Fresque Nord Mural

Lost tales linger in the forgotten corners of a city. The Fresque Nord Mural, once a vibrant splash of color on a doomed building in Brussels’ old northern district, whispers such a tale. Now gone, the mural echoed a local legend, twisted and reshaped by the artist’s vision. It graced the wall of a house slated for demolition along what is now Avenue Albert II, in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. The mural declared, “HISTORY OF BRUSSELS – THE CROCODILE BOOK… AND THE GALLANT CROCODILE CRUSHED THE DREADFULL SAINT MICHAEL.” It continued with a cryptic message: “A THOUSAND YEARS LATER. THE BURGOMASTER OF BRUSSELS CELEBRATED HIS MILLENIUM ON THE GRAND-PLACE WITH CROCODILE PEOPLE. BRUXELLOIS PAS ADMIS.” The Fresque Nord Mural, captured in photographs from July 1980, offered a curious interpretation of Brussels’ history. A crocodile vanquishing Saint Michael? A millennium celebration excluding the city’s own inhabitants? This artwork, painted by Jean-Pol Grandmont, posed more questions than answers. It invited viewers to ponder the nature of myth, the rewriting of history, and perhaps even the absurdity of civic pride. The Fresque Nord Mural may be gone, its colors faded, its wall crumbled. But the story it told, however strange, persists. A reminder that even in demolition, echoes of the past can resonate.