The Kingdom of Belgium
The Kingdom of Belgium borders with Germany, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. It is located at the crossroads of Western Europe, and its capital Brussels is the de facto capital of the European Union. You’ll recognise this country thanks to its delicious chocolate, unrivalled beer, Flemish paintings and amazing diamonds.
At the beginning of Christian era the territory of modern Belgium was inhabited by the Belgae, Celtic tribes. In the year of 57 BC these lands were conquered by Julius Caesar and became the Roman province of Gallia Belgica. After the Roman Empire’s fall in the 4th century Gallia was captured by the Franks, Germanic tribes, who founded their duchy. At various times France, England and Spain aimed to seize this country. Only in 1830, after the Belgian Revolution, the country gained its long-awaited independence. The Kingdom of Belgium has been retaining the identity and integrity of its state for more than 200 years. Historically, the territory of Belgium has been divided into Flanders – home to descendants of the Germanic tribes, Wallonia – home to the Romanized Belgae, the province of Brabant and Brussels with mainly bilingual population.
The northern part of the country is especially interesting and architecturally rich. Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp – ancient cities of the Flemish historic region – are located there. The city of Bruges has more than two thousand monuments, most of them dating back to the Middle Ages. You’ll be impressed with Church of Our Lady in Bruges towering up to 122 meters that gained its fame due to the work of Italian painter and sculptor Michelangelo – the marble Madonna and Child Sculpture. Your trip through the Flemish region won’t be complete without visiting Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp. This Roman Catholic cathedral built between 14th and 15th centuries is well recognised thanks to its spire of over 120 meters high. The cathedral’s belfry is on the list of World Heritage Sites of UNESCO.
Unique Flemish paintings are considered the Belgian treasure, represented by wonderful paintings, including works of Peter Paul Rubens located in Cathedral of Our Lady – the Elevation of the Cross and the Descent from the Cross, which are an invaluable part of the world artistic heritage.
Wallonia, a region of Belgium, is popularly known as an area of castles and monasteries. They say a castle is located on every 25 square meters. This area is covered by the Ardennes mountain range that amazes with its unforgettable scenery, attracts with the richness of the High Fens and unique rock monuments. The most interesting in Wallonia is the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame built at the foot of a cliff in the city of Dinant, octagonal St Jean Baptist Church in Liege and Hex Castle, a magnificent building in the Rococo style, surrounded by its rich garden and unique rosary. You can get into the castle in the first week of June and September, the time the Belgian festival of plants takes place.
Numerous museums in Wallonia are considered its feature and represent the history of the region, as well as features of the Belgium’s development. An interesting museum is located in Liege – the Grand Curtius Museum, where you can see the Gospel of Liege’s Bishop Notker C11th, decorated with ivory setting and precious stones. You are well advised to visit the Diamond Museum in Antwerp. By the way, Antwerp is the world centre of diamonds’ cutting and selling, thereby Belgium is known as a diamond country.
Brussels, the capital of Belgium, is very rich in places of interest, thereby being so attractive for tourists. The central and most famous landmark of Brussels is St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral, one of the most striking examples of Gothic art. It amazes with its majestic exterior and surprises with unique stained glasses of well known artists. Your acquaintance with the city won’t be complete without visiting the Brussels City Hall with a 90-meters tower, the Royal Art and History Museum with the richest exhibition of ancient Egyptian artefacts, and the largest Mini-Europe Park, where more than a hundred miniature models of European historical and architectural monuments are located. The Brussels’ central square – the Grand Place, which is recognized as the most beautiful architectural creation in the world – simply shouldn’t be missed by you.
Europeanness is an integral part of Brussels, as this city is a seat of the most important institutions of the European Union: the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee. The Council of Europe, the United Nations Information Centre, the NATO Headquarters and Headquarters of about two thousand international organizations, more than a thousand foreign companies and more than 150 diplomatic missions are located in the capital of Belgium.
Belgium gained its fame not only due to its exquisite architecture and rapid developing economy, but also due to its unique cuisine and striking festivals. Belgium annually hosts some of the most wonderful carnivals, traditionally held before Lent, during the May holidays and at St Nicholas Eve in December. Festival of flowers traditionally held in the second half of August is very loved by tourists, as during this holiday the Grand Place is covered with an enormous floral carpet, accompanied by a light music show, and stories of Belgian myths and legends make this holiday special.
Talking about national cuisine, the Belgians really love to eat, however they have a very respectful attitude towards the tradition of cooking and eating, that’s why you won’t find widely established network of bistro instead almost every your step will be accompanied by delicious odours of unsurpassed dishes from restaurants and cafes, where you’ll be offered to order different dishes of shrimp with tomatoes, asparagus according to Flemish traditions, and of course fish of various recipes. Moreover, the Belgians are proud of their brewing tradition. Not without reason, the intoxicating beverage brewed in this country is the most delicious in Europe. One may count over a thousand types of beer, however people say, every week brewers invent one new recipe of this beverage. Therefore it is not surprising that in Belgium you can taste beer of kiwi or banana.
The Belgians deftly combine ancient brewing traditions with genuine love to chocolate. Belgian chocolate is considered one of the best in the world. Its history began in the 18th century, when a pharmacist, trying to create drugs against cough, invented bitter Belgian chocolate. In the early 20th century, praline, chocolate paste with grated nuts, was well known. Thanks to the great love of the Belgians for chocolate you can visit one of numerous shops and buy various chocolates made by hand. And the city of Bruges offers you to visit the Chocolate Museum, as well as enjoy this unrivalled food in one of chocolate restaurants.
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