La Grand Place — Brussels, Belgium

La Grand Place (French) or De Grote Markt (Dutch) is an iconic central square in the Belgium capital city of Brussels showing off architecture from three different eras: Baroque, Gothic and Louis XIV.

The square is enveloped by over 40 guildhalls and other artistic buildings dating from the 14th to the 17th century. However, the two main edifices in the Square is the Brussels’ Town Hall and the Maison du Roi (French) (King’s House) or Broodhuis (Dutch) (Breadhouse) that houses the Museum of the City of Brussels.

Originally, the Bruxelles Grand Place was a market place where traders and citizens sold and bought food and other household goods. However, the Grand Place has also played a negative role in its long history. In the 16th and 17th century hundreds of people have been executed in the Square for various reasons. Witches and protestants were burnt at the stake, while rebellions and other villains were decapitated.

Nonetheless, the bright centre of of Brussels was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 owing to its architecture, artistic styling and the diverse culture of the Belgian Brussels-region.

The most popular attraction however, is the bi-annual event that is held in August when an enormous ‘Flower Carpet’ is set up in the Square for a few days. The first ‘Flower Carpet’ was laid out in 1971 and the tradition has been continued since, owing to its popularity.