Ornamental gables, medieval banners, gilded facades, sunlight flashing off gold-filigreed rooftop sculptures, a general impression of harmony and timelessness -- there's a lot to take in all at once when you first enter the Grand-Place (Métro: Gare Centrale or Bourse). Once the pride of the Hapsburg Empire, the Grand-Place has always been the heart of Brussels. Jean Cocteau called it "a splendid stage."Its present composition dates mostly from the late 1690s, thanks to France's Louis XIV. In 1695, his army lined up its artillery on the heights of Anderlecht and blasted away at the medieval Grand-Place, using the Town Hall spire as a target marker.