Man do I love this building…  The pride of Brussels in my opinion.  It’s also the oldest building in the city, at least to my knowledge dating from the 13th century.  It’s very large and the architectural prowess that was required to build it is very remarkable.  What’s even more remarkable is the odds that tower and building defied just to still be standing.  When Brussels came under siege by Louis XIV’s army the cannons were deployed.  Aiming for the tower and the building that connects to it (which was city hall and the pride of the city) the cannons thundered and volleyed and wreaked destruction… all throughout the square.  The cannon ball landed all around the tower, and destroyed every building in the square… except the one tower they were aiming at.  Brussels lost a third of it’s buildings and received roughly 3-5 billion euros (present day) of damage.  But as barbarous as the siege was it failed to draw attention away from the siege of Namur so the bombardment as a tactical ploy was an utter failure.  However the Belgians rebuilt and the guildhouses that surround the old tower are quite splendid in their own right.  I love the irony. Heh