Palace of Justice | Brussels

This guide to the Palace of Justice in Brussels follows architect Joseph Poelaert, who leveled part of the poor Marolles neighborhood to raise the largest courthouse of its century and drove himself to exhaustion doing it. You'll hear how his displaced neighbors turned against him, the dialect insult that outlived him, and the toll the obsession took on his mind. It also traces the building's long afterlife, including the seats the Marolliens defaced once it finally opened.