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  Cities

• Brussels :

In 977, Duke Charles of Lotharingia built a castle on the islet of Saint-Géry in the middle of he river Senne with the name BRUOCSELA, meaning residence in the marshes.

Political and administrative capital of the Kingdom of Belgium.

Headquarters of NATO and the European Community (15.000 officials).

Brussels consists of 19 communes.

Known for the famous guildhalls on the Grand Place, the Atomium (constructed 1958 for the World Fair symbolizing the Atomic Age), the Cinquantenaire (fiftieth ann. of Belgium independence), the Manneken Pis (1619), the Horta Museum (Art Nouveau) the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken etc.

Markets: Bird market, flea market, antique market.

• Antwerp :

Was nominated cultural capital of Europe in 1993 and is the city of Rubens and the Baroque era.

Has one of the five largest world ports.

Points of interest:
The guildhalls on the Groote Markt, the late Gothic Vleeshuis and the Hessenhuis.
Contemporary art: Middleheim open air sculpture museum.
The Zoo.
The Diamond Museum.

Characteristics: hundreds of little cafés, terraces and restaurants and a varied night life.

• Bruges :

Also known as "the Venice of the North", is a gigantic open air museum of the romance and culture of the Middle Ages.

The Begijnhof: 13th century, small, white-washed houses.

The houses, viewed from the canal boats, are the testimony of its rich past as a merchant city.

It is famous for it's lace making.

• Ghent :

It is one of Flanders most flourishing cities which developed from the 7th century onwards around two abbeys and a castle.

The baroque abbey of St Peter with a permanent exibition of applied art, old and new

The abbey of St Baaf is a museum of medieval monuments and sculpture; world-famous polyptych of Jan van Eyck; "The Adoration of the Lamb of God"

The Gravensteen castle, built in the 12th century

• Liège :

It is one of Southern Belgium's most important cultural, historic and economic centers.

During the Middle Ages, Liège became the center of the Meuse school, a style which developed in the Meuse valley.

The Steel and Coal Museum : Overview of the history of the Belgian Steel industry.

The City can be discovered by boat.

• Namur :

The gateway to the Belgian Ardennes was a very important strategic point as a result of its location at the meeting point of Sambre and Meuse.

Points of interest :
The Citadel : Formerly a city fortress, now a unique nature park with a panoramic view of the Meuse Valley
The Woodland Museum : Fauna and Flora of the Ardennes
The Weapon Museum : The fort's history

Cultural events

• People :

• Painters:
  Hans Memling (Flemish, primitive); Peter Paul Rubens, Pieter Brueghel, the brothers Van Eyck, René Magritte, Paul Delvaux (surrealists), Allechinsky, Folon
• Architecture: Victor Horta and Van de Velde (Art Nouveau)
• Entertainment: Jacques Brel, Salvatore Adamo, Annie Cordy (singers); Toots Thielemans (jazz)
• Dance: Maurice Béjart (choreographer)
• Actor: Jean-Claude Van Damme
• Sports: Jean-Marie Pfaff (football), Eddy Merckx (cyclist), Jacky Ickx (race car driver), Thierry Boutsen (Formula 1 driver)
• Cartoons: Hergé (creator of Tintin)
• Business: Ernest Solvay (chemist), Léon Bekaert
• Aeronautics: Dirk Frimout (astronaut)
• Folklore :
• Each hamlet or village has its special day, day's or weeks.
• The theme's of the celebrations are a mixture of a religious ceremony, a re-enactment of the biblical story and secular rejoicing.
• Local people receive family and friends, have a copious lunch and watch the event;

Carnivals:

Binche (January), Eupen (Mid November), Malmédy (Saturday before lent), Stavelot (mid- lent)

Religious Processions:

Bruges: The Holy Blood Ceremony (Ascencion Day) and Veurne's Procession (last Sunday in July)

Traditional Pageants:

The Ommegang in Brussels (repetition of a great ceremony of 1549 presided by Charles V)

The Procession of the Golden Tree in Bruges (Wedding of Charles the Bold, 1468, only every five years, next one 2000)