Belgium lies at the cultural and linguistic boundary between the Germanic and Latin parts of Europe, with the north of the country composed of the Dutch-speaking Flanders, the south of Belgium being French-speaking Wallonia, and the capital area of Brussels being bilingual.
In Brussels the bilingualism is evident, as all places, including the subway stations, have a French name and a Flemish (Dutch) name. There is much to see, such as the Grand Place/Grote Markt, the central market square with its Gothic town hall and superb Baroque guildhouses. There are the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, with works by Pieter Bruegel, Rubens, Magritte, and many other artists of renown.
Flanders is a feast of medieval architecture, and it is evident that Belgium has been much more successful in preserving its old buildings than the UK, where many historic edifices were torn down in the sixties to make way for squarer structures.
Now designated a World Heritage Site is the pretty city of Brugge/Bruges in West Flanders with its awe inspiring architecture, its majestic Market Square with Belfry and City Hall, its stunning canals and waterways, its lace shops, and comfortable and stylish cafes. Brugge/Bruges is relaxing and serene, and has more of the feel of a town than a city.
Ghent, in East Flanders, is a port, and also has a university, meaning that it has a significant young and upbeat population. It has many cobbled streets, and the cars make a distinctinve rumbling sound as they move through this bustling city. Here you can see Saint Bavo Cathedral with its paintings by Hubert and Jan van Eyck, and works by Rubens. The impressive Gravensteen Castle, dating back to the Middle Ages, is in the town center, and close to the very excellent De Draecke hostel, which is more in the style of a boutique hotel than a hostel When you need a rest from your sightseeing don’t forget to head over to Sleepstraat, where all the students go to eat, a mere stone’s throw from Gravensteen, for some delicious Turkish pizza (known as pide) and salad.
Famous for its diamond industry, you may well also want to visit Antwerp, which also has some wonderful old buildings, including the Rubens House Museum.
With so much to see, there will be more posts on Belgium.
3 responses so far ↓
1 marianne // Sep 25, 2008 at 12:29 am
I am a big fan of Belgium - I think there is loads to see there. Yet Belgium hardly ever seems to be mentioned in terms of travelling and holidays. It’s almost as if it is overshadowed by France on the one hand, and Holland on the other.
2 steve_b // Sep 30, 2008 at 1:16 pm
@ marianne - But don’t you think it is overshadowed for pretty good reasons? Belgium is all very well if you love medieval architecture, but it doesn’t have the sophistication, cuisine, wine, etc of France, and it doesn’t have anything like Amsterdam, or Rotterdam, which are the places that most holidaymakers to the Netherlands head for.
I am a big fan of both Amsterdam and Rotterdam, and I don’t think any of the urban centres of Belgium can match it, or come anywhere near it.
Overall, I find Belgium a bit twee and parochial. Plus you have all the aggro between the Flemish speakers and the French speakers.
3 marianne // Oct 4, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Fair enough, steve_b, if you prefer France and Holland. I still like Belgium though. I suppose in some ways it is a bit “twee”, but I kind of like that.
Is the language thing that big an issue?
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