Amazing Belgium

Lost Monday (French Lundi Perdu or Lundi Parjuré) is a Belgian tradition that is generally celebrated on the Monday after the Sunday after Epiphany. This tradition has remained steadfast in the province of Antwerp and in Tournai. In Flanders and especially in the province of Antwerp, it is tradition to eat sausage bread and apple dumplings on that day. In Aalst, Lost Monday is in early October. In Sint-Truiden, Lost Monday is the Monday before Ash Wednesday; then the annual carnival procession walks through the streets of the city. Many stories and city legends are circulating about the origin of this custom, one more accurately dealing with historical information than the other. But one thing is sure, it's a Belgian tradition for everyone to enjoy.

The Belfry of Ghent

The Belfry of Ghent is a 95-meter high bell tower in the center of the Belgian city of Ghent. The tower is the middle tower of the famous Ghent towers, along with the St. Nicholas Church and Saint Bavo Cathedral. Alongside the belfry, there is also the Ghent cloth hall. The building of the Belfry probably began in 1314, this is also the year in which the first building plans were found. A plan in the Bijloke Museum of Jan van Haelst, a master mason confirms the start of the building. In 1323 already four stories (of the six planned) were ready. Between 1377 and 1380 a temporary wooden tower crowning was added. Later the legendary "Dragon of Ghent was hoisted on top of the Belfry. In the following centuries, the spire was changed repeatedly. The belfry got a neo-Gothic cast-iron spire in 1851. Half a century later, the state of the peak however had become too bad and with the World Exhibition of 1913 in anticipation, a competition was launched to build a new peak. A propo...

How the Belgians founded New York

In order to avoid any confusion in this story, it is important to know that in the sixteenth century, the Netherlands covered a part of northern France and Lorraine, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the present Netherlands. Its inhabitants were called the Belgians, and the maps represented the country in the shape of a lion: the "Leo Belgicus". Besides, numerous maps from the sixteenth century showed this territory under the name of Belgium. The latter failed into disuse for the benefit of the Netherlands and only reappeared in 1789 on the occasion of the first Belgian revolution. In 1831 Belgium became an independent country. Today Belgium is a lot smaller and is divided into two big regions mostly based on the language they speak in that particular region. In the north, there is Flanders where they speak Flemish (Dutch) and in the south, there is the Walloon part where they speak French. Almost in the center and between the two parts is the region of the capital Brussels...

The Enigmatic Art of René Magritte: Master of Surrealism

René Magritte, a Belgian artist born in 1898, stands as a giant in the world of Surrealism. He is best known for his thought-provoking paintings that challenge our perception of reality and play with everyday objects in unexpected ways. A Life Marked by Loss and Inspiration: Magritte's early life was marked by a tragic event – his mother's suicide when he was only 14. This experience, he later confided, influenced his artistic vision, particularly his fascination with the hidden and the mysterious. Despite the challenges, Magritte pursued his artistic passion, attending the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. A Master of the Unexpected: Magritte embraced the Surrealist movement, known for its exploration of the subconscious and dreamlike states. His paintings, often meticulously detailed, featured ordinary objects placed in extraordinary contexts. Think of bowler hats obscuring faces, apples filling rooms, or giant birds soaring through the sky. These juxtapositions forc...

The castle that became famous in Hollywood

Belgium has a lot of castles, actually, it has the most castles of all European countries. They come in all shapes and sizes. But there is one castle that strikes every imagination, castle Nottebohm. Located in the north of Antwerp, in the village of Brecht, this remarkable building seems to be escaped from some fantastic Hollywood movie or even more a Pixar animation cartoon. The design of the house is done in a very strange way, in an eclectic style incorporating elements from the neo-Flemish Renaissance, the traditional brick and sandstone style, and the cottage style, all combined. Architect Ernest Pilgrims draw the plans for the castle. It was built in 1834 by the family Nottebohm as a summerhouse. The family used it till 1943 when the German army occupied it in the Second World War. After the war, the family didn't use it a lot anymore and in 1950 they rented the castle as a hotel and restaurant. Later the company who rented the castle went broke and the family had the...

Belgian kids got to drink beer during their school lunch

There are almost 800 different kinds of beer in Belgium. One kind was very popular till the70's, it was even given to kids at school during their lunch break. Beer to kids? You must be kidding! Well, let's go a bit further into this. The beers we are talking about were so-called table beers, a kind of beer that was specially made for people who can't drink alcohol. So it's was a kind of alcohol-free beer, a kind, because there was some alcohol in it. between 1 and 4 percent alcohol. The most popular table beer was Piedboeuf, it had 1.1 percent alcohol in it and there was a lot of sugar added to make it as sweet as Coca-Cola. A good marketing strategy made that it was well distributed in almost all schools in Belgium. The reason was that it would be very healthy for them, because of the natural ingredients and of course the sugar. It would make them grow fast and strong. It would even be good for pregnant women and for women that were breastfeeding their baby...

The oldest house of Antwerp

The now beautifully renovated building is situated in the Stoelstraat, right in the historic center of Antwerp, The three-quarter house with a distinctive wooden gable was built in 1500. It is the only original wooden house in the city that has stood the test of time. It survived six wars. Picture by Harry Fabel At that time the majority of the homes in the Antwerp city center were built in wood, but from 1546 onwards, the people of Antwerp decided to build their houses in stone to reduce the risk of blazing fires that could quickly spread among different houses. Picture by Harry Fabel Today the house can be rented as a short holiday stay for groups of up to 12 people. Staying in the house can be a unique experience.

The giant jewel beetle of Leuven

A 23-meter high needle adorns a giant jewel beetle, pinned against the clouds in front of the university library of Leuven. The artwork of the Beatle is made by Jan Fabre, a world-famous Belgian multidisciplinary artist. The jewel beetle artwork that goes under the name of Totem is a gift from the university to the city, on the occasion of its 575th anniversary. The university wanted long-lasting quality and invited the artist in 2000 to design the concept. Jan Fabre got a wild card for the design. He found the ideas in drawings he made years ago. During a walk through the city, Jan Fabre ruled that the Ladeuzeplein was the best place for the giant jewel beetle. Jan Fabre explains his concept: The beetle is the memory of nature, a kind of senior computer world, a radar of human existence. The total work of art refers to a collection, a collection of insects pinpricks pricked and reversed. Importantly, the relationship with the university: collective memory of man, a bui...

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Amazing Belgium