Palace of Justice: the largest courthouse in the world

Het Justitiepaleis was the largest building constructed in Europe in the 19th century. More than 140 years later, the dome still dominates the Brussels skyline. The man behind it, Joseph Poelaert (1817-1879), was a stubborn jack-of-all-trades who refused any fixed style. His boundless dedication drove him to exhaustion, and he did not finish his gigantic design himself. De Brusselaars significantly called him the 'Schieven architek' (crooked architect) – and that was no compliment. Het Justitiepaleis is a neoclassical monument with striking Assyrian-Babylonian features. Poelaert saw architecture as a moral and almost metaphysical task: proportions, dimensions, and motifs had to make order, justice, and the separation of powers visible. That layered symbolism, fueled by ancient cultures and religious traditions, makes a visit special. You will simultaneously discover Poelaert's life, his vision, and the place of the building in the city and the judiciary. During this tour, our guides bring this colossal monument back to life with their stories. And those scaffolds? There are few people who have seen the Paleis van Justitie without scaffolding. But there is hope! Because the Brussels Gewest has made a plan to have the restoration of the facade finished by 2030. Perfectly in time to add extra luster to Belgium's 200th anniversary!