![]() According to a legend, the architect of the building, upon discovering this "error", leapt to his death from the tower. The tower, its front archway and the main building's facade are conspicuously off-centre relative to one another. At its summit, stands a 5-metre-tall (16 ft) gilt metal statue of Saint Michael, the patron saint of the City of Brussels, slaying a dragon or demon. ![]() Above the roof of the Town Hall, the square tower body narrows to a lavishly pinnacled octagonal openwork. By 1455, this tower, replacing the older one, was complete. The 96-metre-high (315 ft) tower in Brabantine Gothic style is the work of Jan van Ruysbroek, the court architect of Philip the Good. 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 architect of this west wing is unknown. As a result, a second, somewhat longer wing was built on to the existing structure, with the young Duke Charles the Bold laying its first stone in 1444. Initially, future expansion of the building was not foreseen, however, the admission of the craft guilds into the traditionally patrician city government apparently spurred interest in providing more room for the building. The architect and designer is probably Jacob van Thienen with whom Jean Bornoy collaborated. This wing, together with a shorter tower, was built between 14. The oldest part of the present building is its east wing (to the left when facing the front). Due to the square's tumultuous history (see details below), it is also its only remaining medieval building. The Town Hall (French: Hôtel de Ville, Dutch: Stadhuis) of the City of Brussels was erected in stages, between 14, on the south side of the Grand-Place/Grote Markt, transforming the square into the seat of municipal power. 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). Since 1998, is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of the square. Its three classicist rear wings date from the 18th century. ![]() Įrected between 14, the Town Hall is the only remaining medieval building of the Grand-Place and is considered a masterpiece of civil Gothic architecture and more particularly of Brabantine Gothic. It is located on the south side of the famous Grand-Place/Grote Markt (Brussels' main square), opposite the neo-Gothic King's House or Bread House building, housing the Brussels City Museum. ![]()
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