Culture

The Ommegang on UNESCO's Heritage List

13 December 2019

It was eagerly anticipated, the Brussels folklore procession held in July on the Grand-Place has now been recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

The Van Eyck year opens in Ghent

05 December 2019

The city of Ghent is celebrating the artist Jan Van Eyck throughout 2020.

Leo Timmers scores with Monkey on the Run in US

28 November 2019

Monkey on the Run by the 49-year-old illustrator and author Leo Timmers from Houthalen-Helchteren has been proclaimed one of the ten best illustrated books of 2019 by The New York Times.

A museum on immigration in Brussels

22 November 2019

The MigratieMuseumMigration, Belgium's first museum dedicated exclusively to migration, has opened in the municipality of Molenbeek.

UCLouvain discovers a late antiquity villa

19 November 2019

Research teams from UCLouvain have uncovered a huge villa in Tuscany, dating from late antiquity.

A country of legends and thrills

The constant contact with other peoples and cultures hasn't been without its effects in terms of art and culture, both in the past and the present day. A true crossroads of the major influences of art, Belgium has always been home to a large number of artists and frequently establishes itself as the place for innovation for new movements.

Belgium has preserved much evidence of the greatest architectural and artistic movements. The Middle Ages saw cathedrals and belfries spring up, monuments that still grace the Belgian cities of art. Countless châteaux pepper the countryside and Belgium is the country with the most châteaux per km². As for Brussels, in the 20th century, it became the capital of Art Nouveau. All this explains the country's incredible architectural wealth.

The splendid works of the old Flemish painters such as Pierre-Paul Rubens, Pierre Brueghel, Jan Van Eyck, Antoine Van Dyck, along with more recent artists like Paul Delvaux or René Magritte, are now exhibited in museums all over the world.

The ultimate hub for comics, Belgium is home to the largest concentration of comic book authors in the world. They continue the tradition of Hergé (Tintin), Peyo (Les Schtroumpfs), Edgar P. Jacobs (Blake et Mortimer), Morris (Lucky Luke), Bob De Moor (Barelli, Cori le Moussaillon), Willy Vandersteen (Bob et Bobette) and many more!

Today, many Belgian talents are making a name for themselves. This is particularly the case on the international music scene with Stromae, Milow, Selah Sue and Hooverphonic. On the big screen, a new generation of directors and actors are frequently recognised with awards including the Palme d'Or at Cannes and the Oscars in Hollywood.

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