La Grand-Place, has been the most splendid market square in Europe and is in use as a marketplace since the 15th century. During the war against the Spanish, France Louis XIV destroyed the original Grand-Place. Yet the people of Brussels were quick to rebuild in a mix of Flemish Renaissance and gothic style. The esplanade is now surrounded with buildings dating from the late 17th century: guild-halls, gabled, Flemish Renaissance buildings dripping with ornamentation and statues.
The City Hall is the most remarkable of them. It is the crown jewel of the square. The legend says that when the building was finished and the architect Jean Van Ruysbroeck, committed suicide because the porch looked badly centered. It is a fact that the two wings of the town hall are not of equal size and the gate is not located in the middle of the towel, because they were not built at the same time.