Brussels City Museum
The Brussels City Museum (, ) is a museum on the Grand Place of Brussels, Belgium. It is dedicated to the history and folklore of the City of Brussels from its foundation to modern times, which it presents through paintings, sculptures, tapestries, engravings, photos and models, including a notable scale-representation of the town during the Middle Ages. Conceived in 1860 and inaugurated in 1887, the museum is situated opposite Brussels' Town Hall, in the ("King's House") or ("Bread House" or "Bread Hall"). This building, in the Gothic Revival style, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site , as part of the square. This site is served by the "premetro" (underground tram) station Bourse/Beurs (on lines 3 and 4), as well as the bus stop / (on line 95). History. Original structures. Brussels' Town Hall was erected in stages, between 1401 and 1455, on the south side of the Grand Place, transforming the square into the seat of municipal power. To counter this, from 1504 to 1536, the Duke of Brabant ordered the construction of a large Flamboyant edifice across from the city hall to house his administrative services. It was erected on the site of the first  cloth and bread markets, which were no longer in use. The building was first called the "Duke's House" (), but when Charles V, Duke of Brabant since 1506, was crowned King of Spain in 1516, it became known as the "King's House" (). It is currently known as the ("King's House") in French, although no king has ever lived there, though in Dutch it continues to be called the ("Bread House"), after the market whose place it took. During Charles' reign, the building was completely redone by his court architect in a late Gothic style very similar to the  contemporary design, although without towers or galleries. The projects were presented in 1514 and the construction took place between 1515 and 1536. Destruction and rebuilding. The King's House was rebuilt after suffering extensive damage from the bombardment of Brussels by a French army under Marshal François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy, in 1695. A second restoration followed in 1767 when it received a neoclassical portal and a large roof pierced with three "oeil-de-boeuf" windows. In the following century, it served for the most diverse uses; from a / ("House of the People") during the occupation of the French  Revolutionaries of Brussels at the end of the 18th century, to a court, a temporary prison, a storage space for the British cavalry after the Battle of Waterloo, a rehearsal room of the "School of Dance" of the Theatre of La Monnaie, a library, etc. By the mid-19th century, the state of the building had deteriorated and a comprehensive renovation was sorely needed. Under the impulse of the city's then-mayor, Charles Buls, it was reconstructed once again in its current neo-Gothic form by the architect between 1874 and 1896, in the style of his mentor Eugène Viollet -le-Duc. On that occasion, Jamaer built two galleries and a central tower. He also adorned the facade with statues and other decorations. At the back, he added a new, much more sober wing in Flemish neo-Renaissance style. The new King's House was officially inaugurated in 1896. The current building, whose interior was renovated in 1985, has housed the Brussels City Museum since 1887. In 1936, it was designated a historic site at the same time as the Town Hall, and in 1998 a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the rest of the Grand Place. Highlights. The Brussels  City Museum features more than 7,000 items, including artefacts, paintings and tapestries from Brussels' history, such as the Town Hall's original sculptures. There are two dioramas of the city of Brussels in its early days and as it began to flourish in the 1500s. The museum's painting collections include works by the Flemish Primitive Aert van den Bossche (15th century) and the French historical painter Charles Meynier (18th century). The original statue of "Manneken Pis" is exposed on the top floor. Many items of the statue's wardrobe, consisting of around one thousand different costumes, could also be  viewed in a permanent exhibition inside the museum until February 2017, when a specially designed museum, called "Garderobe MannekenPis", opened its doors nearby at 19, /. The City Museum is open every day except Mondays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On the first Sunday of every month, admission to the museum is free.