Brussels Town Hall

Lore & Background

The Town Hall was built in stages between 1401 and 1455 on the south side of the Grand-Place. The oldest part, the east wing with a shorter tower, was built from 1401 to 1421, likely by architect Jacob van Thienen with Jean Bornoy. A second, longer west wing was added after the admission of craft guilds into the city government, with Duke Charles the Bold laying its first stone in 1444; the architect of this wing is unknown, possibly Guillaume (Willem) de Voghel. The 96-metre-high tower in Brabantine Gothic style was designed by Jan van Ruysbroek, court architect of Philip the Good, and completed by 1455. The tower, front archway, and main façade are conspicuously off-centre relative to one another; legend says the architect leapt to his death upon discovering this 'error', but the asymmetry was likely an accepted consequence of scattered construction and space constraints.

Reader's Guide

The Brussels Town Hall stands as a central symbol of municipal governance and architectural heritage in Brussels. As the only surviving medieval building on the Grand-Place, it embodies the political and economic rise of the city in the 15th century, when the square became the seat of municipal power. Its Brabantine Gothic design, with the iconic 96-metre tower and statue of Saint Michael, represents a high point of civil Gothic architecture in the Low Countries. The building's survival through the devastating 1695 bombardment—when it was the principal target—and its subsequent rebuilding in the Louis XIV style illustrate the resilience of Brussels' civic institutions. The 19th-century restorations, which added neo-Gothic interiors and an extensive collection of statues, reflect the Romantic-era revival of medieval forms. The Town Hall also played a role in the Belgian Revolution of 1830, when the provisional government operated from there. Its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998, as part of the Grand-Place, underscores its global cultural significance as a masterpiece of urban and architectural history.

Did You Know?

• The Town Hall is the only remaining medieval building on the Grand-Place.
• The tower's statue of Saint Michael, placed in 1454 or 1455, is made of arranged metal plates and appears ill-proportioned up close but elegantly proportioned from afar.
• During the 1695 bombardment, the Town Hall was the principal target of French artillery fire.
• The original statue of Saint Michael is kept in the Brussels City Museum, located in the King's House across the square.