Place du jeu de balle

This guide to the Place du Jeu de Balle in Brussels opens with Tintin's creator Hergé, who wandered this flea market for inspiration and set the opening scene of The Secret of the Unicorn among its stalls. It traces the market's move here in 1873 from Brussels' old downtown junk market, and the square's earlier life as a field for the handball game that gave it its name. By 1919 traders were here every single day, a habit that never broke. Wander the trestle tables and see what catches your eye among the chipped plates and old postcards.