Brussels City Museum

Brussels City Museum

Two majestic buildings that stand opposite each other on Brussels’ Grand Place have a long-standing rivalry: on one side you have Brussels’ City Hall, and on the other the Broodhuis (Bread House), a UNESCO World Heritage Site which houses the Brussels City Museum. The rivalry between these two buildings is no coincidence. In the 15th century, the Duke of Brabant replaced the 13th century wooden bread market building with a prestigious building that would be a symbol of his power and face off against the imposing building on the other side of the Grand Place that symbolised the city’s independence. The building owes its French name of Maison du Roi (King’s House) to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, who once ruled over a large part of the globe and once owned the Bread House. After being destroyed in the 16th century, it was rebuilt in the Gothic Revival style in the 19th century by city architect Victor Jamaer.

But it’s not all about the Broodhuis’ history and facade. Inside the Brussels City Museum gives a comprehensive overview of Brussels’ history, with particular attention given to the arts, crafts,urbanism and architecture . The original Manneken Pis is also housed here for security reasons, but as for his wardrobe, which is a thousand times larger than even the most passionate fashionista’s, you can marvel at that in its dedicated museum on Rue du Chêne – Eikstraat.

Combined ticket giving access to the Brussels City Museum -Maison du Roi and the Garderobe MannekenPis.