Halles Saint-Géry

For centuries, the outline of a church towered above the working-class district of Saint-Géry. In 1798 it was destroyed, and a square was built in the same place. A fountain with an obelisk from Grimbergen abbey was erected here.

In 1881, the architect Adolphe Vanderheggen, who had already designed the covered market on chaussée d’Etterbeek, was given the task of building a similar construction. He decided to include the fountain in a neo-Renaissance style building and for the upper sections, he chose structures in iron and glass, materials which had recently become fashionable. Inside, a network of fine small columns with an octagonal section support the metal roof structure, whose roof trusses form a three-centre arch. Flat iron circles decorate the spandrels on the arches. As was the custom at the time in covered galleries, a large zenithal glass roof lit the building. Market gardeners sold their produce here up until 1973. The Halles were listed in 1987 and the restoration works ended in 1989. A regional centre for heritage and the promotion of Brussels residents’ living environment, the Halles organise activities in the fields of architecture, heritage and urban planning. They now host exhibitions, shows and numerous cultural events. The site also has a pleasant café where Brussels residents like to enjoy a drink together.