Is Charleroi the worst city in the world? Absolutely not!
Ten years after the Dutch newspaper "De Volkskrant" described it as the "worst city in the world", Charleroi seems to have moved on. That, at least, is the conclusion of journalists from the famous British broadcaster the BBC, which has made a short documentary about the former jewel of the metal industry.
This documentary follows Charleroi residents who love their city: Margaux Balériaux, who manages the Catch plan that aims to boost employment following the closure of the Caterpillar plant, and Nicolas Buissaert, who developed the urban safari concept in Charleroi. These two young people represent the new Charleroi - new impetus, new projects, new city.
The capital of the Black Country was previously dubbed Dutrouxland by the Dutch newspaper, after the notorious serial killer Marc Dutroux. This crude, shameful description is unworthy of professional journalists and the reputed professionals from the BBC were happy to disprove it.
So, has the ghost town of Charleroi managed to move into the light? Seeing is believing.
Click here to see the BBC report.