Place des Martyrs, Brussels

The Place des Martyrs (Martelaarsplein) is a historic square in central Brussels, Belgium. Its current name, meaning "Martyrs' Square", refers to the martyrs of the September Days of the Belgian Revolution of 1830. Originally, the square was called the Place Saint-Michel/Sint-Michielsplein after Saint Michael, patron saint of the City of Brussels. It was laid out in a uniform neoclassical style between 1774 and 1776, based on the designs of the architect Claude Fisco. Over 400 heroes of the Belgian Revolution lie buried in a crypt beneath the cobblestones. Many lie not far from where they were shot, in fierce battles amid the Brussels streets and barricades. Nowadays, the square is home to cabinet offices of the Flemish Government, including those of the Flemish Minister-President, as well as a theatre; the Théâtre des Martyrs. The Place des Martyrs is located in the Marais–Jacqmain Quarter, near the Rue Neuve/Nieuwstraat, Belgium's second busiest shopping street. It is served by the metro and premetro (underground tram) station De Brouckère on lines 1, 3, 4 and 5. The Place des Martyrs was built on what was formerly Den Blijck; a bleachfield for washed textiles. In 1773, the City of Brussels, which had acquired this plot of land, commissioned the architect Claude Fisco, controller of the works of the city, to design in its place a new neoclassical square. The works, which also involved digging several arteries, lasted from 1774 until 1776. The square was originally named the Place Saint-Michel/Sint-Michielsplein ("Saint Michael's Square"), after Saint Michael, the city's patron saint. This hodonym indicates the importance that the city's authorities attached to the operation, which was a first in Brussels, where it marked a radical break, aesthetically, typologically and urbanistically, with traditional practices. In 1776, the then-director of the Théâtre de la Monnoye, Ignaz Vitzthumb, obtained permission to erect a "portable theatre" on the square; a small wooden building, light and removable, on which he gave plays in Dutch.