Go from your hotel to the =Grand’ Place=. It may be reached by either of two convenient roads; from the _Place Royale_ by the Montagne de la Cour and the Rue de la Madeleine, or from the _Park_ by the Montagne du Parc (which takes various names as it descends), and the Galérie St. Hubert. Either route brings you out at the end of the Galérie, whence a short street to the L. will land you at once in the Grand’ Place, undoubtedly the finest square in Europe, and the only one which now enables us to reconstruct in imagination the other Grand’s Places of Belgium and the Rhine country. The most conspicuous building in the Place, with the tall tower and open spire, is the HÔTEL-DE-VILLE, with one possible exception (Louvain) the handsomest in Belgium. It consists of a tapering central tower, flanked by two wings, their high-pitched roof covered with projecting windows. The ground floor is arcaded. The first and second floors have Gothic windows, altered into square frames in a portion of the building. The edifice is of different dates. The original Hôtel-de-Ville consisted only of the wing to your L., as you face it, erected in 1402. The R. wing, shorter in façade, and architecturally somewhat different, was added in 1443. The style of the whole, save where altered, is Middle Gothic “Decorated”). The beautiful open =spire= should be specially noticed. On its summit stands a colossal gilt metal figure (1454) of the Archangel Michael, patron of the city. The _statues_ in the niches are modern, and not quite in keeping with the character of the building. Observe, over the main portal, St. Michael, patron saint of the town, with St. Sebastian, St. Christopher, St. George, and St. Géry. Below are the Cardinal Virtues. The figures above are Dukes of Brabant. Inspect the whole _façade_ carefully. You will hardly find a nobler piece of civic architecture in Europe. The carved wooden door has also a figure of St. Michael. The gargoyles and the bosses near the staircase entrance to the L. are likewise interesting. Now, go round the corners to the L. and R., to inspect the equally fine _façades_, facing the Rues de l’Hôtel-de-Ville and de la Tête-d’Or. The _back_ of the building is 18th century and uninteresting. You may also pass rapidly through the _courtyard_, which however has very little character. But you need not trouble to inspect the _interior_, unless you are an abandoned sight-seer.