Brussels is a vibrant city that the social, political, cultural, and economic capital of the Flanders region of Belgium. It is also the most visited city with lots of fun spots and landmarks to visit.
Manneken-Pis:
This is a world famous cute chubby sculpture designed by Jerome Duquesnoy. It is actually a small fountain piece located at the Corner of rue de l’Etuve and rue Chêne. Though he is usually naked, he has an enormous wardrobe of over 600 outfits enclosed in the City Museum at Grand Place.
Grand Place Brussels Tow Hall:
It is today the main market square, though not in the olden days. It was only a small swamp between two brooks which was called ‘Broek Sella’ from which the name Brussels was derived. It developed into a commercial and political centre after the Town Hall was built. This place has its ancient touch with the rows of guild houses and cobbled streets. The best time to visit this place would be between March and October. The flower markets will be open during these months and once in every two years, they put on a 3,200 square feet colourful tapestry made with over 750,000 Begonias. The next celebration is in 2016 and is scheduled to be held on the third week of August. All visitors will be welcomed with live concerts and light shows. The place is flooded with local cafés and bars.
Hotel de Ville:
It is located at the Grand Place, Town Hall. It is one of the ancient structures of the city. It is an amazing example of gothic architecture that has some fine sculptures. The building also consists of a 96 metre high Brabantine Gothic Tower from which you can see the amazing views of the city market.
Maison du Roi City Museum:
It is also located in Grand Place, just in front of the Town Hall. This is a three storey structure that is also called the King’s House, though none of the royalties ever lived here. It is also called the Bread House as this was the place where the bread market operated before hundreds of years. This museum contains the historical artifacts of Brussels including the colourful 600 outfits of Manneken Pis wardrobe.
Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée, Rue de Sables:
It is the Belgian Comic Strip Center, the home to the renowned cartoon character Tin Tin. It is the only comic strip centre in the world to have a large number of comic strip artists. It is located in the Waucquez Warehouse that was designed by Victor Horta. Here you can get a glance of the entire life of a comic character from the development of the concept to the final product.
Musées Royaux des Beaux Arts – Royal Museums of Fine Arts:
This is where the art and culture of Brussels unfolds. This museum has two different sections. One is the Museum of Ancient Art and the other is the Museum of Modern Art added in the recent years. The first one was built by Napoleon and it has all the ancient art of the Flemish region. The second one has eight floors including underground sections. The entire museum houses all the art collections that comprise of paintings, sculptures and drawings of more than 600 years.
King Baudoin Stadium and the Atomium:
Formerly known as Heysel Park, this stadium encloses a stunning structure called the Atomium designed by Andre Waterkeyn. It is an incredible depiction of an iron molecule. It is an amazing 335 ft model that was erected to commemorate the start of Atomic age in the year 1958. It is made up of large steel spheres interconnected using tupes. It has a glass-roofed lift on the inside that takes visitors in just 23 seconds to the top.
Bruparck, Mini-Europe:
It is situated nest to the Atomium. It is a beautiful park that extends to 25 hectare. It has a lot of hot spots including the Kinepolis cinema complex, a planetarium, L’Oceade Water Park and several other amusements with a group of cafés. It is called the mini-Europe as it has several miniature models of Europe’s famous buildings located in this place called ‘The Village’.
