Belgium is a Western European country known for its medieval cities and Renaissance architecture. It shares its borders with France, Germany and the Netherlands.
Despite being somewhat overshadowed by its neighbors, it has great wealth in terms of artistic, historical and cultural heritage. In addition, it is the headquarters of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
If you are planning to visit this country famous for waffles and its vast production of chocolate, here are the most interesting things you can discover in this corner of Europe.
1. It is an independent country since 1830.
The independent movement began when the inhabitants of the southern provinces of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands rose up against the hegemony of the Northern Provinces, mainly Protestant.
2. Its type of government is the Monarchy.
Its official name is Kingdom of Belgium and the current king is Prince Philip.
3. It has three official languages.
They are German, French and Dutch, the latter in its «Flemish» variety and spoken by 60% of the population.
4. "Spa" is a word of Belgian origin.
The word we use to refer to relaxing massages or water-based body treatments comes from the city of "Spa", in the Liège province, famous for its thermal waters.
5. In Belgium Napoleon was defeated.
The battle known as Waterloo, in which the French emperor was defeated, took place in the city of the same name and is located south of Brussels.
6. It is an important diplomatic headquarters.
Another curious fact about Belgium is that, like Washington, D.C. (United States), houses the largest number of international news agencies and embassies.
7. The largest agricultural, forestry and agri-food fair in Europe is held in Belgium.
It is known as Foire de Libramontand every year it receives approximately 200 thousand visitors.
8. Belgium is the country with the highest number of castles per square kilometer.
The most famous are: the Hof Ter Saken (near Antwerp), the Hulpe castle, the Freyr Castle, the Coloma Castle of Roses, among others.
9. Surely you know "The Smurfs", "Tin Tín" and "Lucky Luke" ...
These famous cartoons are of Belgian origin.
10. The famous animated series from the 80s, "The Snorks", is also of Belgian origin.
11. Belgium has the highest tax rates in the world.
Single people pay the highest income tax.
12. It has an important precedent in the history of football.
The first international soccer match was played in Brussels in 1904.
13. The shortest reign in history took place in Belgium.
In 1990 the removal of King Badouin took place, because he was against the pro-abortion law that the government wanted to pass, so they removed him for 36 hours, signed the law and made him king again.
14. Belgium also has the "honor" of being the country to have the longest government in its history.
This is because it took 541 days to form and 200 more days to divide 65 administrative positions.
15. They have the book that has been translated the most times in the world, after the Bible.
They are the novels of Inspector Maigret by Georges Simenon, originally from Liège, Belgium.
16. In 1953 television came to Belgium.
Its transmissions were carried out through a channel in German and another in French.
17. In Belgium, education is compulsory up to 18 years of age.
The basic educational period ranges from 6 to 18 years old and is free.
18. Like Spain, Belgium is the only country in the world with two monarchs.
The current King Father Felipe and Prince Albert, who after abdication has the title of "little King".
19. The city of Antwerp is known as the Diamond Capital of the World.
It was the city's Jewish community that started the business decades ago and currently accounts for 85% of the world's diamond production.
20. Brussels International Airport is the point where the most chocolates are sold in the world.
21. The first two newspapers were printed in 1605.
One of them in the French city of Strasbourg and the other in Antwerp by Abraham Verhoeven.
22. The first Belgian carIt was built in 1894.
It was called Vincke and the brand ceased to exist in 1904.
23. The Botrange Signal is the highest point in Belgium.
It reaches 694 meters above sea level.
24. The North Sea is the lowest point in Belgium.
25. The Belgian Coastal Tram is the longest in the world.
With 68 kilometers it began its operations in 1885 and transits between De Panne and Knokke-Heist, from the French border to the German one.
26. The first railway in Europe started operations in Belgium.
It was in the year 1835, it connected the cities of Brussels and Mechelen.
27. Elio Di Rupo is the Prime Minister of Belgium.
And he is also the first in Europe to openly accept his homosexuality.
28. The Genste Festeen is the largest cultural festival in Europe.
It takes place in the city of Ghent during the month of July and lasts for several days.
29. Belgium has the lowest pay gap between men and women in the European Union.
30. The two French-language writers, with the most translated works, are of Belgian origin: Hergé and George Simenon.
31. 80% of billiard players use "Aramith" balls, made in Belgium.
32. French fries were created in Belgium.
33. The city of Leuven is home to the oldest university in the Netherlands.
It was founded in 1425 and currently has a student population of more than 20,000 students.
34. The tallest building in Belgium is the "South Tower" and it is in Brussels.
35. The first building of the Stock Exchange was built in the city of Bruges.
36. Hesbaye is the largest fruit growing region in Western Europe.
And, after South Tyrol, the largest on the entire continent.
37. The cassette of music is of Belgian origin.
It was invented in 1963 in the Belgian department of Philips, Hasselt.
38. James Llewelyn Davies, adopted son of Scotsman James Mathew Barrie (author of "Peter Pan"), was buried in Belgium.
39. The sand sculpture festival takes place in Belgium.
It takes place in the coastal town of Blackenberge and is considered the largest in the world. It occupies an area of 4 thousand square meters and more than 20 thousand tons of sand are destined to exhibit more than 150 sculptures made by artists from all over the world.
40. Belgium is a country of festivals.
"Tomorrowland" is the world's largest electronic dance music festival.
41. The Belgian Pierre Munit (1589-1638) founded the city of New York.
In 1626 he bought the island of Manhattan from its original inhabitants.
42. Indirectly Belgium participated in the bombing of Japan in 1942.
The uranium that was used to create the atomic bomb that the United States dropped on Hiroshima, came from the Congo, at that time it was a colony of Belgium.
43. The name Belgium is attributed to the Romans.
It was the Romans who called the northern province of Gaul Gallia Belgium, by its ancient settlers, the Celtic and the Belgian German.
44. Belgium a leading importer of coffee.
With 43 million bags of coffee per year, this country is the sixth largest importer of this bean in the world.
45. In Belgium, more than 800 types of beers are manufactured per year, although there are those who claim that there are more than a thousand.
46. In 1999 the first beer academy in Belgium was opened, in Herk -de- Stad, Limburg province.
47. Chocolates were invented in Brussels.
Its creator was Jean Nehaus in 1912, hence chocolate is the most famous product made in Belgium and the best known brand is precisely the Nehaus.
48. In Belgium se produce per year, more than 220 thousand tons of chocolate.
49. The first country in the world to ban cluster bombs was Belgium.
50. Along with Italy, Belgium was the country in the world to issue electronic identity cards in March 2003.
It was also the first to issue electronic passports that met the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
51. Belgium is one of the few countries in the world where voting is compulsory.
52. Belgium has the ship liftbiggest in the world.
It is located in the Belgian province of Hainaut and is 73.15 meters high.
53. The largest skyscraper in the world was built in Antwerp.
It was in 1928, it is called "The Farmers' Tower" and it is the second tallest structure in the city, along with the Cathedral of Our Lady.
54. Brussels sprouts have been cultivated in Belgium for more than 400 years.
55. The oldest commercial galleries in Europe are the St. Huberts and they opened in 1847.
56. The courts of justice in Brussels are the largest in the world.
They house an area of 26 thousand square meters, larger than St. Peter's Basilica, which occupies an area of 21 thousand square meters.
57. The highest number of citizenships per inhabitant in the world are granted in Belgium.
58. The Great Temple of Brussels is the largest Freemason temple in the world.
And it is located at Laeken street number 29.
59. Belgium is the largest brick manufacturer in the world.
60. Belgium has the largest Brewery in the world.
It is located at Anheuser - Busch in Leuven.
61. Belgium has a dense population of creators of comics.
Surpassing even Japan, Belgium is the country with the highest number of creators of comics per square kilometer.
62. The biggest baby in the world is Belgian.
Samuel Timmerman, born in December 2006 in Belgium, is the largest registered baby in the world, weighing 5.4 kilos and 57 centimeters tall.
63. Huy was the first European city to receive the city's bill of rights in the year 1066.
This makes it the first oldest free city on the European continent.
64. Belgium has the highest concentration of art collectors.
65. Durbuy calls itself the smallest city in the world.
It has a population that does not exceed 500 inhabitants; this title was given to him in medieval times and is still preserved.
66. In 1829 Neardental skulls were discovered for the first time in the town of Engis, Liège.
Interestingly, despite this, the name comes from the 1956 find in the Neander Valley, Germany.
67. "In my kingdom the sun never sets" was the motto of the greatest sovereign of the Renaissance, Charles V of Habsburg.
This was emperor of the Holy Empire, King of Spain (and colonies), Naples and Sicily and governor of the territories of Burgundy.
He was born and raised in Ghent with French as their first language. Although he was an international sovereign, Belgium was his homeland.
68. Brussels was founded in the 13th century.
69. A Belgian artists are credited with havingmade upOil painting
Although there are doubts about its creator of the painting, there are those who attribute it to the artist Jan Van Eyck, in the 15th century.
70. The first casino in Europe was in the city of Spa.
71. Throughout the year there are street and music festivals in Belgium like no other in Europe.
72. The Royal Palace in Brussels is 50% longer than Buckingham in England.
73. With 4 thousand 78 kilometers of tracks, Belgium is the country with the highest railway density in the world.
74. The first lottery registered in the worldtook place in Belgium.
It was done with the purpose of raising money for the poor.
75. The 'Vertigo' was the only Belgian racing car to ever win the 'Guinness record'.
It managed to reach the fastest acceleration of 0-100 kilometers per hour in 3.66 seconds.
76. At 97% Belgian households have the highest rate of cable TV in the world.
77. The first color photo published by National Geographic was taken in Belgium.
It was printed on page 49 in July 1914, it is a colorful flower garden in the city of Ghent.
78. The construction company Besix (of Belgian origin) was one of the four that were contracted for the construction of the Burj Dubai building, the tallest in the world.
79. The largest horse in the world lives in Belgium.
His name is Big Jake, he is 2.10 meters tall and he is a gelding that lives in this country.
80. The only piece of art on the Moon was created by a Belgian sculptor.
This is the artist Paul Van Hoeydonck, who created the 8.5 centimeter aluminum plaque "The Fallen Astronaut" in order to honor all those astronauts and cosmonauts who have lost their lives in space.
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81. The longest and oldest Formula 1 circuit in the world is the Belgian circuit of Spa-Francorchamps and it is still running.
82. The name of the currency "Euro" was proposed by Belgium, as was its symbol €.
83. The "Oude Markt" is considered the longest bar in the world, with 40 cafes on one block.
It is located in the city of Leuven.
84. The waffles they are also of Belgian origin.
They were invented by a medieval cook in the province of Liège, in the 18th century.
85. The first city in the world to be bombarded by a German zeppelin from the sky was Liège.
86. Belgium has 11 sites listed as "World Heritage Sites" by UNESCO.
These are some reasons to visit this country that has places that seem taken out of a fairy tale… Don't think twice…! Go ahead and travel to Belgium!
