It has prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. It was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II and has many war graves near the battle zones, most of them are around Ieper (in English, archaically rendered as Ypres, with Yperite another name for mustard gas due to intensive use there in WWI). Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830 after a short revolution and a war against the Netherlands. However, the religious opposition still remained and the split was aggravated by political differences between Belgian liberals and Dutch aristocrats. After Napoleon's defeat, a large Kingdom of the Netherlands was created, comprising the whole of the Low Countries. Every year, the Brusselers emulate his first parade in their city in what is called the Ommegang.īelgium was briefly a part of the Napoleonic Empire. Many places in Belgium are named after him, including the city of Charleroi and even a brand of beer. The powerful German emperor and Spanish king, Charles V, was born in the Belgian city of Ghent and ruled from Brussels. These two halves roughly correspond to present-day Belgium and Netherlands.īelgium was called Austrian Netherlands, then Spanish Netherlands, depending on which branch of the Habsburg ruled it. Reformation is the reason that Belgium and Netherlands were first taken apart: the northern half of the Low Countries embraced Protestantism and rebelled against the Habsburg rule, while the southern half remained faithful to both its ruler and the Catholic faith. The powerful Habsburg family then inherited from the Low Countries. However, the treasures of the Dukes of Burgundy remain as a testimony of their rules in Belgian museums and landmarks. The death of the last duke, Charles the Bold, put an end to this dream. Using wealth, strategy, and alliances, the Dukes of Burgundy aimed at reconstituting Lotharingia. The whole realm of the dukes extended from the Low Countries to the borders of Switzerland. These cities progressively fell under the control of a powerful and ambitious family: the Dukes of Burgundy. The widely autonomous fiefdoms of the Low Countries were among the richest places in Medieval Europe and you will see traces of this past wealth in the rich buildings of Bruges, Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Leuven, Tournai, Mons, etc. It imports large quantities of raw materials and exports a large volume of manufactured goods, mostly to the EU.īelgium is the heir of several former Medieval powers, and you will see traces of these everywhere during your trip in this country.Īfter the collapse of the Carolingian Empire in the 9th century, the territory that is nowadays Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg, was part of Lotharingia, an ephemeral kingdom soon to be absorbed into the (German) Holy Roman Empire however, the area of Lower Lotharingia remained intact in the feudal empire: this is the origin of the Low Countries, a general term that encompasses present-day Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg.Ĭathedral of Our Lady towering above Antwerp Lying on the North Sea coast, Belgium's immediate neighbours are France to the south-west, Luxembourg to the south-east, Germany to the east and the Netherlands to the north.īelgium is a densely populated country trying to balance the conflicting demands of urbanization, transportation, industry, and commercial and intensive agriculture. 112, 100 (emergency medical services, fire department), 101 (police), 102 (Awel)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |