Facts Of Belgium
Belgium is multicultural and multilingual. The official languages of Belgium are French, German and Dutch. However, the language spoken by the commoners are French and Dutch.
In 496 AD, Belgium was a part of the kingdom founded by King Clovis. The inhabitants of ancient Belgium were the Celtic tribes known as Belgae.
In 1555, Maxmilian’s grandson, Charles the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy, gifted Belgium to his son, Philip II.
1n 1713, Austria captured Belgium from the French. The Treaty of Utrecht was signed between the French rulers and the Habsburg rulers of Austria and as per this treaty Belgium was freed from the French governance.
In 1815, the Congress of Vienna defeated Napoleon Bonaparte in the city of Waterloo, in Belgium. After this defeat, 124 cities around the world were named Waterloo.
On July 21, 1831, King Leopold I became the King of independent Belgium.
After the World War II, Belgium played an important role in laying the foundation for the European Community. Today, Brussels, the capital of Belgium, is also the capital of European Union (EU). Brussels is also the Headquarters of the NATO.
Belgium is known as the "Essence of Europe". This country is famous for different flavors of beer, chocolates, and waffles. Here are a few fun facts on Belgium.
One of the interesting facts about Belgium that is noteworthy is the annual production of chocolates. Approximately 220,000 tons of chocolate are manufactured in Germany each year. The National Airport in Brussels, Belgium, is the world’s biggest selling point of chocolates.
One of the countries in the world to legalize the gay and euthanasia marriages, and to ban forced marriages is Belgium.
Belgium is one of the few countries that gives importance to education. Education is mandatory for all citizens up to the age of 18.
Do you know oil paints were invented in Belgium in the 15th century? One of the hobbies of the rich Belgians is to collect various forms of art and paintings.
Belgium is the world’s diamond center and diamonds are not only negotiated but also polished here. The diamond capital of the world is Antwerp.
The most famous monument in Brussels is the Manneken Pis, a statue of a young boy urinating.
Ypres is the site of the Cat Festival. This dates from the medieval ritual of throwing cats off the top of the belfry. Today's politically correct society dictates that stuffed toy cats be hurled instead.
Charlotte and Emily Bronte spent nearly a year in Brussels learning French. Charlotte spent a further year there teaching English; Villette and The Professor draws on her time in Belgium.
Jean-Claude Van Damme, known as The Muscles from Brussels, has been one of the most successful film action heroes of the last ten years.
Eddy Merckx, the Belgian racing cyclist was known as "The Cannibal" and won the Tour de France five times.
The Menin Gate in Ypres was built in memory of the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed there during the First World War.
Edith Cavell, the famous British nurse, was executed in Brussels during the First World War for helping Allied soldiers to escape to the Netherlands.
Leo Hendrick Baekeland, the inventor of Bakelite, was born on 14 November 1863 in Ghent, Belgium. His products were in use by nearly every industry and his life's work had been recognised by numerous scientific and academic bodies throughout the world.
During the Battle of Britain, the Belgains formed the third largest non-Common wealth contingent in the Royal Air Force.
The cartoon character TinTin was created by the Belgian cartoonist George Remi, better known as Herge.
There are more castles per square mile in Belgium than anywhere else in the world.
Antwerp, the world's fourth largest port is one of the world's main centres for diamond dealing, cutting and polishing.
Antwerp Zoo is one of the oldest and largest in Europe, housing over 4,000 animals.
The Belgian railway network, with a total of 2534 miles, is the densest in the world.
Christmas comes early in Belgium; St Nicolas Day, 6th December, is the first day of gift giving.
Tulips have been around in Belgium, longer than Holland - the first bulbs arrived in Antwerp in 1562.
German Shepherds were the first dogs trained for police work- beginning around 1900 in Ghent, Belgium.
The twinning link between Nottingham and Ghent was formally established in 1985.
The first recorded lottery to involve buying a ticket and distribution of prize money was held in Bruges on 14 February 1466. It was held to raise money for the poor of the town.
The decimal system for mathematical divison was invented by the Belgian mathematician Simon Stevin, who was born in Bruges.
There are over 400 different types of beer in Belgium running the gamut from white to raspberry beer. Most beers have their own glass in which only that beer may be served. Some of the most famous are made by Trappist monks.
Belgium and Flanders are particularly famous for waffles and chips.
Belgian chips are often eaten with mayonnaise or served with mussels.
Chicory is a popular vegetable, as are, of course, Brussels sprouts.
Belgian "national dishes" are fries with mussels , rabbit with plums, eel in green sauce ( Paling in't Groen in Dutch) and meatballs with "rabbit sauce" - also called "hunter sauce".
Brussels has 138 restaurants per square mile.
Belgium is a gourmets paradise, boasting many Michelin star-rated restaurants.
Famous Flemish brewery Hoegaarden was founded by a milkman.
Beers such as Kriek and Framboise are often served in champagne glasses to bring out their full flavour.
When producing its Kriek beer, Belle-Vue uses one pound of cherries for every three litres of beer.
On the 31st of January 2009, whisky lovers from all over the world came to Ghent to taste six fine malt whiskies in an attempt to stake a claim in the Guinness World Records. They had to beat the previous record of 1221 people and they did so by 932 as they had 2153 whisky drinkers.
Belgium is bolstered by a strong economy and can compete in the new single-currency European marketplace.
Belgium is the world's largest producer of azaleas.
Major tourism attractions include the medieval city of Brugge and the town of Bastogne, in the Ardennes, for Battle of the Bulge sites.
Brussels is the headquarters of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The highest point in Belgium is the Botrange, at 2,276 ft. (694m).
Belgium is often referred to as the ‘Essence of Europe’.
The world's biggest chocolate selling point is the Brussels National Airport.
The world's first country to ban cluster bombs was Belgium and it was also the second country in the world to ban forced marriages in the year 2006.
The highest proportion of female ministers in the world is in Belgium and this country also has the credit for being one of the earliest countries to have a female Parliamentarian, way back in 1921.
Education is compulsory in Belgium upto the age of 18, which makes it the highest in the world and also one of the rare countries to have such a law.
The only man-made structure visible from the moon is the Belgian motorway system, which is visible as a small glittering spot due to the lights all along the motorway network.
Belgians are fond of keeping pets and almost half of Belgian households have at least a single pet. For 10 million people, domestic dogs and cats mount to 2 million and above.
After US, Belgians are the most enthusiastic collectors of discount coupons in the world.
The Bank of England was founded by a Walloon protestant whose family had fled from Europe to escape religious persecution. His name was John Houblon , and his portrait is on the £50.00 notes.
John Joseph Merlin from the town of Huy was the first person to invent the roller skate, wearing his first pair to a masquerade party at Carlisle-House in London in the 1760’s.
The saxophone was invented by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian from the town of Dinant.
Dance anthem “ Pump up the Jam ”, which reached No. 1 in the US and No. 2 in the UK in 1989 was by the Belgian band Technotronic.
Catholic priest Monseigneur Georges Lemaître , born in Charleroi in 1894, actually invented the Big Bang theory which was published in 1927 in the Annals of the Brussels Scientific Society.
The most translated works in the world after the Bible are the books of Liege -born Belgian author Georges Simenon of Inspector Maigret fame.
William the Conqueror imported the Bloodhound to England. It was in fact a special breed of dog from St Hubert in Wallonia, Southern Belgium.
One of the very first feminist in the world was a priest name Lambert Le Bègue (the stuttering Lambert) - He founded the béguinages in Liege one century before they were replicated in Germany, Netherlands and Flanders .
The internationally renowned Belgian restaurants chain "Le Pain Quotidien"(French for "the Daily Bread") was founded in Brussels by Walloon chef Alain Coumont.
Huy is the birthplace of Arlette (or Herleva) (c1003-c1050), the mother of Duke William II of Normandy, who invaded England in 1066 and became King William I “the Conqueror” of England.
Alain Coumont (b1945), the founder of Le Pain Quotidien (“Our Daily Bread”) a rapidly-expanding chain of organic café-baker’s shops that now has more than 80 branches in 10 countries.
Jean-Joseph Merlin (1735-1803), the inventor of the roller-skate, as well as musical instruments and automata.
Luc Baiwir (b1958) the composer, whose best-known work is his Symphonie des Ages, commissioned by the Royal Wallonia Opera in 2000. He is famous for his huge stadium concerts of electronic music.
In Ancient Rome, Pliny the Elder wrote “ In Tongaria, a region of Gaul, there is a famous spring whose water sparkles with bubbles and has a distinct aftertaste of iron. The water is an excellent purgative; it cures tertiary fevers and dissipates kidney stones.
The term "spa" is actually stemming from the name of a small town near Liege where Europe's first health resort opened in the 18th century. This town is called Spa, and to this day is still famous for its health resort and water natural source.
Spa had the first casino in Europe, owned by the Prince-Bishop of Liège, and known as La Redoute, which opened in 1763. A theatre was added to the building in 1769, followed by a ballroom in 1770 and the Waux-Hall (Vauxhall) pleasure gardens in 1776.
Natives of Spa are called Spadois.
Spa has attracted many famous people over the years, including Georges Krins the leader of the orchestra on the SS Titanic, who famously played the hymn “Nearer My God To Thee” as the ship was sinking.
A public collection in Liège raised over 2,000 francs (around €4,000 today) for a memorial to Krins, but it was never built due to the German occupation in the First World War.
Agatha Christie the English detective-story writer was a frequent visitor, and made Spa the birthplace of her detective Hercule Poirot, who investigates crimes in 33 novels and 54 short stories, published between 1920 and 1975.
Emperor Joseph II visited Spa in 1781 and described it as “the café of Europe” due to the cosmopolitan nature of its visitors, who would assemble to discuss current affairs in the Pump Rooms and other places.
King Henry VIII of England took the waters at Spa, as did Casanova, Tsar Peter the Great of Russia and Alexandre Dumas père. Stanley Kubrick’s 1975 film Barry Lyndon refers to Spa and contains many scenes set in eighteenth-century Spa.
The Paris métro was designed and built from 1900 onwards by the Belgian Baron Empain’s pioneering company which built electric railways and tramways all over the world.
The luxury Orient Express, best-known of a series of long-distance trains operated by the Wagons-Lit Company, founded by the Liège born Georges Nagelmackers in 1872.
After the WWI, Brussels architecte Victor Horta was in search of purest lines and concept and he took a major part in the launch of the Art Deco movement, which is typical of the 30s'.
The guide to French usage Le Bon Usage written by Belgian schoolmaster Maurice Grévisse in 1936 because he couldn’t find the sort of grammar book he needed on the market - it remains a best-seller today.
The French publishing-house Actes Sud, founded by the Belgian Hubert Nyssen in 1978, was among the first to translate major works of modern literature in other languages into French and publish them in France.
The creation of the strip cartoon and animated cartoons had much to do with the skill of many Belgian artists. Belgium remains a centre of the “9th Art” with many new artists following the example of the early greats.
The ground-breaking “mockumentary” film C’est arrivé près de chez vous - in English: Man Bites Dog, directed by the Belgians Belvaux and Bonzel in 1992 which used hand-held cameras and scenes of graphic violence to create an ultra-realist atmosphere. This film is a cinema history milestone according to American director Martin Scorcese.
The writer Hugo Claus, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, opted for euthanasia in 2008.
Belgium has always been a hub for avant-garde fashion, thanks to the school of La Cambre (Brussels) or the Academy of Fine Arts(Antwerp), which spawned the influential "Antwerp Six": Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs, Marina Yee.
The Atomium is the symbol of Brussels. It was originally built for the International Exhibition of Brussels in 1958, and it represents an iron crystal by the scale of its atom, times 165 billion, thus marking the advent of science.
The Atomium was meant to be destroyed after the International Exhibition, but its popularity led to a permanent position on the Brussels landscape and it is now a must-see.
From Jacques Brel to Stromae, Belgium's music scene is eclectic, vibrant, and very much alive. Belgium hosts a whole range of music festivals in summer, which include Dour Festival, Wechter Rock Festival, and Pukkelpop, ie some of the biggest and most interesting European festivals.
Belgium has a strong tradition in comics and comic production. "The Adventures of Tintin", by Belgian author Hergé, is one of the most popular series originating from Belgium and has sold millions of copies around the world.
The city of Brussels was founded over a thousand years ago.
The Grand Place in Brussels has been a market place since the beginning of the city's history; in a special festival, held every two years, it is completely carpeted with flowers.
The St Nicholas Church, one of the oldest churches in Brussels, was named after the patron saint of traders.
Guild Houses, built at the end of the sixteenth century, are a reminder of the importance of commerce in the economic history of Belgium.
Brussel sprouts have been grown in the Brussels area for over four hundred years.
Since the fifteenth century Belgium has been famous for tapestry-making. Lace is also a notable local product.
Bruges is known as the "Venice of the North" because of its many canals.
Ostend was an early holiday resort particularly popular with British visitors.
Belgium was the scene of Napoleon's final defeat, at Waterloo, south of Brussels.
Henry Morton Stanley (the explorer famous for finding the missing Dr Livingstone with the words "Dr Livingstone, I presume" ...) was commissioned by King Leopold II to procure what became known as the Congo Free State.
King Albert I led the defence of his country against the German invasion during the First World War.
Wilfred Owen, the famous World War I poet, was killed in November 1918 leading an attack across the Sambre Canal.
Edith Cavell, the famous British nurse, was executed in Brussels during the First World War for helping Allied soldiers to escape to the Netherlands.
The Menin Gate in Ypres was built in memory of the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed there during the First World War.
The Belgian politician, Paul Henri Spaak helped found the EEC and was Chairman of the group that signed the Treaty of Rome in 1957.
The Atomium was built for the 1958 Brussels exhibition in the shape of the atomic structure of iron, with nine steel spheres connected by tubes which contain escalators to carry visitors to the top.
The Channel Tunnel opened up direct rail connections between London and Brussels.
Belgium is home to the world's first Beer Academy. Beer Academy grads receive "Masters of Beer" diplomas.
The world's first praline chocolate was invented almost one hundred years ago in the Belgium town of Brussels by Jean Neuhaus.
Did you know there are actually different kinds of Belgian waffles? The two main styles of Belgian waffles are the Brussels waffle and the Liege waffle.
Belgians prefer sweet popcorn to salty popcorn.
The only man-made structures that can be seen from space are the Great Wall of China and the motorway system of Belgium.
Actress Audrey Hepburn was born in Brussels. Her birth name is actually Edda van Hemstra Hepburn-Ruston.
Statues of the Virgin Mary can be seen above street lights in Belguim. In the past, buildings with street lights were taxed unless a Virgin Mary statue hung above it.
Duffle bags take their name from the town Duffel which produced thick woolen cloth for bags and coats.
Every village in Belgium is said to have its own band.
Children living at home in their 20's is a Belgian norm.
The beloved blue cartoon creatures known as The Smurfs got their start as a comic strip in Belgium. The Smurfs were created by the Belgian cartoonist Peyo (aka Pierre Cullifort) in 1958.
Seven people commit suicide every day in Belgium.
24 million ecstasy tabs are taken by Belgians per year.
People like to eat out in Belgium. On average, more Belgians dine out than any other place in the world.
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