Heritage FAQ

This page has been automatically translated from French into English by a translation software. Automatic translations are not as accurate as translations made by professional human translators. Nevertheless these pages can help you understand information published by the City of Brussels.

   

The questions to the unit Historical heritages are varied. The unit cannot answer these numerous questions. It tries to supply an answer or steers the applicants towards the services of the City or institutions more capable of offering an answer: the ministry of the Brussels Capital-Region, the Archives Collections, the libraries, the museums,...

Can the unit Historical heritage make a patrimonial study, realize a project of rehabilitation of my classified good?
No, the members of the unit Historical heritage cannot work outside of the Administration. These questions must be adressed to a private office specialized in this domain.

Where can I find the plans of my house?
At the Archives of the City of Brussels, by consulting the collection Public works.

How can I know if my good is classified?
The owner is always informed about the specific status of his good, during the procedure or purchase. The Management of Monuments and Sites of the Region has a list of the goods benefiting from a legal measure of protection. It is available for consultation on its website.

What is the height of the tower of the City Hall and how many stairs does its staircase count?
Approximately 96 metres and 400 stairs, which do not lead up to the summit.

How many houses does the Grand-Place count?
It depends on the way of counting them. Some are double, under the same facade and the same name, others are unified behind 2 facades,... There are 31 names of houses and 29 to 33 houses according to the mode of calculation.

Does the statue of Saint Michel at the top of the tower of the City hall move?
Yes, because it is a weather vane and it is conceived in a way such as the archangel defender of the city is always directed to the wind.

Touching t'Serclaes statue brings luck. Where does the tradition come from?
The work itself was inaugurated in 1902, so the tradition is very recent. It started between the two World Wars and. In the beginning one would only touch the hand of the dying figure. The tradition was strongly amplified by the tourist guides during the last decades. Now people touch the whole arm, as well as several other elements (head of dog, frog). This even endangers the conservation of the work.