La Grand-Place, Brussels, Belgium: A Photojournal

La Grand-Place in Brussels is a remarkably homogeneous body of public and private buildings, dating mainly from the late 17th century. The architecture provides a vivid illustration of the level of social and cultural life of the period in this important political and commercial centre. -UNESCO, on La Grand-Place

For the past few weeks, I’ve been adding photojournals on Fridays from a visit to the beautiful country of Belgium. One of the Dutch and Belgian countryside, one of the stunning gem of a town called Bruges, and this completes the set with photos of the Grand-Place in Brussels.

Brussels is a very cosmopolitan city, the capital of Belgium. But it is also very unique in its status and holdings of international relations and affairs. It not only is the center for Belgian government, but also hosts European Union institutions and the North American Treaty Organization (NATO). Adding the fact that the people of Brussels speak Dutch (Flemish) and French, the city is very multi-cultural.

My favorite part of Brussels was the Grand-Place (gran plass). Too large to get an apt photograph, the Grand-Place is one large cobblestoned square bordered by elaborate and breathtaking architecture. In the summer, the Grand-Place is filled with a famous “floral carpet.” I’m pasting in a photo (above) from Wikimedia Commons for the floral carpet … and I would love to see it someday. The rest of the photos are mine. I hope you enjoy them!

Have you been to Brussels? What was your favorite part / place?