Belgium tourist information

The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France and is one of the founding and core members of the European Union. Belgium has a population of over ten million people, in an area of around 30,000 square kilometres (11,700 square miles), mostly Flemish (over 6 million), a large minority of French-speakers (4 million, 3/4 of them Walloon) and a tiny German-speaking group. Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Romance Europe, it is linguistically divided. Two major languages are spoken in Belgium: Dutch is mainly spoken in Flanders to the north, while French in Wallonia in the south. The capital, Brussels, is officially bilingual, while the majority of its residents speak French and an officially-recognized German-speaking minority is present, in the east of the country. This linguistic diversity often leads to political and cultural conflict and is reflected in Belgium's complex system of government and political history.

Places to go in Belgium ...

Aalst Aalter Antwerp Arlon Bastogne Blankenberge Bouillon Brasschaat Bruges Brussels Casteau Charleroi Diegem Diksmuide Dinant Drogenbos Durbuy Edegem Eupen Gembloux Genk Genval Ghent Gosselies Hasselt Herbeumont Herstal Heverlee Huy Kortenberg La Hulpe Lanaken Libramont Liege Limelette Mechelen Menen Messancy Mons Mouscron Namur Noirefontaine Ostende Oud Turnhout Oudenburg Retie Rochefort Sint Niklaas Spa Tournai Turnhout Vilvoorde Waterloo Wavre Wevelgem Zaventem

Belgium derives its name from the Belgae, a group of mostly Celtic tribes, and from the Roman province in northern Gaul, known as Gallia Belgica. Historically, Belgium has been a part of the Low Countries, which also include the Netherlands and Luxembourg and were covering a somewhat larger region than the current Benelux group of states. From the end of the Middle Ages until the seventeenth century, it was a prosperous centre of commerce and culture. From the sixteenth century until independence in 1830, Belgium, called at that time the Southern Netherlands, was the site of many battles between the European powers, and has been dubbed "the cockpit of Europe." More recently, Belgium was a founding member of the European Union, hosting its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, such as NATO.

Belgium, with an area of 30 528 square kilometres (11,787 sq. mi), has three main geographical regions: the coastal plain in the north-west, the central plateau, and the Ardennes uplands in the south-east. The coastal plain consists mainly of sand dunes and polders. Polders are areas of land, close to or below sea level that have been reclaimed from the sea, from which they are protected by dikes or, further inland, by fields that have been drained with canals. The second geographical region, the central plateau, lies further inland. This is a smooth, slowly rising area that has many fertile valleys and is irrigated by many waterways. Here one can also find rougher land, including caves and small gorges.

The third geographical region, called the Ardennes, is more rugged than the first two. It is a thickly forested plateau, very rocky and not very good for farming, which extends into northern France. This is where much of Belgium's wildlife can be found. Belgium's highest point, the Signal de Botrange is located in this region at only 694 metres (2,277 ft).

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Cuisine ^*

Gourmands rather than Gourmets which translates into big cuisine rather than fine cuisine. In reality this means that along with big portions, you get pretty good quality and a kind of unpretentiousness. The word Gourmandise originally meant gluttony, but like in France it has taken over the above meaning. It is often said Belgium serves food with the quantity of Germany and the quality of France.

"French" fries, which the Belgians consider themselves to have invented, are very popular. They are called frieten in Flemish or frites in French. The best place to enjoy Belgian frites is at a frituur (friterie in French or informally frietkot in Flemish) which is a temporary construction usually strategically placed in busy squares.

Typical dishes include:

Mosselen-Friet/Moules Frites or mussels and chips.
Konijn in Geuze or Lapin a la Gueuze. Rabbit in Geuze, which is a spontaneously fermented, sour beer from the area around Brussels.
Stoemp, or potato mashed with other vegetables, often served with sausage.
Salade Liegeoise, (Luikse sla) a salad with green beans, pieces of bacon, onions and vinegar, associated with Liege.
Mitraillette, a type of sandwich containing french fries, hot or cold meats, mayonnaise (or another type of sauce), and sometimes vegetables such as lettuce and tomatoes.
Vlaamse stoofkarbonaden (Carbonnades Flamandes) or Flemish beef stew, similar to the French Beef Bourguignon but made with beer instead of red wine.
Waterzooi, a mild casserole of chicken (or occasionally fish) in cream, associated with Ghent.
Paling In 't Groen (Anguilles au vert). Eels in a green sauce of mixed herbs.
Gegratineerd witloof/Chicon Gratin, Belgian endives baked in melted cheese.
Slices of rustic bread (boterhammen/tartines) and an uncovered spread, often pate or soft cheese, served on a board and eaten with knife and fork. A typical variety is boterhammen met platte kaas en radijsjes, quark with sliced radishes on such bread.
The Ardennes is notable for Charcuterie, or cold meat products, particularly pate, which may be made of game such as wild boar.
Waffles, sometimes eaten as a street snack.
Chocolate, particularly pralines (filled chocolates).

Another Belgian speciality is beer. Although a comparatively small country, there are a large number of beers available in a range of different styles. Almost every different beer has its own unique drinking vessel, usually a glass of some description. Several home and restaurant dishes use typical Belgian beers.

Culture ^*

Belgian cultural life has tended to concentrate within each community. The shared element is less important, because there are no bilingual universities, except the royal military academy, no common media, and no single, common large cultural or scientific organisation where both main communities are represented. Aside from these differences, Belgium is well-known for its fine art and architecture.

The region corresponding to today's Belgium has seen the flourishing of major artistic movements that have had tremendous influence over European art. The Mosan art, the Early Netherlandish, the Flemish Renaissance and Baroque painting, and major examples of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture, and the Renaissance vocal music of the Franco-Flemish School developed in the southern part of the Low Countries, are milestones in the history of art.

This rich artistic production, often referred to as a whole as Flemish art, gradually declined during the second half of the 17th century. However, in the 19th and 20th centuries, many original artists appeared. In music, Adolphe Sax invented the saxophone in 1846. Henri Vieuxtemps, Eugène Ysaÿe and Arthur Grumiaux were major 19th- and 20th-century violinists.

Perhaps the most famous Belgian composer of this time was Cesar Franck but Vieuxtemps and Guillaume Lekeu are also noteworthy. In architecture, Victor Horta was a major initiator of the Art Nouveau style. Belgium has produced famous romantic, expressionist and surrealist painters; these include Egide Wappers, James Ensor, Constant Permeke and René Magritte. In literature, Belgium has produced several well-known authors, such as the poets Emile Verhaeren, Henri Michaux, Jacques Brel and novelists Hendrik Conscience and Georges Simenon.

The poet and playwright Maurice Maeterlinck won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1911. Michel de Ghelderode was another major Belgian playwright. The best known Franco-Belgian comics are The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé but many other major authors of comics have been Belgian, including Edgar P. Jacobs and André Franquin.

History Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830 and was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. It has prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy.

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Languages Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)

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Terrain Flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast.

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