Marolles

The Marolles is a historic working-class district of Brussels below the towering Palace of Justice, long famous for its distinctive local dialect and independent spirit. Its steep streets grew up outside the medieval walls and became home to labourers, ragpickers and craftsmen. Every morning the sprawling flea market on the Place du Jeu de Balle fills the quarter with bric-a-brac and antiques laid out on the cobbles. Second-hand shops, old cafes and street art give the area a raffish charm, and a free public lift climbs to the palace terrace.