The Brussels City Hall — Hôtel de Ville de Bruxelles — stands on the south-west side of the Grand Place and is one of the finest surviving examples of Brabantine Gothic civic architecture in Europe. Construction began in 1402 under the direction of architect Jacob van Thienen, who built the left wing. The right wing and the iconic central tower were added between 1444 and 1449 by Jan van Ruysbroeck, the master builder to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. The asymmetry between the two wings — a quirk first noticed by visitors centuries ago — is deliberate: the tower was positioned not at the geometric centre of the façade but directly above the entrance portal. Atop the 96-metre sandstone tower stands a gilded copper statue of the Archangel Michael, patron saint of Brussels, vanquishing a devil beneath his feet. The statue rotates with the wind and has served as a weathervane since the 15th century. The building survived the French bombardment of 1695 that destroyed much of the Grand Place, and was fully restored in the 19th century under the supervision of architect Victor Jamaer.
Inside, the City Hall holds over two dozen ceremonial and administrative rooms whose walls are lined with a remarkable collection of Flemish tapestries, many woven in Brussels workshops between the 16th and 18th centuries. The Gothic Hall, the largest interior space, features a pointed vaulted ceiling and portraits of former mayors and aldermen dating back to the medieval period. The Council Chamber contains Brussels tapestries depicting the guilds and trades that made the city prosperous during the Burgundian era. The building remains an active seat of municipal government to this day — the Mayor of the City of Brussels still works here — making it one of the few medieval European town halls still fulfilling its original civic function after more than six centuries.
Visits to the City Hall are available with a video guide in six languages — French, Dutch, English, German, Italian, and Spanish — with separate itineraries tailored for adults and families. The self-guided tour covers the principal ceremonial rooms on the piano nobile, allowing visitors to examine the tapestries, painted portraits, sculpted chimney pieces, and the ornate spiral staircases at close range. Group bookings require advance reservation through the dedicated ticketing portal. The building is closed to visitors on public holidays and during official municipal events, so checking the schedule before visiting is essential.
The City Hall is best appreciated from across the Grand Place, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998, in the early morning before the square fills with visitors, when the pale stone façade catches the low eastern light and the gilded Michael glints above the roofline. The nearest metro station is Bourse/Beurs (lines 1 and 5), a four-minute walk to the north-west. Entry to the exterior and square is free at all times; video-guide tickets for the interior tour must be booked online in advance.
