Rainy day, Grand Place (Brussels) - Stockfoto

The Grand Place or Grote Markt in Dutch is one of the most beautiful squares in Europe with architecture from 3 different eras (Baroque, Gothic and Louis XIV) making their marks on the square giving it an eclectic flavour. This eclectic quality earned the Grand Place a listing as one of the Sites of World Heritage by UNESCO in 1998.Historically, the Bruxelles Grand Place was essentially a market place where traders and citizens sold and bought food.Nowadays you will see grand old buildings standing in the place of market shelters. The Maison du Roi, in French means King s House but the lesser used name of Broodhuis in Dutch, means Bread House.