Southern Netherlands from the Northern Netherlands, resulting in the formation of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

as it is known presently. At the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, as refugees flooded Brussels, the Town Hall served as a makeshift hospital. On 20 August 1914, the occupying German army arrived at the Grand-Place and hoisted a German flag at the left side of the Town Hall. The Town Hall was designated a historic monument on 9 March 1936, at the same time as the King's House. It is a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

since 1998 as part of the registration of the Grand-Place.

Architecture

Tower

The tower is made up of two very different parts which nevertheless form a harmonious ensemble: a square base dating from the first phase of construction and a lantern tower built by Jan van Ruysbroek nearly half a century later. The square base is pierced by an

ogival An ogive ( ) is the roundly tapered end of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional object. Ogive curves and surfaces are used in engineering, architecture and woodworking. Etymology The earliest use of the word ''ogive'' is found in the 13th c ...

surmounted by the same decoration as the left wing:

mullion A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid sup ...

ed windows on the first floor, row of statues, then mullioned windows inscribed under a

trefoil A trefoil () is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings, used in architecture and Christian symbolism, among other areas. The term is also applied to other symbols with a threefold shape. A similar shape with four ring ...

tympanum on the second floor. This square tower is then extended by two floors, each pierced by a pair of ogival bays on the side facing the Grand-Place. Next comes the finely openwork octagonal lantern tower, supported at its base by four

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (s ...

s, also octagonal. It has three levels pierced with elegant openwork ogival bays and adorned with a profusion of arcades,

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...

s and

gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry wa ...

s, and ends with a remarkable openwork

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires a ...

enhanced with gilding and surmounted by the statue of Saint Michael, the

of the

, slaying a dragon or demon. Beffroi Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles 01.jpg, Overview of the tower Beffroi Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles 02.jpg, Van Ruysbroek's lantern tower Beffroi Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles 03.jpg, The upper part of the tower Beffroi Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles 04.jpg, The

and the statue of Saint Michael Beffroi Hôtel de Ville de Bruxelles 05.jpg, View from the /

Statue of Saint Michael

The statue of Saint Michael is a work by Michel de Martin Van Rode, and was placed on the tower in 1454 or 1455. It was restored several times before being removed in the 1990s and replaced by a copy. The original is kept in the

, located in the ''King's House'' or ''Bread House'' building across the Grand-Place. This statue is made of arranged metal plates and not brassware. Up close, it looks clumsy and ill-proportioned, but these distortions disappear when viewed from afar, from which it appears elegantly proportioned. The dragon symbolises the

Devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehoo ...

according to the

Apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...

: * Revelation, 12, 9: ''"Thus was overthrown the great Dragon, the primitive Serpent, called Devil and Satan."'' * Revelation, 20, 2: ''"I saw another angel come down from heaven: he held in his hand the key of the abyss and a great chain. He mastered the Dragon, the primitive serpent, who is none other than the Devil and Satan."'' File:Saint Michel combattant le dragon.jpg, ''Saint Michael slaying the dragon'' in

Jean Fouquet Jean (or Jehan) Fouquet (ca.1420–1481) was a French painter and miniaturist. A master of panel painting and manuscript illumination, and the apparent inventor of the portrait miniature, he is considered one of the most important painters from ...

's ''

Book of Hours The book of hours is a Christian devotional book used to pray the canonical hours. The use of a book of hours was especially popular in the Middle Ages and as a result, they are the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscri ...

'', File:Gailliard michel.png, Restoration of Saint Michael's statue in the Town Hall in 1896 File:Saint Michel Musee de Bruxelles.jpg, The original statue kept in the

File:St Michel Grand Place.jpg, The copy of the statue placed at the top of the tower

Main facade

The main facade consists of two asymmetrical wings framing the tower and terminated by corner turrets. Each wing consists of arcades, a balcony, two stories pierced by large mullioned windows and is surmounted by a high saddleback roof pierced by numerous hipped

dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable spac ...

s. The octagonal corner turrets have several levels whose faces are decorated with trefoil arches. Each level ends with eight gargoyles arranged radially and is surmounted by a walkway with an openwork parapet. The last level is crowned by a stone spire decorated with foliage and surmounted by a

weather vane A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...

. The facade is decorated with numerous statues representing the local nobility (such as the Dukes and Duchesses of Brabant and

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

s of the Noble Houses of Brussels),

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Or ...

s, and allegorical figures. The present sculptures are mainly 19th- and 20th-century reproductions or creations; the original 15th-century ones are also in the Brussels City Museum. Each of these statues rests on a historiated corbels and is sheltered under a finely chiselled stone canopy surmounted by a pyramid-shaped stone

decorated with foliage pattern and topped with a

finial A finial (from '' la, finis'', end) or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the apex of a dome, spire, towe ...

. File:Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles - Aile gauche 17.JPG, Statues of Dukes and Duchesses of Brabant File:Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles - Aile droite 03.JPG, The windows of the second floor of the right wing

Portal

The base of the tower is pierced by an ogival portal surmounted by a tympanum depicting Saint Michael surrounded by

Saint Sebastian Saint Sebastian (in Latin: ''Sebastianus''; Narbo, Gallia Narbonensis, Roman Empire c. AD 255 – Rome, Italia, Roman Empire c. AD 288) was an early Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Diocle ...

Saint Christopher Saint Christopher ( el, Ἅγιος Χριστόφορος, ''Ágios Christóphoros'') is venerated by several Christian denominations as a martyr killed in the reign of the 3rd-century Roman emperor Decius (reigned 249–251) or alternatively ...

Saint George Saint George ( Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldie ...

and Saint Géry (Gaugericus) who, according to legend, erected a chapel which would be at the origin of the City of Brussels. On either side of this portal stand statues of the four cardinal virtues: ''Prudentia'' ("

Prudence Prudence ( la, prudentia, contracted from meaning "seeing ahead, sagacity") is the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason. It is classically considered to be a virtue, and in particular one of the four Cardinal virtue ...

") and ''Justitia'' ("

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

") on the left, ''Fortitudo'' (" Fortitude") and ''Temperantia'' ("

Temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture * Temperance (group), Canadian dan ...

") on the right. The statues of the virtues are supported by very expressive historiated corbels. The tympanum, the statues and the corbels do not date from the Gothic period but from the 19th-century restorations. File:Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles - Portail 1.JPG, The

File:Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles - Tympan 02.JPG, The tympanum of the portal File:Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles - Prudentia.JPG, ''Prudentia'' ("

") File:Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles - Cul de lampe 03.JPG, Historiated corbel

Arcades

The base of the facade is adorned with a gallery of arcades. These arcades are highly asymmetrical as mentioned above: the left wing has eleven arches (including a blind arch located under the corner turret) while the right wing has only six. These ogival arcades have an outer curve decorated with cabbage leaves, a typical motif of the Brabantine Gothic style. Each of them is topped with a finial, also adorned with cabbage leaves, and is surmounted by an arcade of trefoil arches. The arches are supported by pillars adorned with statues of knights and

squire In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Use of the term evolved over time. Initially, a squire served as a knight's apprentice. Later, a village leader or a lord of the manor might come to be known as ...

s of the Noble Houses of Brussels. These statues rest on often very expressive historiated corbels, among which can be noted a vielle and a gittern player. File:Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles - Arcades 01.JPG, Left wing arcade File:Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles - Arcades 12.JPG, Knight of the Noble Houses of Brussels File:Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles - Arcades 91.JPG, Fleuron, cabbage leaves and arcature of trefoil arches File:Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles - Cul de lampe 01.JPG, Vielle player

Porch

The gallery in the left wing houses a porch made up of a staircase, a stone

balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its c ...

pierced with quadrilobed motifs and two columns each surmounted by a seated lion bearing the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of Brussels. These lions were sculpted by G. De Groot in 1869, during the 19th-century restorations. On either side of the steps, the pillars are replaced by historiated corbels representing two tragic scenes involving '' schepen'' (aldermen) of the City of Brussels: * On the left, the legend of or Archambault, the Brussels version of the honest judge who, on his deathbed, sentenced his nephew to death, convicted of rape, before executing him with his own hands because the officer in charge of the execution exempted him from the sentence; * On the right, the attack on Everard 't Serclaes by the henchmen of the Lord of

Gaasbeek Gaasbeek is a village in the Belgian municipality of Lennik in Flemish Brabant. It is most known for Gaasbeek Castle Gaasbeek Castle ( nl, Kasteel van Gaasbeek, french: Château de Gaesbeek) is a castle located in Lennik, Flemish Brabant, ...

, following which he was transported to the ( nl, De Sterre, link=no) guildhall located to the left of the Town Hall, before dying there on 31 March 1388. File:Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles - Perron 01.JPG, The porch File:Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles - Perron 03.JPG, Front porch lion File:Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles - Chapiteau 13.JPG, The legend of File:Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles - Chapiteau 12.JPG, The assassination of Everard 't Serclaes

Gargoyles

The various facades of the Gothic Town Hall (on the Grand-Place but also on the courtyard side) are adorned with innumerable very expressive gargoyles depicting human beings, animals or fantastic creatures. Similarly, the octagonal corner turrets feature a series of eight gargoyles on each floor. File:Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles - Gargouille 01.JPG,

Gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry wa ...

with human face File:Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles - Gargouille 09.JPG, Fantastic creature (dragon head and wings, mermaid tail)

Interior courtyard

The interior courtyard has a pavement marked with a star which indicates the geographical centre of Brussels. It is decorated with two marble fountains designed in 1714 by , surmounted by allegorical figures of ''The

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a ...

'' and ''The

Scheldt The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...

'' rivers, sculpted in 1715 by and Pierre-Denis Plumier respectively. The north-western and south-eastern facades of the courtyard have two levels pierced by large rectangular windows with wooden mullions with a flat frame and drip edge in the shape of an

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

, all surmounted by a high roof pierced with dormer windows surmounted by a triangular

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

(a structure very similar to the facade on the /). On the ground floor, a high door surmounted by a triangular pediment and framed by large lanterns is protected by a large glass

awning An awning or overhang is a secondary covering attached to the exterior wall of a building. It is typically composed of canvas woven of acrylic, cotton or polyester yarn, or vinyl laminated to polyester fabric that is stretched tightly over a li ...

from the 19th and 20th centuries. The southern facade is pierced, on the ground floor, with a portal with a basket-handle arch framed by semicircular bays, framed by large lanterns like the other doors of the courtyard. Upstairs, a French window topped with a curved pediment is surrounded by rectangular windows whose flat frames are adorned with crossettes. File:Belgique - Bruxelles - Hôtel de ville - Cour - 01.jpg, North-western facade of the inner courtyard File:Belgique - Bruxelles - Hôtel de ville - Cour - 02.jpg, Southern facade of the courtyard File:Belgique - Bruxelles - Hôtel de ville - Cour - 04.jpg, ''The Scheldt'' by Pierre-Denis Plumier (1715) File:Belgique - Bruxelles - Hôtel de ville - Cour - 08.jpg, The star which indicates the geographical centre of Brussels

Interior

Vestibule

The main rooms are on the first floor. Passing the right entrance, visitors enter the

vestibule Vestibule or Vestibulum can have the following meanings, each primarily based upon a common origin, from early 17th century French, derived from Latin ''vestibulum, -i n.'' "entrance court". Anatomy In general, vestibule is a small space or cavity ...

, also known as the Prince's Gallery. Here are portraits of the princes and governors who ruled the

Southern Netherlands The Southern Netherlands, also called the Catholic Netherlands, were the parts of the Low Countries belonging to the Holy Roman Empire which were at first largely controlled by Habsburg Spain (Spanish Netherlands, 1556–1714) and later by the A ...

from 1695 and of the

Kings of the Belgians This is a list of Belgian monarchs from 1831 when the first Belgian king, Leopold I, ascended the throne, after Belgium seceded from the Kingdom of the Netherlands during the Belgian Revolution of 1830. Under the Belgian Constitution, the Belg ...

. There is also a group portrait of the intendants of the Willebroek Canal, with a view of Klein Willebroek.

States of Brabant Room

In the long rear wing is the States of Brabant Room, built in the early 18th century for the States of Brabant and then used by the Brussels City Council. The lavish decoration is the work of the painter

Victor Honoré Janssens Victor Honorius Janssens or Victor Honoré Janssens (or Jansens) (11 June 165814 August 1736) was a Flemish painter of religious and mythological works and a tapestry designer. He spent a substantial period of his career abroad and worked in Germ ...

. He made the ceiling painting with an ''Assembly of the Gods'' and also the cartons for three Brussels tapestries with scenes from the history of

Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to: Place names in Europe * London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany Belgium * Province of Bra ...

. The three paintings between the windows show female figures against a golden background, representing the cities of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, Brussels and

Leuven Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic c ...

. The wooden benches are arranged in a U-shape.

Maximilian Room

The Maximilian Room next door is named after a 19th-century double portrait of

Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death. He was never crowned by the pope, as the journey to Rome was blocked by the Venetians. He proclaimed himself E ...

and Mary of Burgundy. The space was intended for the administrators of the States of Brabant and was taken over by the College of Mayors and Aldermen. The walls are covered with four tapestries from the eight-part series ''Life of Clovis'', after cartons by the French painter

Charles Poerson Charles Poerson (c. 1609 - 1667) was a French painter. He is also notable as the father and tutor of the painter Charles-François Poerson. Life Born in Vic-sur-Seille, he studied under Simon Vouet and continued his style. Poerson received seve ...

. The other four tapestries decorate the next room. The Grangé Gallery on the side of the courtyard connects all these rooms. It contains 18th-century portraits of monarchs painted around 1718 by Louis Grangé.

Mayor's cabinet

The mayor's cabinet is located on the side of the /. The Waiting Room, originally built for the secretariat of the States of Brabant, is decorated with paintings by . They are incorporated into the oak panelling and show the part of Brussels which was destined for demolition because of the covering of the Senne.

Staircase of honour

The staircase of honour is the result of a late 19th-century renovation to provide direct and monumental access to the mayor's cabinet and the Gothic Room. The original chapel had to make way for this. Paintings by Jacques de Lalaing have been applied to the walls and ceilings. Busts of the mayors are lined up along the landing.

Gothic Room

The Gothic Room in the oldest part of the Town Hall is in fact

. The wooden cladding is the work of . Tapestries from the

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

studio Braquenié, designed by , have been incorporated into the long sides. They represent the

Guilds of Brussels The Guilds of Brussels (french: Guildes de Bruxelles, nl, Gilden van Brussel), grouped in the Nine Nations of Brussels (french: Neuf Nations de Bruxelles, nl, Negen Naties van Brussel), were associations of craft guilds that dominated the eco ...

. The two tapestries on the short side relate to the weapons' guilds. Originally, this was the room in which supreme justice was spoken. The long wall opposite Rue Charles Buls was decorated with ''The Justice of Trajan and Herkinbald'', the famous justice panels of Rogier van der Weyden which were lost in the 1695 bombardment.

Wedding Room

The Wedding Room has been set up on the side of the Grand-Place. Here too, in the past, justice was spoken and a neo-Gothic transformation has been carried out. A

Middle Dutch Middle Dutch is a collective name for a number of closely related West Germanic dialects whose ancestor was Old Dutch. It was spoken and written between 1150 and 1500. Until the advent of Modern Dutch after 1500 or c. 1550, there was no overarc ...

poem has been reproduced on the roof beams, which, as early as the 15th century, recalled the way to properly govern the city. The

s show the

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in i ...

of the Seven Noble Houses of Brussels, and the ceiling those of the guilds. File:Interior of Brussels town hall 21.jpg, States of Brabant Room File:Bruxelles (1910) (14587090757).jpg, Maximilian Room File:Bruxelles (1910) (14586871220).jpg, Staircase of honour File:Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles - salle gothique (DSCF6844).jpg, Gothic Room File:Brussels town hall wedding room (DSCF6767).jpg, Wedding Room

Influence

Brussels' Town Hall was an exemplary work for architects representing the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

in the era of

historicism Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying their history, that is, by studying the process by which they came about. The term is widely ...

. The Austrian architect Friedrich von Schmidt drew inspiration from it when building the

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. Georg von Hauberrisser, while building the New Town Hall of

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

, also used the building's Brabantian pattern as an architectural example. File:Wien Rathaus hochauflösend.jpg, The