General view
by BRUYN, Willem de, Photo
The architect Willem de Bruyn’s name is primarily linked to the rebuilding of the demolished guildhalls in the Grote Markt (Grand Place) in Brussels. The most remarkable feature of this unique ensemble is that the traditional vertical fa�ade architecture is combined with a contemporary Late Baroque arsenal of forms which, moreover, was not restricted to the otherwise opulent sculptural finish. The actual structure of the buildings was also more dynamically conceived with divisions curving in and out and it acquired a monumental emphasis by means of the use of the colossal order. Together with the mansard roofs and the wide classicist triangular and segmental pediments this last element points quite clearly to the Louis XIV style.
The photo shows guild houses on the Grote Markt.