Martyrs, Place des/Martelaarsplein

   The first city square to undergo development in the late 18th century, the place des Martyrs was built in the neoclassical style. Located east of place de Brouckère, the site was used by city drapers to spread out their cloth to dry and bleach, but, following the decline of the cloth trade, the city bought the land at the end of the 18th century and, in 1772, commissioned architect Claude Fisco to design the square. Known then as place Saint-Michel, the name was changed by a decree of 30 July 1831 to commemorate those killed in the Belgian Revolution.

   The square is built in a strictly symmetrical, Louis XVI style and is surrounded by stately buildings. In the center of the square, a statue by Willem Geefs (1838) representing the motherland, with the Belgian lion at her feet, stands over a crypt. The events of the revolution are glorified on the base of the monument, and the names of the 445 patriots who died in September 1830 are inscribed on the balustrade surrounding it. To the south is a monument, designed by Henry van de Velde, dedicated to Count Frederick de Mérode, and to the north is a memorial to Jenneval, author of the words to the "Brabançonne." Both were killed in 1830.