Near our hotel (about a one minute walk away) was a tower known as "Tour Noire" or "Zwarte Toren" (Black Tower). The Black Tower is a tower from the 13th century that was part of Brussel's first city walls. The medieval tower is surrounded by modern buildings and has become a tourist attraction.
While there isn't much to see (I wouldn't go out of my way to find it -- in fact I hadn't heard of it but came across it due to the proximity to my hotel), it's pretty neat to see a standing structure from the 13th century.
[Yelp collections: Europe 2024; Brussels, Belgium] read more