Page 66 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Belgium & Luxembourg

64  Bel gium and l uxem B ourg region B y region

6 Manneken-Pis the monumental Palais de
Justice (see p71). Notable features
Corner of Rue de l’Etuve and Rue du
Chêne, 1000 BRU. City Map 1 C3. of the inte rior include a lovely
@ 27, 29, 38, 46, 48, 63, 86, 95. 14th-century stone statue of
q Bourse, Gare Centrale. the Black Madonna as well as
v 3, 4, 31, 32. a painted wooden statue of
St Catherine, complete with the
An unlikely attraction, this tiny wheel on which she was mar-
statue of a young boy, barely tyred. To the east of the church
61 cm (2 ft) high, reliev ing is the stone Tour Noire (Black
himself into a small pool is as Tower), a remnant of the city’s
much a part of Brussels as the 12th-century defensive walls.
Trevi Fountain is of Rome. Place Ste-Catherine was laid
The current statue of Manneken out as a square in front of the
Pis by Jérôme Duquesnoy the church in 1870, when the canal
Elder has been in place since basin originally on this site was
1619. However, there is evidence Busy restaurants and cafés on the square filled in. This used to be the
to suggest that a stone fountain outside Halles St-Géry city’s main fish market, and is
depicting the same still the best spot to indulge in
figure stood there 7 Halles St-Géry Brussels’s famous seafood, but
before it, possibly Place St-Géry 23, 1000 BRU. prices here are generally high.
as early as 1451. City Map 1 C2. @ 46, 48, 86, 95. Once situated at the end of the
The charm of q Bourse. v 3, 4, 31, 32. canal link to the North Sea, the
this famous statue Quai aux Briques (Brick Quay)
comes from the In many ways, St-Géry can be and Quai au Bois à Brûler
many rumours and considered the birthplace of (Firewood Quay) flank the
fables behind it. Brussels. In the 6th cen tury, a square and recall the area’s
One theory chapel was built here trading past.
claims that supposedly by St Géry, the
Brussels’s iconic in the 12th Bishop of Cambrai at the time.
Manneken-Pis century, the son The chapel was located on an
of a duke was island in the marshes of the
caught urinating against a tree River Senne, which now flows
in the midst of a battle and was underground through the city.
thus commemorated in bronze In AD 977, a fortress took over
as a symbol of military courage. the site, marking the real
The inspiration for the statue foundation of Brussels.
has been revealed as Cupid. In 1881, a covered meat
In its long history, the statuette market was built here in the
has been the victim of several Neo-Renaissance style. Its glass
thefts. A particularly violent theft and intricate iron work were
in 1965 left the statue broken renovated in 1985, and the hall
in two pieces, leaving just the now serves as a cultural centre
ankles and feet remaining. The with special focus on the city’s
missing body of the statue heritage and environment.
reappeared a year later when Spacious vaulted interior of the serene
it was found in a canal. 8 Église Ste- Église Ste-Catherine
In the year 1698, the govenor
of the Netherlands, Maximilian Catherine 9 Église St-Jean-
Emmanuel, brought a gift to Place Ste-Catherine 50, 1000 BRU.
the city in the form of a blue City Map 1 C2. Tel (02) 5133481. Baptiste-au-
woollen coat for the statue. @ 47, 88. q Ste-Catherine, De Béguinage
This is a tradition that continues Brouckère. v 3, 4, 31, 32.
today with visiting heads of Open 8am–5:30pm Mon–Sat, Place du Béguinage, 1000 BRU.
state donating miniature 10am–1:30pm Sun. 7 on request. City Map 1 C1. Tel (02) 2178742.
versions of their national @ 47, 88. q Ste-Catherine.
costume. The little boy has a The first church to occupy Open 10am– 5pm Tue–Sat,
10am–8pm Sun. 7
collection of over 800 outifts this site was built in the 15th
which are housed in the Musée century. All that remains of it This stone-clad church was
de la Ville de Bruxelles, where today is a Baroque tower dating consecrated in 1676 around the
100 are on display at any one from 1629. The present church country’s largest béguine
time. Among the collection is was rede signed in a variety of community, which had been
a miniature Samurai, Santa styles between 1854 and 1859 estab lished since 1250. Fields
Claus and Elvis suit. by Joseph Poelaert, architect of and orchards around the site
For hotels and restaurants see p266 and pp280–83

064-065_EW_Belgium.indd 64 16/10/14 3:33 pm
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.6)
Date 12th July 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm