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Excursion tour in Brussels. Top architecture - monuments, castles, temples and palaces

«« BEGINNING - PART I

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Let’s continue our virtual walk in Brussels and its most prominent architecture monuments. This time, we will focus on such breath-taking sights as Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Royal Palace, Royal Palace of Laeken, Saint Jacques sur Coudenberg and many others. For many people, the cultural and historical vibe of these monuments defines the atmosphere of not only Brussels, but also Belgium in general. We will make a virtual 3D tour to every monument, look at it from a bird’s eye view, and browse the most interesting facts that have defined the history of Brussels. The photo gallery and maps are the cherry on the cake!

Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, Brussels

Location on the map:   Facts:
» The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula is one of the main attractions of Brussels, and the clearest example of Gothic architecture.
» The building of the cathedral is a symmetrical composition with two towers, within which there is a long staircase opening onto the terrace that is 64 meters high. The terrace offers a magnificent view of the city.
» The Cathedral has four doors decorated with wrought-reliefs and statues of saints. There is a huge stained glass above the main entrance.
» Stained glasses decorating the cathedral were created in the 16th century by Jan Haq and in 18-19th century by Jean-Baptiste Kaproner.
» The cathedral houses the mausoleum of the Belgian national hero Frederic de Merode.

Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Brussels

Location on the map:   Facts:
» The Catholic Basilica of the Sacred Heart is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was inspired by the eponymous basilica in Paris.
» This shrine is the sixth area of the Roman Catholic Church in the world.
» The church is the large structure with two towers and a green copper dome towering 89 meters above the ground. The length of the building is almost 165 meters.
» In total the church can accommodate up to 2,000 people.
»  The basilica houses a restaurant, a Catholic radio station, theater, two museums, and a place of training cavers and climbers.

Royal Palace, Brussels

Location on the map:   Facts:
» The Royal Palace is the official residence of the Belgian monarch situated in the heart of the capital.
» At present the royal family palace is used mainly as a venue for formal events.
» Every summer, the Royal Palace is traditionally open to the public. You can get inside the palace and see its galleries and chambers for free.
» Throne Hall with its grand decor, a wonderful mirror room, the ceiling of which is decorated with winged scarab beetles, and the Imperial Room with gorgeous golden flower pots, where plants of eleven colors, one for each province of Belgium, are the most notable places.
» The palace also houses the museum of Bellevue, which was once a hotel accommodating many famous people. Now that’s the museum of history of Belgium.

Royal Palace of Laeken, Brussels

Location on the map:   Facts:
» The Royal Palace of Laeken is the residence of the Belgian royal family, where it currently resides.
» The building of the palace was built in 1781-1785 in the style of Classicism.
» The Royal Palace of Laeken is also famous for its territory boasting a magnificent park, a lake, the Royal Conservatory, a golf course and various pavilions.
» The park has two buildings unusual for Belgium style. Those are the Chinese pavilion and the Japanese tower that appeared here after Leopold II visited the World's Fair in Paris in 1900; there he saw pavilions of different countries, so he wanted to decorate his park.
» Opposite the park there is the neo-Gothic Church of Our Lady in Laeken with the crypt serving as the burial place of the royal family.
» Unfortunately, the palace itself is closed to the public, but the park, pavilions and conservatory are open for everyone.

Saint Jacques sur Coudenberg, Brussels

Location on the map:   Facts:
» Saint Jacques sur Coudenberg was built in the second half of the 18th century in neoclassical style. It looks a lot like a palace or ancient Greek temple.
» The building is decorated with a wooden tower that serves as a belfry. It has four bells.
» Balustrades of the cathedral are decorated with three large statues; the statue of St. James can be seen in the center.
» Between French conquests the church was converted into a Temple of Reason, and later - in the Temple of the Law. However, in 1802 it was re-consecrated as a Catholic.
» Today, Saint Jacques sur Coudenberg is the part of an ensemble of nine neoclassical buildings surrounding the perimeter of the Royal Square. The equestrian statue of Godefroid de Bouillon, who led the first Crusade, is in the center of the square.

Church of St. Catherine, Brussels

Location on the map:
Facts: » The building of the Church of St. Catherine was constructed in 1854-1874 years. Its facade combines Gothics with Romanesque features.
» The interior is very bright due to the white plaster on the walls; it’s designed in neo-Renaissance style.
» The belfry standing apart from the temple is actually much older than the Church of St. Catherine. It has been preserved from the old church, which stood on that site previously.
» The main altar of the church is decorated with painting The Assumption of St. Catherine.
Brussels - guide chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Plan your own tour over Brussels on the monuments map

More to see in Brussels
Brussels offers to its guests visits to most unusual memorials, interesting museums and theaters. Among the unique monuments of our time we simply can’t fail to mention Atomium. This monument is a huge model of iron molecule. The monument was built in 1958 in honor of the World's Fair. The height of the model is 122 meters. Visitors are allowed to use elevator that will bring you to a specially equipped area, where you can enjoy panoramic views of the city. Travellers will get introduced with the history of the city in Civic Museum, the collections of which include numerous historical artifacts and art objects. The museum is located in a beautiful historical building that features Gothic Revival style. Young visitors will also find much interesting in visiting another cultural institution - Museum of Natural Science. Among the exhibits of this place you will find rarest dinosaur skeletons. According to archaeologists, the age of some of them is around 120 million years. A walk on an elegant Grand Sablon Square will surely leave great pleasure. Near the square you will also find numerous cafes, restaurants and antique shops. Car lovers will be interested to see a collection of Autoworld exhibition center. Here you will find one of the world's finest collections of antique cars. You will find here as many as 450 cars from different countries of the world. Beautiful Cathedral of the Virgin Mary, built in the early 14th century, is an important historical landmark of the … Read further

Tours through neighbours of Brussels

Gent
There was a cloister at the site of the present House of God in the first half of the 10th century. You can see its wooden remains in the cave. Sint Baafskathedraal has not changed since the 14th century. The construction was completed in 1569. It seems that the building is cone, which is the feature of the Gothic style. The 3.5-meter altar is considered as a relic. It was created in the Middle Ages. When its shutters are opened, ... Open »
Brugge
The Church of Our Lady is a construction that features the combination of Gothic and Roman styles. The construction lasted over 2 years and was completed in the 13th century. In the spacious church with a 122-meter tower, the only sculpture of Michelangelo, “The Virgin Mary with the Baby”, is kept. Some windows of the church have the shape of a Reuleaux triangle. Such windows are quite rare. The church is famous for the fact that the ... Open »
Liege
The city Catholic cathedral is named after St. Paul. It received the status of a cathedral in the 19th century. Local worshipers asked Napoleon for this. The treasury of the church was enriched with artifacts from other destroyed temples. The relics of Saint Lambert are kept here. The founder of the church is bishop Irakli. The building acquired its modern appearance in the 13th-15th century. There are also side belfries. In 1812, ... Open »
Rotterdam
The Euromast is a skyscraper in the form of the mast. The City Hall declared the competition of the construction of the extraordinary object. The Dutch architect won it. The Euromast was built in 1960 in conjunction with the tenth international Floriade exhibition. The Euromast is 9 m. The walls are about 30 cm thick. Its foundation is a solid block that weighs 1 900 tons. It makes such a thin construction more stable. There are ... Open »
The Hague
The quadrangle building is built of granite, light quarry sandstone, and red brick. There is a courtyard with a fountain bowl created in Copenhagen. There is also a garden designed like English landscapes. In the Peace Palace, legal proceedings and arbitration court hearings take place. This place is an indisputable institution of justice incorruptibility. Many countries contributed to the construction. When the First ... Open »
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