I visited Ghent on a rainy day and I (still) liked it!

You should never draw expectation on Belgian weather... The other day, as I was walking to the train station, I realised it going to rain heavily for days. But I really wanted to visit Ghent, so here's what I saw.

Lost? Here's how to get there

From the Gent-Sint-Pieters station, take the 1-tram to Korenmarkt (the ticket machine isn't clear at all, so ask a passerby to help you!) and in about 13 minutes, you'll be in the historical centre of Ghent. If you really don't like walking in such a weather (or if your umbrella broke), you can stop earlier on the way, at the Ghent city STAM museum (Bijloke site) to see the latest big exhibition dedicated to cultural heritage.

In any case, take your train as early as possible, because a lot of cultural attractions close in the afternoon (around 5 or 6 pm)! If it says '6 pm' on the flyer, expect it to close at 5.30 already!

'Cuberdon' candy being sold on the street around Korenmarkt

Ghent is the kind of city you could equally see yourself visit, go shopping to or live in. The authenticity and cuteness of the buildings will make you (almost) forget that you're getting wet and freezing like an icecube!

Overwhelmed? Here's what you should see first

 

A highlight of your visit will be the magnificent Ghent-Terneuzen Canal, which looks very similar to the stream of little sister city Bruges. You can take a boat to visit from the stream as well and it's just a little less fairy-tale and tourist-oriented but still enjoyable.

The other must-sees are the Gravensteen (Castle of the Counts) (1) built in 1180 by Phillip of Alsace, the Belfry (2), a UNESCO World Heritage, the St. Nicholas' (gothic) Church (3) from the early 13th century, and the City Hall (4), a 2010s project.

  

Ghent isn't bad at all during the day, but it will literally light up and shine (like a phoenix) in the evening! In the winter the sun goes down around 5 already but you can still go shopping and enjoy such a romantic sight. Although you are still soaking, I promise the rain will become almost invisible!

Feeling 'hip'? Have some fun

The city has a quite big shopping area around Veldstraat that includes the usual brands. You can also find a whole bunch of vintage shops or markets around the town. People in Ghent tend to like giving a new life to old stuff from their attic... Usually these shops are indoors, which is cool. Don't expect finding very cheap items though: this is still Belgium!

Ghent is also about preserving and revitalising old monuments and old walls. This can be achieved through urban art. In the centre, you will also find the quite discreet but famous Design Museum in front of the canal. Maybe you'll find interesting ideas for your home!

Perfectly integrated mural fresco

If you're bored at night, you can hang around the nice bars of the town. There is a bit of everything, so you can easily find the one that you'll like and enjoy a nice Belgian beer.

You can also find concert halls or bars in which bands play every evening. Actually some of the most popular Belgian bands, like Soulwax, Balthazar or Das Pop, come from Ghent! If you prefer jazz, the city hosts many concerts and has a jazz festival in July (more info: Gent Jazz).

Belgian beers and trolls in a bar of the centre

A last remark on accents...

Last thing, if you're learning Dutch, don't pull a face if you don't understand everything they say. A lot of people will be from West Flanders and have the strangest accent you'll find in Belgium (some people consider it as a separate language), for example they call the city "Hent". Most others will use a proper Ghent accent, which has some peculiarities partly due to a long lasting French influence on the city. So listen carefully and don't hesitate to tell them you're not a local. Most often they'll switch to English or French.

Hypothetical reforms of the country

Mainstream media and Internet users like to imagine that Wallonia and Flanders will become independent from each other or join their respective neighbouring country (France or the Netherlands), but it cannot be that simple to separate two entities with such a shared centuries-long history like this. This article will focus on hypotetical reforms in Belgium on territory and powers.

Intricate combination of powers

Right now, the countries comprises the following entities:
- a Federal State
- Walloon, Flemish and Brussels Capital Regions
- Francophone (self-called "Wallonia-Brussels Federation", constitutionally "French Community"), Flemish and German-speaking Communities
- ten Provinces (Brussels being a Province-less Region although it exercises the same power as a Province)
- 43 administrative arrondissements
- many smaller Communes (municipalities)

Some explanation...

A language border was created in 1961-1963 to delimitate territories where the three national languages should be spoken. Then, the Province of Brabant got divided in a Brussels-Capital Region, a Walloon Brabant and a Flemish Brabant.

In addition, Communities were mainly created for bilingual territories like Brussels or the German-speakers who don't have a Region on their own but are included in the Walloon Region... Political parties which used to be multilingual got divided as well, so that sp.a (Flemish Socialist party) separated from PS (Francophone Socialist party) and SP (its German-speaking counterpart). At all elections (even the Federal ones), you can only vote for someone that speaks the language of your electoral district. So it isn't possible for a Walloon to vote for a Fleming and vice versa, but if you live in the Brussels-Capital Region, you can choose!

A divided power between Federal State, Communities and Regions results in the use of no less than seven Governments for such a small country! In theory, all have a Parliament, a Senate, a Government and an Administration. However, since 1980 the Flemish Community and Region have shared an Administration, a Parliament and a Senate. Communitary and regional matters are voted by Senate and Parliament from their respective point of views with a different President and approach.

Some people argue that this organisation is too complex (for more information, you can watch this YouTube video), with different powers attributed to each of these entities.


What ideas have been given yet?

Most of the following ideas of reforms come from minoritary or non-mainstream parties. Big parties seem to favour other issues than this one (economy, nature, immigration, etc.). This doesn't mean that they would necessarily like to preserve a status quo. Yet, the debate hasn't moved on much for the last decades as it implies a fundamental change in the Belgian Constitution.

A fourth Region?

The Minister-President of the Government of the German-speaking Community would like to create a four Region for his Community (with only nine Communes), which would be Province-less, a bit like Brussels-Capital. The idea is not recent and German-speakers, included in the Walloon Region, may feel as if they weren't really part of it and ProDG, an outspoken regionalist party, exists since 1971. Note that earlier Volksunie (the ancestor of N-VA, a Flemish nationalist party) proposed that these could be turned into a Province called Eupen-St-Vith but the idea didn't go further.

Official Regions following this reform.

Removing Communities and Provinces?

Two members of MR (Liberal party) and three members of PS (Socialist party) imagine getting rid of linguistic Communities or at least reducing their powers, by regionalising teaching and culture for a start. Accordingly, it could simplify Belgian institutions for citizens. Some of these politicians are heirs of the Walloon Movement that wants to promote a Walloon identity.

Following this reform, Brussels wouldn't be under both the Francophone and Flemish communities but simply a bilingual Region. It would also mean the creation of a German-speaking Region, making Belgium a four-Region country.

Moreover, some consider Provinces as outdated entities and they think administrative arrondissements should be favoured to reflect local identities better.

A bigger Brussels-Capital Region?

FDF (Francophone federalist party) argues that Belgian Francophones do share a common culture and identity. The party opposes the removal of Communities or any cut-off in their powers, saying that it could make education and job search more complicated on both sides, and further divide Francophones. The same types of argument have been put forward by other members of MR and PS, who do not necessarily agree with Walloon regionalism.

Along with UF (Union of Francophones' party in Flanders), FDF also want to encourage the privileges of Francophones living in Flanders to use their mother tongue, possibly by extending the Capital's bilingualism to these municipalities.

Back to Provinces only?

BUB (Belgian Union party) - one of the only bilingual parties left - wants to abolish Communities and Regions, and go back to a Federal State divided in Provinces, with no divide of the Brabant into three entities. This party is minoritary and those who want so-called "Daddy's Belgium" back are often seen as nostalgic fans of an outdated monarchy, which doesn't give them many votes at elections.

 What a Province-only Belgium with a unitary Brabant would look like.

Confederalism?

N-VA's (Flemish nationalist party) idea is to have a clearer separation between Wallonia and Flanders. They would like to initiate the process by making Belgium a Confederal State (instead of a Federal one), with Flanders and Wallonia owning all powers but voluntarily partnering on some issues. These years, N-VA has been very popular in Flanders and have more political weight, although it is not sure whether their electorate is precisely in favour of such a constitutional reform.

PP (Francophone liberal conservative party) also announced their intention to encourage a Confederal State, although it should comprise three or four independent Regions. The number of separate entities depends on the status of Brussels: as part of Flanders, as a separate entity or as co-managed by Wallonia and Flanders, and that of the German-speaking territories.

Only one Federal electoral district

Politicians from different parties, especially Groen! (Flemish green party), Ecolo (Francophone green party) and Open Vld (Flemish liberal party), have given the idea to reduce the number of electoral districts to one for Federal elections. This means allowing citizens to vote for anyone in the country, even if that person doesn't speak the same language. They believe it could be a good way to strengthen links between the different communities after the recent institutional reform for a regionalisation of powers. Other parties like PS have brought it up as well but no change has been operated yet...


So should we keep the same system, use one of the solutions above or find a new one? The debate is open...

Walloon ancestry in Wisconsin (USA)

When looking at a map of Northeastern Wisconsin, a few village names could sound familiar to most Belgians, like Brussels, Namur, Champion, Pepin, Rosiere... In the counties of Kewaunee, Door and Brown (Green Bay), there are still a few who carry the language and traditions of their Walloon ancestors. As promised earlier, let's talk about the Walloon community in the United States.

In 1852, many Walloons started emigrating on boats from Belgium because they weren't happy about the monarchy and were hoping for a better life. Yet, the timing was bad because the American civil war started a few years later and Walloons, who often couldn't even speak English, were enrolled as soldiers in the war. Other unfortunate events, such as famine or poor climate conditions, punctuated the life of Walloons in the region. Nevertheless, these people were able to maintain cultural bond with Belgium for generations to come.

Preserving a dying culture...

Today, some elderly people still speak Walloon casually, although it is almost extinct in the region, due to centuries of forced assimilation to the English language and a general lack of interest from younger generations. As most settlers came from Hesbaye and Brabant (Gembloux, Wavre, Jodoigne, etc.), the dialect spoken is Central Walloon. After 150 years, some "walloonised" English loanwords were integrated, such as "cåler" for "to call" ("å" is pronounced "aw"), but the language has remained very pure and understandable for Walloon speakers, conserving some features such as the rolled R (unlike most Belgian Walloon pronunciations nowadays).

Every year in July, Belgian Days are celebrated in Brussels, Wisconsin (Door County). The village has the largest Belgian settlement in the United States and the Walloon heritage is probably the strongest in the county. The festival is the occasion for these people to promote traditional dishes, such as Belgian trippes, pies, broth and others. Walloon settlers are known to have brought along their Catholic Church, a sense of family and fellowship, and solid agricultural knowledge. Nonetheless, the climate and landscape were very different to those in Belgium, so that inhabitants had to cope with cold temperature and build themselves log cabins, inspired by those of local natives.

It is not unusual that people there still keep contact with their Belgian cousins and come to visit the place their ancestors came from. Some of them fight in Belgium as soldiers sent from the US during World War II (imagine the locals' surprise when they heard an American GI speak Walloon!). On July 2nd 1975, members of Belgian and American Walloon communities gathered in Green Bay to celebrate "Belgians' Day" with speeches in English, French and Walloon. In addition, a book called Les Wallons du Wisconsin recently raised the interests of Belgians and Wisconsinians. It was written by two Belgian authors (F. Lempereur and X. Istasse) who travelled to Wisconsin several years ago, documenting Walloon settlements in the region and recording their testimonies.

Last week to visit the Royal Greenhouse!

It only opens every year for three weeks in spring, it's in the Northern part of Brussels (Laeken) and... it's almost over! Nice and cheap activity, but pick the most suitable time for it.

There are four days left (5th, 6th, 7th and 8th May) on which you can visit the Royal Greenhouse of Laeken from 9:30am to 4:00pm. On the last day, it also opens from 8pm to 10pm. It is pretty cheap: only €2.50 per person; it's even free if you're younger than 18.

Situated next to the Royal Castle of Laeken (pronounced "Lah-kun") and some other architectural monuments like the Japanese Tower, this huge heaven on earth is located in Avenue du Parc Royal, 1020 Bruxelles, so it takes around 35-40 min from Central Station with buses and trams (and a bit less from North Station). Follow the signs and find the big fence where the entrance is. You really ought to come by during the week and/or early in the morning, because you may have to queue for a long time at the entrance otherwise.

The place has a collection of plants from different countries under Leopold II (1835-1909) as sorts of keepsakes from our colonial past. The few beautiful greenhouses are surrounded by vast gardens with ponds and some Asian trees. You may just picture yourself as a little prince(ss) playing around in the area and having a daydream and you completely forget that you're in Brussels.

The smell of flowers surrounds you everywhere (if you are allergic, take your medicine!)... You will admire the magnificent structure of the different greenhouses from a different century, as well as the different shapes of the royal plants, which come from the Philippines, India, Australia, and other remote places, and vary from incredibly esthetic to really quirky, animal-like or carnivore. Some are rarity and may not be found anywhere else than there!

Cameras are authorised, so take your best one. But also take your time to enjoy everything with your own eyes! I would say that it is good for any age, so bringing your kids with you is a good idea (but tell them that touching the plants is forbidden!).

In a strange hobbit-like house, you can see former Belgian queen Elizabeth's sculpture workshop. And next to the greenhouse's exit door, you can eat a "couque/koek" (Belgian word for a brioche-like cake) and drink some coffee in an actual greenhouse (without the plants though) with a splendid view on the garden.

If I could point out one negative side of the activity, I'd say that, because the greenhouse is only available for such a short period every year, it becomes full of people. You can't really walk around freely from a greenhouse to another and you have to follow the crowd if you don't want to lose your friends and/or family. Sometimes you have to wait 10 minutes before being able to get into the next greenhouse because some are not that big.

Original and funny: Carnival experience in Belgium

In February and March, dozens of coloured and creative Carnival parades flourish over the whole of Belgium. A lot of them ended a few days ago (on Mardi Gras) and, as usual, have attracted many visitors. Why? Because each of them has its own traditions and stories, and they can provide you with a nice experience of what Belgium is in terms of fun and sincerity. Lots of them were invented centuries ago to celebrate the end of winter, ward off evil spirits and wish everyone good luck for the new harvest. Globally, Carnival is the occasion to exchange roles in society, wear disguises and do pranks to others... a great way to release pressure!


Probably the most famous Carnival in Belgium takes place in Binche (Hainaut province). It is easily recognizable from its main characters, the "Gilles", a tradition recognized by UNESCO for 10 years. Wearing fake fat bellies and ostrich feather hats, they have this very "Belgian" look from their mask, which used to be a symbol of rebellion against the Napoleonian regime. Participants are usually very proud of representing their city. The Gilles also play in brass bands and throw blood oranges to people down the street. The parade also includes a variety of other characters, usually played by local kids (Arlequin, Peasant, Pierrot...).

Gilles wearing masks or ostrich hats

Carnival in Aalst (East Flanders) is a tradition (also recognized by UNESCO) that started in the Middle Ages. Typically it involves "onion throwing" to passers-by and a "Dirty Sissies" parade... Actually, onion-sized candies have replaced onions, to the joy of children!... And the "Dirty Sissies" are not the new trendy punk band in Belgium, but a traditional parade. Because poor people couldn't afford fancy clothes, they decided to make fun of rich ladies by making men wear some ugly, broken or old clothes and accessories (fur coat, broken umbrella, etc.) often borrowed from their own wives!

Parade in Aalst and men in lady's clothes

A very "Walloon" Carnival is the Cwarmê in Malmedy (Liège province, bordering Germany). It is in this Carnival that Walloon language can be heard spoken ritually at ceremonies or by local characters, including "li Haguète", a sort of witch that plays tricks to people, represents winter and is judged at the end of Carnival. Also a variety of characters play jokes in Walloon with passers-by, like the "baker", who uses his/her giant spatula to hit people's butts!

Disguised crowd at the Carnival parade in Malmedy

A last example is the Carnival in Martelange (Luxembourg province), called "Cavalcade". This year, it was the only cross-border Carnival made in Belgium, because it partnered with the Luxembourg village of Rambrouch. Belgian people in the area feel very close to Luxembourg, also because one street is included in both countries.


Traditionally, most of these parades have a "Prince Carnival" who announces the end of Carnival, which also means the start of Spring. To symbolise the (temporary) death of winter, a giant puppet (stuffed with straw) is burned on a public square and the big fire warms up all attendees. Other examples of Carnival in Belgium are: the Laetare in Stavelot (Liège province), "Schnarnaval" in Schaerbeek (Brussels region) and Rosenmontag in Eupen (German-speaking community)... Each time a different experience!

8 quirky places to visit in Belgium

Belgium is not just about Manneken Pis, the sculpture of a tiny boy having a pee in Brussels. There is so much more to see in this country, like the city of Bruges, which was described in the previous article. Here is a list of ancient or modern, quirky and amazing places in Belgium, including ones not all Belgians have ever heard of...

Bluebells forest - Halle, Flemish Brabant

The forest Hallerbos is probably one of the most mysterious ones in appearance. It is covered with a natural purple carpet made of bluebells, giving it a magical look. If you want to have a walk in Hallerbos and watch this incredible scenery, you should wait for spring, when the bluebells flower for only a few weeks...

Museum aan de stroom - Antwerp

This huge (60m!) modernly shaped building was designed by Neutelings Riedijk Architects along the river Scheldt. It is the largest museum in Antwerp and hosts a series of exhibitions. On the rooftop, you can look over the whole city like a giant!

Villers Abbey - Walloon Brabant

In the quiet city of Villers, you can find the ruins of an ancient Cistercian abbey, founded in 1146 and abandoned in 1796. Its colossal foundations are now covered with climbing plants, which gives it a green, legendary aspect.

Liège-Guillemins station - Liège

Nine years of intense work were necessary to build this monumental station, which amazes all rail users making a stopover in Liège since its inauguration in 2009. Created by famous contemporary architect Santiago Calatrava, this 160m-long steel and glass arch perfectly captures the light and looks like it was made by someone from outer space.

Castle of Freÿr - Namur province

Belgium is the country with the most castle per km². One example is the one in Freÿr, built on the left bank of the river Meuse. Surrounded by woods, it is a major heritage site of the country, luxurious on the inside and full of ponds, fountains and mazes in its big garden.

Ypres trenches - West Flanders

The Ypres Salient zone is famous in Belgium for being a historical site where important battles occurred in 1914-15 during the First World War. At the time, soldiers used long cavities in the ground called trenches to hide when the enemy was close to their troops. Nowadays the trenches still exist and can be visited in Ypres itself, but also not far from it, in a wood called Bayernwald in German, because it used to host Bavarian soldiers.

Dinant - Namur province

Built in front of the Meuse river, the city of Dinant is famous for its legendary rock, on which a citadel was built in the 11th century. Surrounded by a natural area, the place also has a nice gothic church and is full of history.

Grotto of Saint Anthony of Padua - Crupet, Namur province

Situated in the peaceful village of Crupet is a quirky religious construction called the grotto of Saint Anthony of Padua.The artificial cave was inaugurated in 1903 and hosts 22 coloured statues, created to tell the story of the saint, with tales of devil and angel fights.


If you have any other suggestion, feel free to post a comment to this article!

Belgium has lost a fabulous queen

Former Queen Fabiola passed away last week at Saint Nicholas's Eve. She was widow of King Baudouin (Boudewijn in Dutch) and was the fifth queen in this monarchy. The image that many Belgians have of her is that of a small delicate lady with a large fancy hat and a sort of 60s extensive haircut. More than that, her name sounds a bit like "fabulous"... Fabiola!

Fabiola was Spanish and first worked as a nurse. She then married the youngest monarch in Belgian history... In Belgium, a king doesn't really have any decisive power, but an important representation role. Baudouin was only twenty-one when his father, King Leopold III, died and he was very shy. They made a nice couple because Fabiola was a sober and humble person. Unfortunately, they couldn't have children together, so when King Baudouin I passed on to the other side in 1993, which saddened many Belgians, his brother Albert II was called to reign with his wife Paola as a new queen.

Queen Fabiola and King Baudouin I

Queen Fabiola wasn't just the queen of Belgium, she had something special. She was kind and funny, and a true believer, very sensitive to children and world issues. One of her big passions was music and it will occupy a great part of the ceremony that started today at 10am. Will Tura, a Flemish sentimental song singer, will sing Hoop doet leven ("Hope (is what) makes (us) live") at her funerals, and he sang the same song when King Baudouin died.

Humility, a key word for Fabiola. In her last wills, she said she didn't want to make too much fuss about her death and very simple funerals. She didn't want to be "exposed" and she wanted an ugly coffin in a small chapel, but these wills weren't followed by people, who really appreciated her and wanted her funerals to be something important although the announcement of her death remained pretty sober.

Foreign territories that could have been Belgian

The territory of Belgium has not always been as static and clear as it is now... In Roman times, Gallia Belgica was a pretty big territory comprising Belgium, the Netherlands, a Northern part of France and some other territories... And still, there are territories around Belgium that share a common history, culture and/or local languages with it, including Walloon Flanders, a territory in France! I've decided to give you a list of these territories, with no intention of reuniting them, but simply because they are part of our history as well.

French territories

If there's a part of France that is the closest to Belgian culture, it's the Nord department (Lille, Dunkirk, Douai...). It mainly shares with Belgium the tradition of the friterie, friture or frietkot, which is a place, often a sort of van, where someone distributes fries in boxes or paper cones. It is the only place in France where fries are a real tradition, but I insist, "French" fries are mostly Belgian!... Anyway, Nord was made famous in 2008 with the French blockbuster Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis, which featured local comedian Danny Boon speaking a Picard dialect called Ch'ti(mi). As a matter of fact, similar dialects are spoken in the Belgian area of Mons and Tournai!

Yet, Picard is not the only local language in Nord! Once upon a time, West Flemish was the main language in Maritime Flanders (coastal part of Nord), an area that includes Dunkerque, and, strangely enough, the village where the film took place (an error which a lot have criticised after it was released). This area was part of the ancient County of Flanders, which also included cities such as Lille or Douai. Actually the later cities are in another area called, this is not a joke, Walloon Flanders, and yet now part of France! Both areas became French after the Treaties of Nijmegen in 1678-9 and West Flemish is now only known to very few people.

In the same department, we find cities including Valenciennes, Maubeuge or Le Quesnoy, which are part of what could be called French Hainaut, and were included in the County of Hainaut. Later on, French king Louis 14th conquered them in 1659-78, so that they became French, while the Northern part of the former county became later on the Belgian province of Hainaut.

Borders of French Flanders before 1789

Another part of France which is very close to Belgium and, especially Wallonia, is the city of Givet in the French department of Ardennes. It is, as far as I know, the only place in France where Walloon was/is spoken, which makes it... a "French Wallonia"! Givet used to belong to the Liège bishops in the Middle Ages, but much later on it was given to Louis 14th also after the Treaties of Nijmegen.

Dutch territories

The neighbouring Netherlands, with which Belgium used to form a bigger country, has nowadays two provinces that could be considered as sisters to Belgian provinces: Limburg and North Brabant.

The Belgian province of Limburg is the Western part of a former Limburg, from which an Eastern part was given up for the Netherlands in 1839, and which belonged in great part to the Principalty of Liège and the dukes of Brabant. The current Dutch province of Limburg actually comprises only a small part of the former Limburg, mostly the area of Maastricht. Ultimately, Gelder was part of Limburg as well and it even came to be included in the United Belgian States, but it came back later on to the Netherlands.

In a recent blog post I talked about the possible name change for the province of Antwerp to "Central Brabant" (Midden-Brabant) to favour its Brabantian past. In the Netherlands, the North Brabant also used to be part of the Duchy of Brabant, but it was given to the Netherlands after the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. According to the politicians that want the name change of the province of Antwerp, the two territories still have a lot of cultural exchanges nowadays, in addition to similar dialects.

And Luxembourg

As a matter of fact, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was officially Belgian from 1830 to 1839! Then the Southern part made a country on its own and the Northern one remained Belgian, becoming the province of Luxembourg. Nevertheless, Luxembourg is still very close to Belgium, not only because both are small countries with three official languages. A lot of Belgians, especially those from the Belgian province of Luxembourg, (try to) find a job in the Grand Duchy. Another element was the currency, now replaced with the euro: the Luxembourgish franc had an equivalent value to the Belgian franc, so that nobody really cared about their difference, a bit like Scottish pounds and English pounds (except that it seems to be problematic to use Scottish pounds in London...). Finally, the main private television channel in Belgium, RTL-TVI, was primarily a Luxembourgish channel. And currently, it is still possible to watch a news broadcast in Luxembourgish language at 6am every day on Club RTL... I don't really know why, to be honest!


In a future blog post, I will also talk about Belgian settlers in the USA, who founded cities such Namur, Brussels or Belgium in Wisconsin, so keep posted!

A new name for the province of Antwerp?

Today, an idea surprised all newspapers readers! The parties of the federal majority in Flanders (N-VA, CD&V and Open VLD) suggested a change in the name of the Antwerp province (called after its capital city)... into "Central Brabant" (Midden-Brabant in Dutch)!

Why "Central Brabant" and not "Northern Brabant"? Actually, there is already a Northern Brabant in the Netherlands, constituting the Northern part of a former Duchy of Brabant, which also included a Middle (Antwerp province) and a Southern Brabant (Flemish and Walloon Brabants... and Brussels). Some people see this name change as a good idea to boost collaboration between the Dutch and Flemish Brabants. These regions share the same dialect group called Brabantian (which today seems to be used in media as a sort of standard Flemish dialect)...

What it would look like if they changed the name of the Antwerp province

Anyway, the suggestion was made because there is too much confusion between the city and the province of Antwerp. People don't seem to identify clearly with its capital, a big city with a powerful identity, which takes all the attention in the province, while people from Kempen, Rupel, Mechelen, etc. apparently don't feel very "Antwerpian". By contrast, East Flanders is already not called after its capital Ghent, and people in some part of the province don't identify themselves to it either. Ultimately, a reason for the change in name is because the three parties wish to give big cities such as Antwerp and Ghent more autonomy from their province.

The news caused an uproar on the web and some people think it is part of a series of pointless changes from a goverment that wants to ultimately separate Belgium in two countries. Others see it as a way to encourage a re-annexation of Flanders to the Netherlands, as was the larger Brabant territory. Well, there is also a Dutch and a Flemish Limburg, but... I don't think it can happen, because Flemish nationalists are usually proud of their region and very few actually see it as a part of the Netherlands. A lot more think this name change doesn't really "change" anything, but it would have a cost and there are more important matters (especially economical ones) to be debated now. Liège and Namur are also both city names and province ones, and they're pretty confusing too, but it doesn't seem to matter to anyone...

The idea was already provided by far-right party Vlaams Belang in 2008, but didn't go further on. It will have to wait until 2019 for the legislative elections, because you need to change the Belgian constitution in order to achieve it...

When Belgium was part of France...

It's history class today and you're going to learn a bit on what Belgian territories used to be. I will only talk about the period between 1790 and 1814, with the creation of the United Belgian States and the subsequent annexation to France... with the creation of Belgian departments with strange names, though shaping the current Belgian provinces. You will also get hints on how Walloons are not "that" French and... actually not that Walloon either!

When some people claim that Wallonia should be a French region simply because it was once part of France, they're referring to a short period from 1792 to 1814, in which the current territory of Belgium was included in the French Republic and, subsequently, the French Empire. As a counter-argument to this, let's say Wallonia is as French as... Flanders! And even sections of the Netherlands and Germany were also French at that time for the same duration... So is this argument really valid?

Map of the former French departments on the Belgian territory

During the French period, it is interesting to see how the regional limits were formed and how similar they look to the current ones. As France was (and is still) divided into smaller departments for each region, Belgium was constituted with nine departments: Lys (Western Flanders), Escaut (Eastern Flanders), Deux-Nèthes (Antwerp), Meuse Inférieure (Limburg), Dyle (Flemish/Walloon Brabants and Brussels), Jemappes (Hainaut), Sambre-et-Meuse (Namur), Ourthe (Liège) and Forêts (Luxembourg). Those were called after rivers and streams, except the current Luxembourg, which was then called after its... forests (Forêts), original huh?... (And today, some call it Wallabama...)

United Belgian States before French annexation

Before this period, Belgium consisted mostly of the so-called "United Belgian States" in 1790, which did not actually include Liège, a principality on its own... Therefore, during the French period, there was not really an distinction between Flemish and Walloons, but there was one between Belgians and Liégeois! And it is only when the territories were given to the Dutch that Liégeois considered themselves as Belgians (and Catholics), by opposition to the Dutch who ruled the big Netherlands and were Protestants. Still today, Liégeois are known to use a different accent to the rest of Wallonia...

As you can see on the map, Flanders used to only be the name of a smaller territory that included Ghent and Bruges (Western and Eastern Flanders provinces), and not Brabant and Limburg... For some reason, the name Flanders was also used for the whole Dutch-speaking region, while the French-speaking region was called after a local language (Walloon). Before this separation existed, French was the only official language of the country. This shows that Wallonia and Flanders have not always been homogeneous entities but are a recent way to separate the country linguistically invented during the last century.

Miles away from the "States" (of America), these Belgian States did not last more than 5 years and played more the go-between for the former Austrian Netherlands and the future French departments, which became Dutch later on... A complicated story, which cannot be summed up as "Wallonia is French" and "Flanders is Dutch".

What happened to the words to the national anthem?

This Monday 21st July was a day-off here in Belgium due to the Belgian National Day. It celebrates the oath taken by Leopold 1st, the first king of Belgium, in 1831. Last year, king Albert 2nd officially abdicated on that day and was replaced by his son, Philip 1st, on the throne. This year was the first time Philip 1st gave an official National Day speech.

King Philip 1st and queen Mathilde... cheers!

Although this happens in summer, a mysterious force seems to make it rain most of the time on that day and it was the case this Monday, while the days before and after were sunny. That's what we call in Belgian French la drache nationale ("National downpour" more or less).

People gathered around the Royal Palace with Belgian flags, hoping to be approached by the royal family, and... some of them sang the "Brabançonne", our national anthem, as they probably did two weeks before when the Red Devils were playing at the World Cup (see previous article)!

The Brabançonne was actually written by a French actor, Jenneval, in 1830, and was changed across time because it was formerly against the Netherlands (the country we used to be part of) and the music was made by Belgian composer François van Campenhout.

Although a Dutch version of the anthem was only officialised in 1938, it is sung nowadays in three languages (sometimes four, if you count Walloon) and there is no official version of it. This is probably one of the reasons why, let's face it, not a lot of Belgians actually know the lyrics (I can't think of anyone that know the whole of it in my friends)... although a vast majority can hum the tune of it...

In 2007, former PM Yves Leterme mistakenly sang the French anthem (La Marseillaise) at the national day while being interviewed by the RTBF, embarrassing himself. But I don't think it's really surprising when the only moment we hear the Brabançonne - and only an instrumental version of it - every year is for the National Belgian day, whereas the French anthem and the American one are known to most people because it is played a lot on TV.

Most people I know only know the last line "Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté" (The King, law, and liberty) or "Voor vorst, voor vrijheid en voor recht" (For the king, for freedom and for law). In addition, Flemish people often know the first two first lines "O dierbaar België, O heilig land der Vad'ren" (O dear Belgium, O holy land of our fathers)... Anyway, the lyrics aren't that long (only 8 lines to remember for each language), so it shouldn't be too difficult to memorise for once...

Here is the trilingual version of it:
O dierbaar België, O heilig land der Vad'ren,
Onze ziel en ons hart zijn u gewijd.
À toi notre sang, ô Patrie!
Nous le jurons tous, tu vivras!
So blühe froh in voller Schöne,
zu der die Freiheit Dich erzog,
und fortan singen Deine Söhne:
Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté!
Het woord getrouw, dat g' onbevreesd moogt spreken,
Voor Vorst, voor Vrijheid en voor Recht!
Gesetz und König und die Freiheit hoch!
Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté!

Next Belgian language?

Belgium is and is becoming more and more multilingual, with the three communities officially recognized and the thousands of ethnicities living there and practicising their own language, especially in Brussels. This is why Belgium has developed a "thing" with languages... So if you can't give the priority to "one" language in the country, why not invent one that would be more neutral?

When it comes to the Eurovision Song Contest, only Sandra Kim, a woman from Liège, won the competition in the 80s and was actually too young to compete so that she had to lie on her age. No artist won since then, but Urban Trad went to the second place in 2003 by singing in... an imaginary language! The band was pretty "Belgian" in that it was a collection of folk artists from both Flemish and French-speaking communities (and a Galician singer). What better way to make everyone agree on a song than singing their songs "Sanomi" in a language that has actually no meaning (!) Apparently, the gestures invented for the song were meaningful (I think they meant something like "it's a small world, let's all share our differences"). Later on, Flemish folk band Ishtar tried to do the same thing with "O Julissi" but didn't get a nice score.

Urban Trad - "Sanomi"

Another interesting fact about Belgium is that it has a small territory which could have be the only place in which international auxiliary language Esperanto would have been official. Moresnet, as it is called, was a village connecting the Netherlands, Belgium (which was included in the Netherlands) and Germany (former Prussia) from 1816 to 1920, in what is now known as the "Three Country Point". An agreement was made on that Prussia would get a part of the village, the Netherlands another one and the center would become a "neutral" territory (Neutral Moresnet) administrated by both countries. In 1908, Dr. Molly gave the idea to make Esperanto the official language of the territory (that he wanted to call "Amikejo", which could be translated as "Friendland"), because it had been invented recently and got famous in whole Europe at that time. People in that place learned Esperanto and the place was elected world capital of the Esperanto community, although this idea never got official. Today, the territory is part of Belgium.

Moresnet flag

The author of comic book Tintin, Hergé, imagined two fictive Eastern European nations in conflict: Borduria and Syldavia. To make them look more realistic, he made up words in languages called Bordurian and Syldavian. On closer scrutiny of the latter language, it is clearly inspired of Marols (also called Brusseleer), a dialect spoken in Brussels, but the author chose to make them look like a Slavic language (e.g. Eih bennek, eih blavek, the national motto, seems to be close to Dutch Hier ben ik, hier blijf ik, lit. "Here I am, here I stay"). In a parallel universe, Marols could be the perfect interlanguage of Belgium, because it has features of both languages of the community. It is actually based on Brabant dialect (which seems to become a prestige form in Flanders nowadays) and includes many French words, due to the "mixed" origins of the population that used it in Marollen, a district of Brussels that is worth a visit! People in this area like to call themselves "zinneke", a word that means "mixed-breed", and compare their culture to a melting pot.

A last idea of made up language that could be used in Belgium is called Europanto. It is a mixture of languages of the European Union that was invented by Diego Marani, a translator for the Council. His idea was that instead of using English as a lingua franca in the UE (especially in Brussels headquarters), you should rather use bits and pieces of all languages spoken in there. He called his language Euro- (Europe) -panto (Greek for "all"), which resembles the word Esperanto.

Alors glaubst ti that Europa sarebbe besser así? (So do you believe that Europe would be better this way?)

Which language should be used in Belgium? Share your opinion!