RoutesRunning trails & routesBelgiumBrusselsVille De Bruxelles - Stad Brussel
Brussels Town Hall – The Atomium loop from Gare Centrale - Centraal Station
RoutesRunning trails & routesBelgiumBrusselsVille De Bruxelles - Stad Brussel
Brussels Town Hall – The Atomium loop from Gare Centrale - Centraal Station
Hard
1,885
runners
Brussels Town Hall – The Atomium loop from Gare Centrale - Centraal Station
02:11
20.5km
190m
Running
Hard run. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.
Last updated: May 30, 2026
Tips
Your route passes through a protected area
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Grand-Place - Grote Markt
Waypoints
A
Start point
Train Station
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1
622 m
Brussels Town Hall
Highlight • Monument
The first architect of the town hall was Jacob van Tienen. He was a pupil of Jan van Osy, who was the founder of the Brabant Gothic style. The construction of the left wing and the belfry (lower part of the current tower) started in 1402 under the auspices of the wealthy families of the city. The town hall was built of calcareous sandstone from the Dilbeek quarries, a few kilometres away.
In a fortified room on the first floor, the municipal charters were most likely kept.[1] It is unclear whether the municipal bells were also hung there. During the turbulent period around the municipal uprising of 1420-1421, the town hall was stormed several times. There was factional strife among the patricians, social unrest among the crafts, an economic crisis in the cloth industry and dynastic problems in the duchy. This is probably why the belfry function lasted a few decades at most. The charters and privileges were transferred to the treasury rooms of the St. Gudula and St. Nicholas churches.[2]
Long balconies were provided in the front facade to allow events on the Grote Markt to be followed, such as the magnificent knightly tournaments and the joyous entries.[3] The privilege room in the tower served as a ducal lodge, four of whose windows looked out onto the square. This was where the prince and the city magistrate took their mutual oath during joyous entries. It was a space full of symbolism, where the preciously illuminated manuscripts of the Brabantsche Yeesten and the rhyming chronicle of Jan van Heelu were also kept.
In 1421, the craft nations conquered a place in the city magistrate, which may have partly motivated the expansion that was started in 1444. Charles the Bold laid the first stone of the right wing, which was certainly also intended to provide support for the heightening of the tower. The latter was a matter of prestige. The right wing is smaller than the left and is the work of Willem de Voghel, who also became the architect of the Magna Aula in 1452. The tower of the town hall, 96 meters high, was crowned from 1449 by Jan van Ruisbroeck, architect of Philip the Good.
Source: Wikipedia
In a fortified room on the first floor, the municipal charters were most likely kept.[1] It is unclear whether the municipal bells were also hung there. During the turbulent period around the municipal uprising of 1420-1421, the town hall was stormed several times. There was factional strife among the patricians, social unrest among the crafts, an economic crisis in the cloth industry and dynastic problems in the duchy. This is probably why the belfry function lasted a few decades at most. The charters and privileges were transferred to the treasury rooms of the St. Gudula and St. Nicholas churches.[2]
Long balconies were provided in the front facade to allow events on the Grote Markt to be followed, such as the magnificent knightly tournaments and the joyous entries.[3] The privilege room in the tower served as a ducal lodge, four of whose windows looked out onto the square. This was where the prince and the city magistrate took their mutual oath during joyous entries. It was a space full of symbolism, where the preciously illuminated manuscripts of the Brabantsche Yeesten and the rhyming chronicle of Jan van Heelu were also kept.
In 1421, the craft nations conquered a place in the city magistrate, which may have partly motivated the expansion that was started in 1444. Charles the Bold laid the first stone of the right wing, which was certainly also intended to provide support for the heightening of the tower. The latter was a matter of prestige. The right wing is smaller than the left and is the work of Willem de Voghel, who also became the architect of the Magna Aula in 1452. The tower of the town hall, 96 meters high, was crowned from 1449 by Jan van Ruisbroeck, architect of Philip the Good.
Source: Wikipedia
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2
794 m
Queen's Gallery
Highlight • Monument
The Queen's Gallery (Dutch: Koninginnegalerij) is a 19th-century gallery in Brussels.
Together with the King's Gallery and the Princes' Gallery, this gallery forms a unique architectural ensemble: the Saint-Hubert Royal Galleries. These are covered galleries with numerous shops. Many of the licensed suppliers to the Belgian Court can be found there.
The best-known shops are the pharmacy, the Delvaux leather goods store and the Neuhaus chocolate shop at number 23 since 1857. In 1910, Jean Neuhaus and his wife invented filled chocolate, which they called "praline."
To the south, the Queen's Gallery opens onto Rue du Marché aux Herbes, near the Grand-Place, and on the other side of this street begins the Horta Gallery.
Together with the King's Gallery and the Princes' Gallery, this gallery forms a unique architectural ensemble: the Saint-Hubert Royal Galleries. These are covered galleries with numerous shops. Many of the licensed suppliers to the Belgian Court can be found there.
The best-known shops are the pharmacy, the Delvaux leather goods store and the Neuhaus chocolate shop at number 23 since 1857. In 1910, Jean Neuhaus and his wife invented filled chocolate, which they called "praline."
To the south, the Queen's Gallery opens onto Rue du Marché aux Herbes, near the Grand-Place, and on the other side of this street begins the Horta Gallery.
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3
5.16 km
Our Lady of Laeken Church
Highlight • Religious Site
From south to north, the church building consists of a neo-Gothic portal surmounted by three church towers, a nave, a transept, a choir and an extension with a cone-shaped dome. Under this dome is the Royal Crypt. The middle of the three southern church towers is higher than the other two and has a height of 99 meters.
The church, which is a parish church, contains the mausoleum of Cardinal Cardijn, founder of the KAJ, then vicar in this church. The crypt contains the tombs of the Belgian royal family. The church also has a much venerated statue of the Virgin Mary from the thirteenth century, of which several copies were made, one to take with you in the processions and a non-polychrome statue, which is located in the parish church of Karreveld in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek. In the church there is also a statue of Saint Roch from the 18th century, a bust of Mgr. Van Waeyenberg (1891-1971), former rector of the Catholic University of Leuven. The baptismal font with polished copper lid and marble tub dates from 1754. A large stained glass window, in memory of the fallen soldiers during the war of 1914-1918, is located above the altar of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows. In a small chapel there is also a polychrome statue of H.H. Anna-te-three. There is also a painting by Our Lady of Laken. In the central nave of the church is a monumental pulpit from the neo-Gothic era; in 1878 it was said to have won first prize at the World Exhibition in Paris.
Source: Wikipedia
The church, which is a parish church, contains the mausoleum of Cardinal Cardijn, founder of the KAJ, then vicar in this church. The crypt contains the tombs of the Belgian royal family. The church also has a much venerated statue of the Virgin Mary from the thirteenth century, of which several copies were made, one to take with you in the processions and a non-polychrome statue, which is located in the parish church of Karreveld in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek. In the church there is also a statue of Saint Roch from the 18th century, a bust of Mgr. Van Waeyenberg (1891-1971), former rector of the Catholic University of Leuven. The baptismal font with polished copper lid and marble tub dates from 1754. A large stained glass window, in memory of the fallen soldiers during the war of 1914-1918, is located above the altar of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows. In a small chapel there is also a polychrome statue of H.H. Anna-te-three. There is also a painting by Our Lady of Laken. In the central nave of the church is a monumental pulpit from the neo-Gothic era; in 1878 it was said to have won first prize at the World Exhibition in Paris.
Source: Wikipedia
Translated by Google •
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4
6.93 km
Dynasty Monument (Monument for the Dynasty)
Highlight • Monument
Monument to the Dynasty
The Monument to the Dynasty is a monument in honor of King Leopold I of Belgium in the Park of Laeken in Brussels. The monument is located on Vorstenhuisplein on a hilltop 50 meters high. The monument ends the monumental axis that departs from the portal of the castle of Laeken and runs to the monument after the intersection with the Royal Parklaan via the Vorstenhuislaan.
The monument was designed by architect Louis De Curte in neo-Gothic style. It was worked on from 1878 to 1881 by order of King Leopold II. Leopold II had the monument erected in honor of the founding of the dynasty by his father, whom he had succeeded as King of the Belgians in 1865. The monument should have been completed in 1880, at the opening of the Park of Laeken on the fiftieth anniversary of the Kingdom of Belgium.
In the center of a gallery with nine bays, each symbolizing one of the former nine Belgian provinces, stands a sculpture of Leopold I. On this substructure rests an almost 50 meter high spire, crowned with a gilded crown.
Above the statues of the nine Belgian provinces, a Belgian lion always holds the coat of arms of the province in question. At the rear of the monument, on the north side, is a staircase that gives access to a circular walkway above the colonnade. This tour goes under the flying buttresses decorated with small gargoyles.
The statue of Leopold I was sculpted by Willem Geefs, who also made the statue of Leopold I on the Congress column. The statues of the provinces are each by different sculptors: Charles Brunin (Hainaut), Frans Deckers (Antwerp), Albert Desenfans (Luxembourg), Adolphe Fassin (Liège), Hendrik Pickery (West Flanders), Gérard Vander Linden (East Flanders ), Charles Van der Stappen (Brabant), Antoine van Rasbourg (Limburg) and Thomas Vinçotte (Namur).
Source: Wikipedia
The Monument to the Dynasty is a monument in honor of King Leopold I of Belgium in the Park of Laeken in Brussels. The monument is located on Vorstenhuisplein on a hilltop 50 meters high. The monument ends the monumental axis that departs from the portal of the castle of Laeken and runs to the monument after the intersection with the Royal Parklaan via the Vorstenhuislaan.
The monument was designed by architect Louis De Curte in neo-Gothic style. It was worked on from 1878 to 1881 by order of King Leopold II. Leopold II had the monument erected in honor of the founding of the dynasty by his father, whom he had succeeded as King of the Belgians in 1865. The monument should have been completed in 1880, at the opening of the Park of Laeken on the fiftieth anniversary of the Kingdom of Belgium.
In the center of a gallery with nine bays, each symbolizing one of the former nine Belgian provinces, stands a sculpture of Leopold I. On this substructure rests an almost 50 meter high spire, crowned with a gilded crown.
Above the statues of the nine Belgian provinces, a Belgian lion always holds the coat of arms of the province in question. At the rear of the monument, on the north side, is a staircase that gives access to a circular walkway above the colonnade. This tour goes under the flying buttresses decorated with small gargoyles.
The statue of Leopold I was sculpted by Willem Geefs, who also made the statue of Leopold I on the Congress column. The statues of the provinces are each by different sculptors: Charles Brunin (Hainaut), Frans Deckers (Antwerp), Albert Desenfans (Luxembourg), Adolphe Fassin (Liège), Hendrik Pickery (West Flanders), Gérard Vander Linden (East Flanders ), Charles Van der Stappen (Brabant), Antoine van Rasbourg (Limburg) and Thomas Vinçotte (Namur).
Source: Wikipedia
Translated by Google •
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5
8.11 km
The Atomium
Highlight • Monument
Impossible to miss this emblematic monument which stands on your right: the Atomium. Erected on the occasion of the 1958 Universal Exhibition organized on the Heysel Plateau, the Atomium consists of nine spheres 18 meters in diameter for a total height of 102 meters and represents an iron crystal enlarged 165 billion times. The different balls are accessible to the public and retrace the history of the monument and Expo 58. The last ball houses a panoramic restaurant.
Doomed to disappear at the end of the exhibition, the Atomium will be saved by its popularity to become this important international symbol of the city of Brussels but also of Belgium.
Doomed to disappear at the end of the exhibition, the Atomium will be saved by its popularity to become this important international symbol of the city of Brussels but also of Belgium.
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6
8.73 km
Atomium
Highlight • Monument
The Atomium is a 102 m high building erected in Brussels for the Expo 58. It represents a nine-atom strongly enlarged cubic cell of the crystal model of iron. Three atoms of a space diagonal form as hollow spheres together with the connecting lines (tubes) an observation tower around which the other six atoms and their mutual connections are arranged.
The Atomium was designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn as a symbol of the atomic age and the peaceful use of nuclear energy and designed and built by the architects André and Jean Polak.
Source: Wikipedia
The Atomium was designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn as a symbol of the atomic age and the peaceful use of nuclear energy and designed and built by the architects André and Jean Polak.
Source: Wikipedia
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7
19.9 km
Warande Park (Brussels Park)
Highlight • Forest
If you had arrived by time machine instead of by bike and arrived 400 years earlier, then you would have had to be careful not to get shot down when visiting this green area - the site of today's park was a municipal wild animal garden where the Dukes of Brabant went hunting. Such pleasure gardens were called “Warande” – hence the Flemish name.
Those times are long gone, after many redesigns this facility (incidentally the first public park in Brussels) is now an important local recreation area in the center of Brussels. Stroll along its wide avenues and let yourself be surprised by the exciting visual axes and perspectives. Sometimes concerts are held in the music pavilion.
Those times are long gone, after many redesigns this facility (incidentally the first public park in Brussels) is now an important local recreation area in the center of Brussels. Stroll along its wide avenues and let yourself be surprised by the exciting visual axes and perspectives. Sometimes concerts are held in the music pavilion.
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8
20.4 km
Saint Michael and Saint Gudula Cathedral
Highlight • Religious Site
Look around, you will see that the cathedral is the only old building in the area. It initially resisted the bombardment of 1695. It then escaped another demolition, because it is at the foot of the cathedral, under the concrete pavement, that the north-south rail link passes, the work of which lasted 1902 to 1952 and during which a large part of the old town was demolished.
This old lady, however, suffers from the vibrations caused by the metro and the train which pass under its foundations. During its restoration, which lasted several decades, the buttresses which support the roof had spread so far that the whole threatened to collapse. The curator at the time brought in Sicilian miners to dig under the buttresses and give them a more stable foundation, which saved the cathedral.
This old lady, however, suffers from the vibrations caused by the metro and the train which pass under its foundations. During its restoration, which lasted several decades, the buttresses which support the roof had spread so far that the whole threatened to collapse. The curator at the time brought in Sicilian miners to dig under the buttresses and give them a more stable foundation, which saved the cathedral.
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B
20.5 km
End point
Train Station
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
10.2 km
3.86 km
2.02 km
1.95 km
1.67 km
664 m
129 m
Surfaces
10.2 km
7.47 km
1.79 km
950 m
129 m
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Monday 6 July
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