The irregular shape of the Grote Markt was set by medieval property lines and never tidied up — which is part of its charm. The square is ringed by tall, narrow guild houses with stepped gables from the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when Antwerp was the wealthiest trading city in Europe. The Stadhuis (City Hall), a 1564 masterpiece of Italianate-Flemish architecture, dominates the west side.
The Brabo fountain in the centre, with the soldier in mid-throw, is the most photographed object in the city. The café terraces along the south side of the square fill up on summer evenings — sit there with a glass of De Koninck, and you have the full Antwerp experience. The square is best in the late afternoon when the low sun lights the gabled fronts.