Belgium is a country with many curious facts. Surely you quickly associate it with chocolate or chips , protagonists of some of the best curiosities in Belgium. But this country, despite being very small, has great political importance. In this post we tell you the 20 best curiosities of Belgium so that you get to know the country in a pleasant way.
20 CURIOSITIES ABOUT BELGIUM THAT WILL SURPRISE YOU
1. Belgium produces more than 220,000 tons of chocolate per year
To start with the best curiosities of Belgium , the chocolate could not be missing. You always have to start with a good taste in your mouth! The Belgian chocolate industry has been very important since the 19th century and today forms an important part of the nation’s economy and culture.
Along with Switzerland , it is one of the largest chocolate producers on the continent. That is why more than 220,000 tons of chocolate are produced per year. A real barbarity!
2. Zaventem airport is the place where the most chocolate is sold in the world, one of the best curiosities in Belgium
When we investigated this data, we were surprised. It is very curious that an airport is the place where the most chocolate on the planet is sold. Well, that merit falls on the Zaventem airport, the main one in Brussels. Do you want data? Almost 2kg of chocolate is sold every minute!
3. Belgian chocolate is very demanding
Even if you buy it in Belgium, it doesn’t mean it’s Belgian chocolate. The country heavily regulates the production of chocolate in the country to ensure the quality of the product. So in order to have the Belgian chocolate label, all chocolate products must include at least 35% pure cocoa, and not use vegetable fats in their production, among other things.
4. A diverse country with three languages, one of the best curiosities of Belgium
When you travel to Belgium, you may wonder what their main language is. Well, in fact, Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French and German . Although it may seem surprising, Flemish is not a language, it is simply a dialect of Dutch used in Flanders. Of course, it is the mother tongue of more than 60% of the population.
French is the mother tongue of 39% of the population and is basically spoken in Brussels. While German is the least popular language and only 1% of the population has it as their mother tongue , east of the province of Liege.
But in general, one of the greatest luck of the Belgians is that they have the ability to speak many languages. 65% of Belgians speak perfect Dutch, French and also English.
5. The highest point in Belgium is shorter than the tallest building in the world
It is a diverse country, with many languages, but with very few mountains. In fact, the highest point in Belgium is barely 694 meters high . This is the Signal de Botrange on the Hautes Fagnes plateau in the far east of Belgium. This country will not project great climbers!
In fact, one of the best curiosities of Belgium is that the highest point in the country is lower than the building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which is 828 meters high.
6. The first skyscraper in Europe was built in Belgium
Perhaps that short complex encouraged them to build the first skyscraper in Europe . It wasn’t going to be as tall as the Burj Khalifa, but back then it was a big step forward. In 1928 the Belgians built the Boerentoren in Antwerp. At 96 meters tall , it is the second tallest building in Antwerp today, second only to the majestic Antwerp Cathedral.
This tower was the tallest building in Europe until 1940 , when the Terazza Martini Tower was inaugurated in Genoa , Italy.
7. Belgian men are the second tallest in the world
But curiously, despite having a terrain without high altitude, Belgian men are the second tallest in the world. With an average height of 181.7 cm, only the Dutch surpass them! Although they have not been able to take advantage of it too well since there are no great Belgian basketball players.
8. Brussels has the oldest shopping arcades in Europe
In Belgium you can find the shopping galleries with the most history in Europe. Specifically, they are in Brussels, the beautiful Belgian capital. It is the Galleries St Hubert. They opened in 1847 and are very close to the famous Grand Place . There are several beautiful shopping galleries in Europe such as Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, but the ones in St Hubert are among the most beautiful.
9. The divorce rate of Belgians is one of the highest in Western Europe, one of the most surprising curiosities of Belgium
Only Latvia and Lithuania exceed Belgium’s divorce rate , which is estimated to be around 70%. Around two thirds of all marriages in Belgium are between first-time couples, while in the remaining third at least one person has been divorced.
10. New York was founded by a Belgian, one of the best curiosities of Belgium
Did you know that the Big Apple was founded by a Belgian citizen? Peter Minuit founded New York City in 1626. Minuit was appointed as an explorer for the Dutch West India Company and traveled to America in search of tradeable goods.
But we do not know if it was more surprising that a Belgian founded the city or the amount for which he bought the island of Manhattan from the natives . Minuit bought it for just 60 guilders, about $1,500 today. Undoubtedly, one of the most surprising curiosities of Belgium.
11. Antwerp is the diamond capital of the world
Antwerp has been a major focus of the diamond trade since the 15th century. As a curiosity, currently, about 84% of the world’s rough diamonds pass through Antwerp to be polished and shaped before reaching the stores. When you visit the city, don’t forget to walk through the Diamante neighborhood, near the central train station. You will hallucinate with the stores!
12. Belgium, land of exiles and great artists
One of the most famous curiosities of Belgium is that throughout history it has welcomed many exiles. In the current context we can see it with Carles Puigdemont , former president of the Generalitat, who is in exile in Waterloo. But Puigdemont has not been the only one in history to have gone into exile in Belgium!
He is simply one more person in a long list that Belgium has to provide exile for intellectuals and artists for decades. For example, Karl Marx was forced to emigrate to the Belgian capital in 1845 after being expelled from both Germany and France for the political ideology he was spreading. In fact, from Belgium, he wrote, together with Friedrich Engels, his most famous book, the Communist Manifesto.
The author of Les Miserables, Victor Hugo , also went to Belgium. Although he was not expelled from France, he did come out against Napoleon III. That is why he escaped from France and arrived in Brussels in 1851.
But the most famous case is that of Albert Einstein . The German genius lived in Belgium intermittently between 1902 and 1933. Despite living in California, when he returned to Europe, Hitler had just come to power and decided to go to Belgium instead of Germany as the Jews were beginning to suffer the first measures. discriminatory.
13. Until recently they held the world record for a democratic nation without an elected government.
They help politicians and intellectuals, but sometimes it’s hard for them to agree! One of the best trivia about Belgium is that the country was without an elected government for 589 days between 2010 and 2011. After national elections, the opposing Flemish and Walloon regions could not agree on political issues and form a coalition of government.
It is curious to think that Brussels ruled Europe at that time without having a proper government in their own country. In fact, she far surpassed the previous record without a government, held by Iraq, which was without a government for 289 days in 2010.
However, in 2018, Northern Ireland broke that record, when it went 3 years without a government.
14. French fries, a dispute between the French and Belgians, one of the best curiosities of Belgium
If we take into account the name in English “French Fries” everything indicates that they have French origin. Although the truth is that they should be “Belgian fries” because they were invented in Belgium . However, the French say they invented them at the end of the 18th century in Paris . Be that as it may, in almost any corner of Belgium you can enjoy this delight. And please, eat them with mayonnaise and not ketchup, just like the locals.
Chocolate is art on Earth, but the Belgians are the only ones who have art on the moon. In its large white dunes and craters is a small statue called “The Fallen Astronaut”, the work of Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck.
The statue was placed on August 1, 1971 and depicts an astronaut in a spacesuit along with a sign with the names of astronauts and cosmonauts who have died during the space race. Undoubtedly, one of the best curiosities of Belgium.
16. The town of Spa in Belgium is where the word “spa” comes from.
Spa is synonymous with relaxation. In almost the whole world this word is used to refer to the famous thermal or hydrotherapy centers. Well, the name comes from the Belgian town of Spa! Basically because the first spa was opened there in the 18th century , although it is true that these healing springs have been used since Roman times.
17. Belgium has the most varieties of beer of any country in the world.
Belgium is not only a paradise for chocolate lovers. Also for those of the beer! There are currently more than 1,200 varieties of beer in Belgium, more than any other country in the world . Belgium’s brewing tradition dates back to the Early Middle Ages. In addition, its origin is very curious.
With permission from the Catholic Church, some French and Flemish abbeys brewed and distributed beer as a form of financing . Back then, low-proof beer was believed to be a healthier option than water, then not always drinkable.
Now it is no longer like that, but that does not mean that on average, locals consume about 84 liters of beer per person per year.
18. It has more castles per kilometer than any other country in the world, one of the most surprising curiosities of Belgium
If you like castles, in Belgium you will enjoy like a small child. In this country there are more castles per kilometer than in any other country in the world. Undoubtedly, the most famous is Gravensteen, in Ghent.
19. Belgium has the lowest gender pay gap in the EU, one of the best trivia about Belgium
Unfortunately in many countries there is a huge wage gap between genders. However, this is one of the most positive curiosities of Belgium. The Belgian wage gap between men and women in Belgium is the lowest in the entire EU. To take account!
20. It was a Belgian who designed the common faces of the euro coins
And finally to end this post about the best curiosities of Belgium , we did not want to forget to mention the famous euro coins. Do you know who did the design? A Belgian! Luc Luycx was the winner of a European Union design competition. In fact, if you look closely you can find his initials “LL” on any common face of all euro coins.
