Palais de Justice, Brussels

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The Palace of Justice or Supreme Court of Belgium is located in the upper area of ​​the city, Saint Gilles, on the way to the Avenue Louise, in an area formerly known as Gallows Hill. This location gives a panoramic view of the city. The building was designed by architect Joseph Poelaert, who died 4 years before its completion in 1883. The style is described as eclectic, inspired mainly Assyrian-Babylonian

El Palacio de Justicia o Corte Suprema de Justicia de Bélgica está situado en la zona alta de la ciudad, en Saint Gilles, en el camino hacia la Avenue Louise, en una zona conocida anteriormente como Colina de la Horca. Esta ubicación le da una gran vista panorámica de la ciudad. El edificio fue diseñado por el arquitecto Joseph Poelaert, quien falleció 4 años antes de su finalización en 1883. El estilo es descrito como ecléctico, con inspiración principalmente asirio-babilónico.

Our hotel wasn't located too far from here and it is an incredibly grand building - just a shame it was half covered in scaffolding on our visit.

I am not too sure whether you can venture inside but it is certainly worth having a look at it from an architectural perspective (hopefully the scaffolding will be off soon)

You will also see that there are wonderful views across the city (assuming there is no fog!) a skip away from the Palais de Justice - worth a visit in its own rights!

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The law courts of the Palais de Justice were commissioned by King Leopold ll. Constructed between 1866 - 83 and designed by the architect Joseph Poelaert who subsequently died from exhaustion. Designed intentionally to dwarf all other buildings in a mix of styles borrowed from nearly every period of Belgian architecture. Built on the site of the former gallows (well they do say Justice will follow through) the law courts became a symbol of Belguims industrial and colonial achievements. When we visited, the building was under massive restoration more or less obscuring all details with scaffolding. The spledid dome was restored so at least one picture shows the beauty of the courts.
Open Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm closed July guided tours are by written request only admission free unless of course you happen to be on trial here!

The law courts were constructed in the late 1800's. The building dwarfs all the surrounding structures and was built with a multitude of architectural styles. It was built on the site of the former town gallows. It also contains a memorial to the missing children of Belgium, which can't help but give you the shivers, especially if you are a parent.

It was the largest building in the world when it was finished in 1883 and opened by King Leopold II, and I think it might still be the biggest in Europe. It totally dominates the cliff it is built on and that is precisely the point. Below the cliff you find 'les Marolles' which was the poor working-class area of Brussels. There people had to look up to the masters. Today, Marolles is an interesting mix of immigrants and yuppies and loads of interesting small shops but as you wander there, you're still in the shadow of the palace (see picture). A few years ago, during one of the worst pedofile scandals Europe has ever seen, the stairs to the main entrance were filled with flowers, teddy bears and pictures of the children and there is almost always some kind of note about some tragic case or other being dealt with within its huge stone walls. This picture is from before it was restored and got the cupola all gold plated - now it is even easier to spot all over town. If you want to see a smaller copy of it, head for Lima where they've built a replica.

As the facade was under repair when I visited it in december 2006, I couldn't fully appreciate the full glory of this building but got speechless when I entered it. The inside is so grand...I felt intimidated and did not take any pictures of the inside.

There is a postoffice on the right inside of the building. From there, have a look at the grand Graeco-Roman style staircases.

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We were stunned at the size of the Palace of Justice, just how many criminals does Brussels have? Sitting atop a hill known as "gallows hill" where they executed people back in the middle ages, the Palace of Justice was a project of Leopold II and is purportedly larger than St. Peter's in Rome! It's placement overlooking the Marolles, the poorest neighborhood in Brussels, was intentional, a looming reminder of what fate had in store for you if you didn't behave.

The architect, Joseph Poelaert, died during it's construction and legend says that witchcraft played a hand in his death from the many Marolles residents evicted in order to buildthe massive law courts.

We passed by here on a Saturday when the building was closed, the guidebook says you can visit the interior for free on Monday-Friday from 8am-5pm (or 9am-11:30am and 1:30pm-3pm if you believe my other guidebook). You can take the glass elevator from Place Breugel to Place Poelaert and vice versa get a nice view over Brussels, also free.

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The Palais de Justice was designed by Joseph Poelaert and built between 1866 and 1893 on the hill where the gallows stood in medieval times. Covering a larger area than St. Peter's in Rome, this building was that largest constructed in Brussels during the 19th century.

This massive building overlooks the entire city of Brussels. From here are some of the best panoramas of the city in all directions.

The huge "palace" was built in the late 1800s, and it certainly looks it... during my visit, much of the building was under construction and the rest of it needed some upkeep.... I seem to recall broken windows, graffiti, boarded up doors, and crumbling stone....

However, this is still the home of Belgium's highest courts, so a very powerful symbol.

This huge building certainly features heavily in Brussels' skyline as it can be seen from almost any vantage point in the city. It is built on the huge scale occupying an area larger than that of St Peter's Basilica in Rome, and was one of the world's most impressive 19th century buildings. It was built between 1866 and 1883 by architect Joseph Poelaert who looked for inspiration in classical temples, but sadly died mid-construction in 1879. The building is still home to the city's law courts. The building is currently (and has been for quite some time), being renovated.