Brussels Town Hall

Brussels Town Hall stands on the Grand Place in the heart of Brussels and is the only surviving medieval building on that square, serving today as the seat of the city government of Brussels. Built between 1401 and 1455 by the architects Jean Bornoy, Jacob van Thienen and Jan van Ruysbroek, it is regarded as a masterpiece of civil Gothic architecture in the Brabantine Gothic style, with three Classicist rear wings added between 1706 and 1717. An asymmetrical facade frames a 96 meter central tower whose square base rises into an ornate octagonal lantern topped by a gilded spire and a statue of Saint Michael. The ground floor carries ogival arcades and mullioned windows, and roughly 300 decorative statues were added during nineteenth century restoration; inside, the building holds ceremonial rooms including the States of Brabant Room, the Maximilian Room and the Gothic Room. The Grand Place, including the Town Hall, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.