Palace of Justice of Brussels
The largest building put up anywhere in the 19th century — and it's been wrapped in scaffolding since 1984.
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Built on a hill where Brussels once hanged its criminals, this 26,000 m² courthouse by architect Joseph Poelaert took seventeen years to finish and cost roughly 50 million Belgian francs. The cupola you see is taller than the one Poelaert designed — the original was destroyed in World War II and rebuilt higher. The scaffolding meant to fix the facade has outlasted most careers; it is not scheduled to come down until 2030.
What to look for
- The scaffolding — installed in 1984 and still standing, a renovation timeline that has run longer than many buildings have existed
- The cupola, rebuilt after WWII damage and raised higher than Poelaert's original design
- The public Poelaert Elevators at the base of the hill, which lift you from the lower town directly to the square in front of the building
Metro lines 2 or 6 to Louise/Louiza, or take the public Poelaert Elevators up from the lower town — they deposit you at Place Poelaert in front of the building.
Palace of Justice of Brussels is one of 33 sights worth the detour in Brussels, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Brussels pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Brussels
- Manneken PisA 55.5 cm bronze boy that somehow became the face of an entire country — the joke is entirely intentional.
- Grand-PlaceEvery guildhall surrounding you was rebuilt from rubble — French artillery levelled the square in 1695, and the Town Hall tower survived only because it was the gunners' aiming point.
- AtomiumNine stainless-steel spheres arranged as an iron crystal blown up 165 billion times — built to headline a World's Fair and never taken down.
- Stoclet PalaceA UNESCO World Heritage house you can only see from the pavement — by design, and by the owner's choice.
- King Baudouin StadiumInaugurated for Belgium's 100th birthday in 1930, this 70,000-seat bowl on the Heysel Plateau hosted six European finals — and the night football changed forever.
- Cathedral of St. Michael and St. GudulaBelgium's national church began as a chapel on a trade-route crossroads in the 9th century — eleven centuries of building decisions are now stacked on a hill called "Mount of Sorrow."