Culture

Cinema Palace in Brussels lured record number of visitors in 2023

18 January 2024

230,000! This is how many visitors Cinema Palace cinema complex at 85 Boulevard Anspach in Brussels received in 2023. A record. Largely down to under-18s and students.

Belgian building chest organ for Notre-Dame of Paris

11 January 2024

About a year ago, Johan Deblieck from Lennik in Flemish Brabant was quite surprised when Paris called him with a request to build a new chest organ for the fire-ravaged Notre-Dame.

Old sculpture returned to Sablon church in Brussels

07 December 2023

A sculpture from the 17th century has found its way back to the Church of Our Lady of Victories at the Sablon in Brussels.

Beringen mine cathedral turned into work of art

23 November 2023

The mine cathedral in Beringen (in the province of Limburg) is the site of a new work of art by Scottish artist David Batchelor.

Belgian band Noa Lee release an airship to musical bliss

09 November 2023

Noa Lee, a Belgian band centred around pianist Nina Kortekaas, have released Airship, their first full-length album.

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 Peter Paul Rubens, Pieter Bruegel, 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 de scheepsjongen), Willy Vandersteen (Suske en Wiske) and many more!

Today, many Belgian talents are making a name for themselves. This is particularly the case on the international music scene with Angèle, 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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