Thread of Ariadne: Guidebook ~ Belgium ~ Brussels ~ Grand Place. Grand Place in Brussels (Grand place, Grote Markt) The main square of Brussels is la Grand Place
The Grand Place has been the heart of Brussels since the Middle Ages. Victor Hugo, the famous French writer of the last century, who lived in Brussels for some time, called the Grand Place the most beautiful of the main squares in Europe, and for good reason)
Grand Place(in Flemish Grote Markt), or the Great Market, is a historical square in the center of Brussels, one of the most important tourist sites in the city. Two of the most important sights are located here - the Brussels City Hall and the Bread House or the King's House.
The market square arose in the 12th century on the site of dried marshes. At the very beginning, it was only the market place of old Brussels, one of the villages on the ancient shepherd's road, along which the herds were driven. The village grew and grew rich thanks to trade. The development of the Grand Place began in 1402 with the building of the town hall Hotel de Ville, which occupies most of its side of the square and was mostly completed in 1480. The original town hall tower, 91 meters high, was built from 1449 to 1455. Its spire is crowned with a weather vane in the form of a five-meter copper figure of the Archangel Michael trampling on the devil. On the facade of the building there are more than a hundred statues, these are copies of ancient originals made in the last century. The interiors are richly decorated with Brussels wall hangings and paintings. Two fountains in the courtyard symbolize the two main rivers of Belgium - the Scheldt and the Meuse.
Brussels City Hall day and night
On the opposite side of the square, the Bread House was built in the 13th century, which, as the name suggests, was used to store bread. Later this building became known as the King's House. Interestingly, the Dutch language still uses the older name (bread house), while in French this building is called the "king's house". In the years 1873-1895 it was renovated in all its splendor architectural style XVI century, and now it houses the City Museum. In one of its most interesting halls, a collection of costumes is presented, numbering more than 350 exhibits.
On August 13, 1695, the shelling of Brussels by the French army began, which lasted several days. As a result, the entire city center was destroyed. On the Grand Place only the town hall survived, and, in part, the Bread House.
However, after the end of the war, the area was quickly (in just four years) rebuilt by wealthy guilds. As a result, the area took on a look very close to the present. 33 guild buildings built in the 17th century, either pseudo-Gothic or Baroque, complete the rectangle of the square.
Every day in the morning, a flower market opens on the square, and on Sundays - a bird market. Once upon a time in the old days, the Burgundian nobility arranged jousting tournaments here.
Not far from the Grand Place is the famous "Manniken Pis", or "Manneken Pis", - "the oldest citizen of the capital" and "the impudent emblem of Brussels". The first copy, which has not survived, dates from the 14th century. Oddly enough, this monument is the most famous monument country and today has 517 textile costumes for ceremonies and has been awarded many orders.
Brussels Ensemble Grand Place listed world heritage UNESCO.
To visit Brussels and not see the Grand Place (Market Square, or Grote Markt in Flemish) is to miss one of the most important places in the city. It is not for nothing that this square is included in the UNESCO World List as an object of world cultural and historical significance, and Victor Hugo expressed the opinion that this is one of the most beautiful places in Europe.
The most interesting buildings of the square are considered to be the town hall and the Royal, or Bread House. These are the oldest buildings that survived after the shelling of the square in August 1695 by the French troops.
A bit of history:
As early as the beginning of the 12th century, there were swamps in this place, which were then drained. Once there was an extended section of a shepherd's road along which livestock were driven. In subsequent years, the area was the place jousting tournaments for the Burgundian nobility.
2.
royal house at the Grand Place
In the 13th century, the building of the Bread House appeared, which served as a warehouse for products. In Dutch it is still called that, and in French it is the Royal House. At the end of the 19th century, the house was renovated in the spirit of the luxurious baroque of the 16th century. Now the building is occupied by the City Museum. In one of its halls, 350 old costumes are collected, and 517 outfits for the “Manneken Pis” are stored here.
The town hall was erected during the heyday of the Gothic (91-meter tower 1402-1455, side parts until 1480). On the spire of the town hall tower there is a 5-meter weather vane made of copper, depicting how the Archangel Michael tramples on dark forces.
The statues on the facade were destroyed, and in the 20th century they were restored according to the surviving images. The interior decoration of the town hall is interesting with paintings and wall carpets of local work. The inner courtyard is decorated with fountains depicting the Meuse and the Scheldt - the most important rivers.
After the Belgian-French War of the late 17th century, merchants from wealthy guilds quickly rebuilt houses around the square.
33 new buildings in the then fashionable pseudo-Gothic and Baroque style, in combination with the Gothic style of the town hall, largely shaped the modern look of the square.
3.
View of the square
In even years, starting from 1986, on August 15-18 on market square create a flower carpet from begonias of different varieties. It turns out a drawing measuring 24m X 77m, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich is about 1.8 thousand square meters. Crowds of beauty lovers tend these days to Brussels.
Every morning there is a flower market on the Grand Place, and on Sundays there is also a bird market.
In an alley next to the square, behind a secure fence, there is a small figurine of "Manneken Pis", the unofficial symbol of Brussels and the most famous Belgian monument. The first version of the statue appeared in the 14th century, but, unfortunately, it has not been preserved.
Drawings on the pavement after the terrorist attack in March 2016:
On March 22, a series of terrorist attacks took place in the metro and the airport in Brussels with human casualties. After the attacks, the inhabitants of the city left many drawings in the vicinity of the Grand Place in memory of this event with messages of peace, love and solidarity:
What is the Grand Place in Brussels famous for, where is it located and how to get there. City Hall, Royal House and other famous houses on the Grand Place.
The Grand Place, located in the center, deserves the title of the most beautiful and elegant square in Europe. This is true not only because the entire rubric is entirely devoted to its sights, as Napoleon said when he first found himself in the center of the Grand Place.
And even today, travelers who have seen a lot agree that the buildings that surround the square from all sides in an even square seem to be carved from stone by the most skilled craftsmen. UNESCO, in turn, included the Grand Place ensemble and openwork facades in the list of world cultural heritage.
Sightseeing tours in Brussels
No sightseeing tour of Brussels is complete without a visit to the central Grand Place. If you order one of them, we recommend hinting to the guide that you don't mind seeing the Pissing Boy costume collection, which is located in the Museum of the City.
More democratic group tours- as an option - they do not imply personal preferences, but they still give a general idea of the Grand Place and its attractions.
Famous houses and landmarks
The legend that tells about the origin of the Grand Place is as follows: “Once, King Louis XIV, tired of stories about the beauty and splendor of Brussels, decided to personally visit this city. Imagine his surprise when he discovered that Brussels is indeed much more beautiful than itself! In a fit of anger, the king ordered the destruction of the city, throwing it with burning land mines. But the Belgians are a stubborn people: rich merchants and artisans spared no expense and built a new, even more beautiful central square.”
Thus, the Grand Place is the only medieval square in Europe, the architectural design of which was carefully thought out.
The two elements that form the Brussels Grand Place are the Gothic town hall and the Royal House rebuilt from 1873 to 1896. Without exception, all the houses that belonged to various guilds appeared after 1695. No matter how narrow they were, their architect did not abandon the magnificent baroque decor. On the east side of the Grand Place is the so-called House of the Dukes of Brabant. Six guild houses are hidden behind its facade. On the left is the same Royal House, built in the spirit of historicism and designed in the style of a purely French late Gothic.
Now consider each of the sights of Brussels, located in the perimeter of the Grand Place, or the "Grand Market", as it is also called.
1. Guild houses on the Grand Place
The houses where artisans and merchants who belonged to various professional guilds worked, to this day stand exactly in a row here: the House of the painter, the House of the tailor, the House of the butcher and the House of the boatman. Guides recommend paying attention to them in the first place (it is desirable to be able to distinguish one from the other), even before you are blinded by the King's House (aka the "Royal House") and the City Hall.
2. City Hall on the Grand Place
The first in Flanders to build a large town hall began the inhabitants of Bruges. The construction in the style of French Cathedral Gothic expectedly aroused the envy of Brussels, which was on an economic upswing. So, in 1402, “competitive” construction began on the Grand Place, which, according to the plan of the architects, was to surpass the Bruges counterpart in size and splendor. Initially, the same "reckless" project was implemented as in Bruges, but one floor higher. However, in 1426, when the government consisting of aristocrats was expelled from Brussels, it was decided to complete both the tower and the right wing of the town hall.
So symbolically, the townspeople demonstrated that from now on they “take in hand” both power and fate hometown. Only three decades later, the magnificent town hall on the future Grand Place was ready.
It is believed that from the building that bears the name today Hotel de Ville, further development of the area began. The construction is a cathedral with a spire, going somewhere into the sky: its total height is 96 meters. The spire is crowned with a five-meter copper weather vane depicting the Archangel Michael. The facade was decorated relatively recently - in the last century - in the baroque style, which was then at the peak of popularity, and with an abundance of statues on the facade.
As expected, the town hall in the Belgian capital surpassed the similar building in Bruges in all respects: it is richer decorated and noticeably taller.
3. Royal House on the Grand Place
The "Royal House" is a huge palace that houses the City Museum (The Brussels City Museum). There is an exposition that tells about the history of Brussels, starting from the first days of its foundation. The collection of works of medieval artisans, historical documents and archaeological exhibits may be of interest.
A building with intricate architecture, as if woven from stone like lace, arose on the Grand Place on the site of the “Bread House” located here, in which bread was baked and sold. At the end of the XVII - beginning of the XVIII centuries. The royal house has been completely renovated. By the way, contrary to the name, none of the kings ever lived there.
Working hours Brussels City Museum: daily from 10-00 to 17-00, except Monday and public holidays. Entrance is paid and includes a single ticket to visit three expositions at once - the historical and archaeological exposition, the Lace Museum and the Manneken Pis Wardrobe. Ticket price: for adults - €8, for students and pensioners - €6, for children under 18 - free of charge.
Flower Festival at the Grand Place
Grand Place in blooming "carpet" of begonias
Once every two years, a fragrant carpet of colorful begonias blooms on the Grand Place. This is a world-class festival, everyone prepares for it in advance. Tourists book hotels for mid-August (dates “float” from year to year, but you can focus on the 15th) in order to “stake out” a room for themselves at an adequate price, and the Belgians near Ghent carefully grow “flower material” that will fill the entire central square, leaving not too spacious footpaths around the perimeter.
The width of the flower carpet on the Grand Place reaches 75-80 m in length and 25 in width. This flower splendor lasts - 3 days. And in order to make the most beautiful pictures, you need to climb observation deck town hall.
Where to stay in Grand Place
Grand Place is the most desirable place in Brussels to live and see interesting places. Do not be afraid that there are only expensive five-star hotels in the area. Hotels at a democratic price - of course, by European standards - are also available:
1.
Address: Grand Place 15, Brussels, Belgium
The address of the mini-hotel speaks for itself: Grand Place 15. On the dates of the flower festival, rooms are sold out a year and a half in advance. The rest of the time, booking a place is quite realistic if you dream of settling in the very “thick place” and in a historic building. Tip: to get that same view of the Grand Place, you need to book a room on the side of the square, as the rooms also face the "back".
2. Warwick Brussels - Grand Place
Address: Rue Duquesnoy 5, Brussels, Belgium
Five-star hotel in a historic building with classic-style rooms. Guests note the convenient location (3 minutes from the Grand Place and other attractions, as well as railway station), the professionalism of the staff and delicious varied breakfasts. The cost is even cheaper than the Résidence Le Quinze Grand Place Brussels overlooking the square.
3 B&B Vaudeville
Address: Galerie de la Reine 15, Brussels, Belgium
Hotels in Grand Place: B&B Vaudeville
Bed/breakfast at Galerie de la Reine 15 (it's a 5-minute walk to the Grand Place, closer to the sculpture). Stylish modern hotel where each of the rooms is individually designed. The rooms are spacious, with huge beds (they obviously did not save on mattresses and linen) and baths.
Where to eat on the Grand Place - cafes and restaurants
It is most convenient to admire the architectural ensemble of the square from a cafe nearby. The prices there are not cheap, but acceptable for a one-time promotion. To be more precise - pan-European. But more important is the view from the window that opens from every restaurant. I know three cafes where you can drink coffee and have a snack:
- La Chaloupe d'Or- a solid restaurant at Grand Place 24-25. Mix of Belgian, French and pan-European cuisine with beautiful view to the Grand Place. You can have a full lunch (a large selection of first, second courses, appetizers) and drink a glass of wine.
- Beer Tasting Experience- for €16, they conduct an express tour of local brewing: they tell how it wins hearts, how and with what to use it correctly. In order not to be bored in the process, 5 varieties of foamy drink are served - from classics to the most original tastes (all included in the price). It is located on the first floor of the town hall.
- El Greco- Fans of healthy food and Mediterranean cuisine find it difficult in Belgium, where there are fried potatoes, steaks and liters of beer all around. At Grand Place 36 you will find a nice Greek restaurant.
Everard ‘t Serclaes - a place of fulfillment of desires
There is one more iconic place in a square that is easy to miss if you are unaware of its existence. This is a sculpture to the brave knight Everard ‘t Serclaes, who liberated Brussels from the invaders. The bronze monument resting in one of the arched walls of the Grand Place, at the crossroads of the square and Rue Charles Bulle, on the way to Mannequin Pis -, today grants wishes.
Whether the knight likes it or not, tourists rush to him in order to rub their hands and chest properly and someday return to the capital of Belgium.
The body parts of Everard ‘t Serclaes, polished to a golden sheen, became a plus.
How to get to the Grand Place
Not far from the Grand Place there is a metro station Central Station / Brouckère: 1-5. If you are going by bus, then you need number 48 or 95. By train you can get directly to Central Station - the railway station is 10 minutes away.
Prices and description
- addresses, programs, dates
- how to get there
Last winter, 2013, I had the good fortune to visit Belgium in December, for Christmas, which is considered one of the main holidays in Western Europe, including Belgium. And, of course, my tour did not go without visiting the main square of Brussels. La Grande Place turns into a real fairy tale in a decorated Christmas tree, with illumination around the entire perimeter. Not only tourists, but also the Belgians themselves come to see this magic.
The Light Show was organized that year. It lasted throughout December. Every day you could come, but only at a certain time (I was there at 5 pm), and enjoy this fairy tale. Organ music resounded to the beat throughout the square and went into the nearby streets, and the multi-colored illumination itself flooded the entire square with its overflows. I saw this for the first time in my life, and, I must say, I was very surprised and moved, as if you are merging with the Middle Ages.
There are cafes around the entire perimeter of the square. There you can always drink a cup of hot coffee and relax - watching while sitting and enjoying hot coffee is much more pleasant than just standing and watching in the square. I won’t lie, the price of coffee in the square is different from the usual cafes in Belgium. 3 or 3.5 euros, although on the next street coffee will cost 2 euros. But it's nice, because coffee is always served with a bar of Belgian chocolate, or Leonidas candy, mini cookies or muffins.
Last winter, 2013, I had the good fortune to visit Belgium in December, for Christmas, which is considered one of the main holidays in Western Europe, including Belgium. And, of course, my tour did not go without visiting the main square of Brussels. La Grande Place in winter turns into a real fairy tale with a decorated Christmas tree, illuminated around the perimeter. Not only tourists, but also the Belgians themselves come to see this magic.
The Light Show was organized that year. It lasted throughout December. Every day you could come, but only at a certain time (I was there at 5 pm), and enjoy this fairy tale. Organ music resounded to the beat throughout the square and went into the nearby streets, and the multi-colored illumination itself flooded the entire square with its overflows. I saw this for the first time in my life, and, I must say, I was very surprised and moved, as if you are merging with the Middle Ages.
There are cafes around the entire perimeter of the square. There you can always drink a cup of hot coffee and relax - watching while sitting and enjoying hot coffee is much more pleasant than just standing and watching in the square. I won’t lie, the price of coffee in the square is different from the usual cafes in Belgium. 3 or 3.5 euros, although on the next street coffee will cost 2 euros. But it's nice, because coffee is always served with a bar of Belgian chocolate, or Leonidas candy, mini cookies or muffins.
Last winter, 2013, I had the good fortune to visit Belgium in December, for Christmas, which is considered one of the main holidays in Western Europe, including Belgium. And, of course, my tour did not go without visiting the main square of Brussels. La Grande Place in winter turns into a real fairy tale with a decorated Christmas tree, illuminated around the perimeter. Not only tourists, but also the Belgians themselves come to see this magic.
The Light Show was organized that year. It lasted throughout December. Every day you could come, but only at a certain time (I was there at 5 pm), and enjoy this fairy tale. Organ music resounded to the beat throughout the square and went into the nearby streets, and the multi-colored illumination itself flooded the entire square with its overflows. I saw this for the first time in my life, and, I must say, I was very surprised and moved, as if you are merging with the Middle Ages.
There are cafes around the entire perimeter of the square. There you can always drink a cup of hot coffee and relax - watching while sitting and enjoying hot coffee is much more pleasant than just standing and watching in the square. I won’t lie, the price of coffee in the square is different from the usual cafes in Belgium. 3 or 3.5 euros, although on the next street coffee will cost 2 euros. But it's nice, because coffee is always served with a bar of Belgian chocolate, or Leonidas candy, mini cookies or muffins.
Last winter, 2013, I had the good fortune to visit Belgium in December, for Christmas, which is considered one of the main holidays in Western Europe, including Belgium. And, of course, my tour did not go without visiting the main square of Brussels. La Grande Place in winter turns into a real fairy tale with a decorated Christmas tree, illuminated around the perimeter. Not only tourists, but also the Belgians themselves come to see this magic.
The Light Show was organized that year. It lasted throughout December. Every day you could come, but only at a certain time (I was there at 5 pm), and enjoy this fairy tale. Organ music resounded to the beat throughout the square and went into the nearby streets, and the multi-colored illumination itself flooded the entire square with its overflows. I saw this for the first time in my life, and, I must say, I was very surprised and moved, as if you are merging with the Middle Ages.
There are cafes around the entire perimeter of the square. There you can always drink a cup of hot coffee and relax - watching while sitting and enjoying hot coffee is much more pleasant than just standing and watching in the square. I won’t lie, the price of coffee in the square is different from the usual cafes in Belgium. 3 or 3.5 euros, although on the next street coffee will cost 2 euros. But it's nice, because coffee is always served with a bar of Belgian chocolate, or Leonidas candy, mini cookies or muffins.
Last winter, 2013, I had the good fortune to visit Belgium in December, for Christmas, which is considered one of the main holidays in Western Europe, including Belgium. And, of course, my tour did not go without visiting the main square of Brussels. La Grande Place in winter turns into a real fairy tale with a decorated Christmas tree, illuminated around the perimeter. Not only tourists, but also the Belgians themselves come to see this magic.
The Light Show was organized that year. It lasted throughout December. Every day you could come, but only at a certain time (I was there at 5 pm), and enjoy this fairy tale. Organ music resounded to the beat throughout the square and went into the nearby streets, and the multi-colored illumination itself flooded the entire square with its overflows. I saw this for the first time in my life, and, I must say, I was very surprised and moved, as if you are merging with the Middle Ages.
There are cafes around the entire perimeter of the square. There you can always drink a cup of hot coffee and relax - watching while sitting and enjoying hot coffee is much more pleasant than just standing and watching in the square. I won’t lie, the price of coffee in the square is different from the usual cafes in Belgium. 3 or 3.5 euros, although on the next street coffee will cost 2 euros. But it's nice, because coffee is always served with a bar of Belgian chocolate, or Leonidas candy, mini cookies or muffins.
All night long music rattled under the window, crackers exploded, bottles were broken and a chorus of drunken voices sang out of tune the songs of European hit parades. When the decibels subsided, the festivities not only did not calm down, but continued with a vengeance. Alternately, Berber mournful motives, then the rhythms of the black stage were heard. The Moroccan Chaobi was replaced by reference recitatives, the Algerian gauals performed the author's songs a cappella, after which the mournful cry of the Ethiopian mushos was heard, growing into the two-voiced Congolesian khamins. Against the background of all musical impromptu, there were cries for help from citizens who were being robbed, someone was raped, someone was declared in love. Sometimes the disturbing sounds of a police siren were added to all this cacophony. The rattle of breaking glass was heard like a sonorous beads, muffled blows were heard, accompanied by cranial and brain consequences incompatible with life. I lay in bed and, looking at the ceiling of my room, continued to doubt the correct assessment of the pros and cons of being close to the amusement park. It began to get light, the street evil spirits began to hide in secluded corners, as if in Gogolevsky Viy. A lone shot rang out in the distance, and at last everything was quiet.
Following this, I fell asleep in complete ahue. The awakening was not easy, but true to army discipline, I got out of bed and, whistling the USSR anthem, performed several physical exercises in order to quickly recover. It was necessary to sweep the car from fragments and insert new glass. It was half past ten in the morning, the street sparkled with crystal clearness - it is not clear when the municipal services managed to remove the garbage and take out the corpses (there must be at least a dozen of them, judging by the sounds that I enjoyed until the first roosters). With brisk steps, with a broom under my arm, I approached the car and whistled in surprise. Unlucky gopniks robbed my car again, breaking the front passenger glass. I laughed until I dropped (I was allowed to have fun by the legal effect of insurance conditions in the European Union), you have to be such cretins to rob an already robbed car, being too lazy to simply bypass it or at least pull the handles that were not locked. I did not clean up the car, because the unintelligent Arabes could search for profit more than once. Having lowered the surviving windows and slightly opened the doors, I went to see the sights, cursing at what the world costs all of North and Equatorial Africa, a faithful navigator walked in step with me. We were heading to the famous Grand Place.
It will not be difficult to find it - take the metro to the station - Bours and from the opposite side - Gare Centrale, go out into the light of day, and even better, follow our example - go on foot. Grand Place (alternatively in Flemish Grote Markt) is an enchantingly beautiful, breathtakingly magnificent and hellishly bewitching place, concentrating hundreds of sights in one place.
But this statement will be indisputable on one condition - you need to be observant by nature and be able to renounce the world to carefully contemplate the various filigree elements of royal decor.
The history of this amazing square, of course, is covered with all sorts of fables. They say that the king of France was regularly brainwashed about the phenomenal beauties of Brussels, somehow hinting that Paris ... well, you understand ... The king was angry, drank bitter and poked the head architect with his muzzle at the urban development plan, but this did not help. The only effect of educational procedures was that the architect, seeing the king, immediately peed in his pants. Then the king arrived in the capital of Belgium, and seeing that people were not lying, he ordered to destroy it - the French artillerymen shot the city from cannons for several days. Stsuko, why not Hitler?
But that's not the end of the story; the inhabitants of Brussels were stubborn and restored the city, creating an even more beautiful square in it, clearly planning every detail. Thus, the Grand Place is the only medieval square in all of Europe, during the construction of which the entire architectural ensemble was carefully planned.
The development of the Grand Place began in 1402 with the building of the town hall Hotel de Ville, which occupies most of its side of the square and was mostly completed in 1480. The ninety-meter tower of the town hall was built from 1449 to 1455.
Its spire is crowned with a weather vane in the form of a five-meter copper figure of the Archangel Michael hanging a cradle to the devil. On the facade of the building there are more than a hundred statues, these are copies of old originals made in the century before last.
On the opposite side of the square, the Bread House was built in the 13th century, which, as the name suggests, was used to store bread. Later this building became known as the King's House.
The walls of this three-story building are cut through with numerous windows. The facade is decorated with arcades, and on each subsequent floor, the size of the arches decreases, and the decorative elements become more complicated. The design of the King's House contains numerous openwork ornaments, twisted spirals, turrets and spiers.
During the shelling of Brussels by the French ghouls, he suffered the most, but then was restored and became the residence of the Dukes of Brabant. The name "House of the Dukes" gradually transformed into the name "King's House", although no monarch has ever lived in this house. The building now houses the City Museum of Brussels.
Perpendicular to the aforementioned buildings are the houses where artisans and merchants worked, belonging to various professional guilds: the House of the Painter, the House of the Tailor, the House of the Butcher, and of course the House of the Coca-Kolshchik and iPhone masters, if I don’t confuse anything.
In the Middle Ages, the knights from Burgundy held tournaments here. Yes, yes, the Duchy of Burgundy separated from France in 1363. From the south it bordered on Savoy, in the southwest on Auvergne. Already under Philip II, Burgundy swallowed up Flanders and the Netherlands. Champagne remained the western limit of Burgundy, and Dijon was the capital of Burgundy. Remember what D'Artagnan sang on his way to Paris:
Burgundy, Normandy, Champagne or Provence,
And there's fire in your veins too
But good fortune, by God, is not up to you,
Not yet in the world, while in the world there is Gascony.
AT modern time the fashion to beat each other with swords, alas, has passed. Therefore, people sit on benches, drink different drinks and get high.
The whole area is an amazing combination of colors - Gothic buildings and baroque houses decorated with gold decor, red-green umbrellas of street cafes
and lots of flowers.
For the past fifty years, it has become a tradition to carpet the Grand Place with begonias. About 700,000 begonias, grown near Ghent, are laid out in the form of a rectangle 77x24 meters and decorate the main square of the capital during three days. The flower show happens twice a year. Unfortunately, we did not become eyewitnesses of this event, but in order to give the reader an opportunity to feel the scale of the holiday, I propose to study the photograph that I copied and pasted (copied?).
