Brussels is the capital of Belgium and the European Union. But in terms of tourism the city is not as popular as other European capitals. Bruges or Ghent are more interesting than the capital. Probably that happened because of Brusselization, which was held here in 60th-70th. This term means a chaotic demolition of historic buildings and neighborhoods in order to build modern ones. A typical example of Brusselization:
In Brussels, we have fulfilled a minimum program, visited the three main attractions and the rest ones will visit next time.
In the morning went to the Atomium (subway line 6 to station Heysel, schedule and prices). Atomium is a most unusual thing in Brussels and in Belgium. In 1958 it was built for the World Exhibition in the form of a crystal lattice of iron magnified 165 billion times. 9 huge spheres connected by tubes, which have inside the escalators and stairs. The exposure inside the spheres tells about the history of the Atomium and about the World Exhibition in 1958. It is curious that this projects won another project, which involved the construction of a huge, spiky skyscraper.
Next we went to the center to see Grand Place - the main square of Brussels. Some call it the most beautiful square in Europe. All the buildings here, except for the Town Hall (1455) and the Bread House (XIII century), were built at the turn of the XVII and XVIII centuries. The square is famous not only for its beauty but also for floral carpet that is constructed on August 15 every 2 years.
The third sight is the famous Manneken Pis. Almost every day he dressed up in various costumes and crowd of tourists here is no less than near Trevi Fountain in Rome. I absolutely do not understand why this 61 cm sculpture is so popular.
Tintin is the most famous Belgian comic character. This is one of the few comics of the Old World which was made into a movie in Hollywood and even by Steven Spielberg. In Belgium, by the way, comic books are very popular. Smurfs and Lucky Luke are from here. If you want to find all the comics on the walls, then use this map.
We went to the central square, but there were crowds of tourists, now it is absolutely uncomfortable place. Also we wanted to see the "pissing girl", but there were also crowds of some outcasts. After this, our attempts to walk in the historical center ended and we went to other places.
Of the interesting things in the center only new graffiti and murals
Street elevator near the Palace of Justice. This place is located on a hill, so it can be used as an observation deck, although the view is not very picturesque.
Улица Луа (Rue de la Loi) и проспект Тервюрен (Chaussée de Tervueren)
Walked along one of the central transport arteries of the city. There are a lot of interesting things here, for example, Parc du Cinquantenaire Park with a large museum palace.
There is also a large quarter with buildings of the European Parliament. Unlike Strasbourg, a similar quarter here was built in the very center of the city.
Getting to Brussels: Use train from the main airport to reach the center of the city, buy tickets from the machine. A taxi to the center costs 35 euros.
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