The market square in Brussels is one of the most impressive examples of town square architecture in Europe with its unique collection of secular buildings of the Italian Baroque and the Flemish Late Gothic style. The town hall dominates the square with its 89 m high tower and is one of the best-preserved and most beautiful secular Gothic buildings in existence. If you climb the 400 steps to the top of the tower, you will have a wonderful view over the whole city. When French troops under Louis XIV bombarded the town they destroyed almost all the guild houses but miraculously the town hall remained almost undamaged. If you go on a guided tour, you will hear that the architect committed suicide on realizing that a mistake in the plans meant that the tower and main entrance could not be positioned symmetrically. The model was cast in a mould, an ideal process for buildings in Gothic style with their many delicate decorations.
