One of the most remarkable buildings of Brussels is without any doubt its Town Hall.

After such a long period of virtual meetings, we will have the great pleasure to welcome you in the Gothic Room of the Town Hall, for the traditional Ice Breaking Party.

You might even have a look at the very famous Grand Place from the balcony.

A word about the Town (City) Hall

Its construction took place in the 1st half of the 15th century. At its summit, stands a 5-metre-tall (16 ft) gilt metal statue of Saint Michael, the patron saint of Brussels, slaying a dragon or demon. The tower, its front archway and the main building’s facade are conspicuously off-center 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.

The facade is decorated with numerous statues representing nobles, saints, and allegorical figures. The present sculptures are reproductions; the older ones are in the city museum in the King’s House across the Grand Place.

In 1695, Brussels was bombed by the French Army, and the resulting fire completely gutted the Town Hall, destroying the archives and the art collections. The interior was soon rebuilt, and the addition of two rear wings, in the Louis XIV style, transformed the L-shaped building into its present configuration: a quadrilateral with an inner courtyard, completed in 1712.

The Town Hall has been designated a historic monument since 9 March 1936. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998 as part of the registration of the Grand Place.