Amazing Belgium

450 years ago on May 20, 1570, the very first modern atlas was born in Antwerp, Belgium. The Antwerp cartographer "Abraham Ortelius" then launched his "Theatrum Orbis Terrarum", a unique new map concept. Ortelius was the first to compile a collection of maps without philosophical considerations. Previously, the world was mainly depicted on large wall maps. theater to put it side by side and admire the whole world. That is why Ortelius chose the title Theatrum Orbis Terrarum or the theater of the world for his book.


The book became a bestseller and was sold all over Europe. A popular book was then published on 500 to 800 copies. But Ortelius's work has been reprinted dozens of times. There were also smaller editions of the "Theatrum Oribis Terrarum" that were very successful. In his book, Ortelius also called on readers to submit additional maps. That way he could correct his own maps and add them to his newer book versions.
Abraham Ortelius lived in six…

The artist-designer Frits Jeuris is a repurposer, which means that he transforms old waste materials into works of art and design objects. For the LOMAK, an local Belgian art initiative, he made "More or Less", a strange but remarkably piece of recycled art that is setup in the small town of Tessenderlo. "More or Less" is the latest member of his "Think a head" family.



Frits Jeuris is also a collage artist, You can almost always literally experience what goes on in his head.  Working from the limitation feed he gets, his inspiration and adrenaline offer you something refreshing as an evidence. This seemingly simple and almost lifelike logic is his trademark.  This time he created a kinetic sculpture. "More or less". shows the tension between weak and strong, sensitivity and hardness, small and large ... because in the future small will become big! At least, that is what the artist tells about this work.

For others, its a kind of a binoculars that …

Sœur Sourire, French for 'Sister Smile' was the stage name of Jeanne Paule Marie Deckers who was born in Brussels in October 1933. She was a Belgian nun in the Dominican monastery in Fichermont, near Waterloo. She regularly sang her self-composed songs there. They were received so well that the monastery came up with the idea to have a record made which could then be given to visitors and novices.
In 1963 the record was recorded in a studio in Brussels. The song Dominique about Dominicus Guzmán, the founder of the Dominican order, was immediately picked out by the people of record company Philips. They requested and were allowed to release the song as a single, with a worldwide hit as a result.


In fact, it was in the top spot of the US charts for some time, and was covered in many different languages, both by Deckers herself and by other artists. The album The Singing Nun also took first place on the Billboard charts. The song Dominique received a Grammy Award in the category &q…

The fries stands are a typically Belgian thing. You can find them in all shapes all over the country. Sometimes in a mobile form for markets and events or they are built into a caravan or wooden chalet. There are also fries shops on the ground floor of ordinary houses. One thing is for sure fries have been popular in Belgium for over a hundred years. In fact, the Belgians invented the fries after all and nobody can make them better than they do.

These fries shops are not part of large international chain restaurants, but are usually run by self-employed people. Everything in these fries stands and houses revolves around fried products, not only the potatoes but also the meat snacks that go with them. It is a typical Belgian custom that you can hardly find in any country and the Belgians are proud of that. Some have their regular fries day once a week, usually on Sunday. Then they sometimes queue for minutes to get their portion of fried gold, supplemented with their favorite cold sauce…

The Irish Peace Park is a war memorial for the Irish soldiers who were killed, injured or missing in the First World War. The monument is close to where the Second Battle of Mesen was fought in June 1917. Inside the park there is a central round tower. The 30.5 meter high tower is designed in the traditional design of an Irish round tower. These round towers were probably built in the 10th century by the Celts as a defense against the Vikings. Today, There are still about 65 of these towers in Ireland.


The stones used to line the outside of the tower are largely Irish rubble stone. These stones come from St. Mary's Hospital in Mullingar. This hospital was built between 1846 and 1849, during which time there was a major famine that left an estimated 1 million Irish people dead and another 1 million Irish immigrated abroad. The tower has a diameter of 6.3 m - 4.9 m and has a conical roof. The inner wall of the tower is built in solid concrete blocks.
The tower was inaugurated after a …

As usual, the European Best Destinations travel website asked more than 600,000 travelers about their favorite European destination and a Belgian city shines in the top ten. With Belgian cities we think of Bruges, Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Liège ... These are without a doubt the best known destinations in our country, but they nevertheless did not get a place in the list.

Namely, it is the Walloon capital of Namur that ended up in seventh place.  The description on the website is as follows: “It is an incredibly charming city that combines the Belgian surrealism of Brussels with the romance of Budapest or Bruges.

Namur is without a doubt the most interesting destination in Belgium.  Moreover, the city is not limited to relaxation and well-being, but offers numerous outdoor activities for young and old. Needless to say that Namur also has a very rich history. ”So it's high time to discover this Belgian gem if you haven't already.
 European Best Destinations top fifteen of 2019
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