Amazing Belgium

The first traces of the Belgian chocolate market can already be found in 1635 in Ghent when the abbot of the abbey Baudeloo purchases chocolate. The production of chocolate is then primarily a sideline of pharmacists who sell it as strong medicine. The monks of the abbey used it as a gift. In 1840 Belgian chocolate producer Berwaerts sold the very first chocolate tablets, pastilles, and figurines. Around that period he founded some chocolate producers who grow into major companies like Neuhaus (1857), Côte d'Or (1883), Jacques (1896), and Callebaut (1911) later. Neuhaus' original shop in the Galeries Royales in Brussels The 20th century was the century of Belgian chocolate inventions. Four major inventions in that century mark the history of Belgian chocolate. The invention of the praline and ballotin, the development of the transport of liquid chocolate, and the introduction of the chocolate paste. In 1912 Jean Neuhaus Jr, founder of Neuhaus, invented the pr

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 plan

The largest chocolate factory in the world

The largest chocolate factory in the world is located in Wieze, Belgium. Barry Callebaut produces around 270,000 tonnes a year, from cocoa beans to chocolate, making it the largest chocolate supplier in the world. Picture by Pixabay In Wieze you will also find the first of the seventeen Chocolate Academy centers that have since been distributed all over the world. A completely new building was recently opened, making the Chocolate Academy Center in Wieze the largest center in the world. Picture by Pixabay The Belgian chocolate sector exports its quality chocolate to the entire world. Two-thirds of both the industrial chocolate and the end products are exported abroad. That's because there is a Belgian chocolate code developed in 2007. The Belgian chocolate code must ensure that the term 'Belgian chocolate' is only used for chocolate that actually comes from Belgium.

The Chatillon car graveyard

In the middle of a forest near Chatillon, a little village in Southern Belgium there is a graveyard of abandoned rusty, mostly American cars. Some of them date all the way back to the forties in the middle of the Second World War. These cars once belonged to US soldiers who were stationed in this region. It’s not known how they managed to buy these cars in the middle of the war. When the war ended, all military troops were sent back to the US, but the cost of having all those cars shipped to the US was way too expensive. So they decided to leave all the cars in Belgium. The cars were driven up a hill, one by one, parked and somehow hidden from the outside world. Later on, local people added their own old cars. Today some of the cars are still there, making the location a spooky graveyard of old rusty cars. At one point there was not one but four car graveyards around the village of Chatillon with as many as 500 vehicles. The ones that remain today are only a fraction of the origi

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

Delvaux, the first luxury leather house in the world

The Delvaux house and store were founded in Brussels in 1829 by Charles Delvaux and has been at the forefront of luxury leather goods for almost two centuries now. Thanks to its high quality, its uncompromising craftsmanship, and the outstanding quality of its creations the bags of Delvaux are world-famous fashion creations. The first luxury leather house in the world is one like no other. In the hands of highly skilled leatherworkers, the bags become true masterpieces. Delvaux bags are made from supple and durable calf leather sourced from tanneries in France and Italy. Delvaux is also renowned for its exotic leathers such as alligators, crocodiles, python, lizards, and ostrich. Each bag is made entirely by hand and worked on, from start to finish, Soaked in Belgian surrealism, La Maison Delvaux interprets all its creations in a witty way by injecting each design with an unusual and unique style. Today Delvaux is a proud and pure Belgian brand that

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.

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'

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Amazing Belgium