Halle Gate

The 14th-century Halle Gate in Saint-Gilles — the sole surviving fortified gate of Brussels's medieval second walls, a turreted, fairy-tale silhouette that once guarded the city. Spared demolition when the rest of the walls came down, it now houses a small museum tracing the city's medieval defenses and daily life. Its storybook profile of pointed turrets makes it an unexpected sight amid the surrounding streets. For visitors, it's a tangible fragment of medieval Brussels, and the museum inside offers a compact, rewarding look at the fortified city that once stood here.