36 Interesting Facts About Belgium

21-25 Belgium Facts

21. Upon discovering an abandoned printing press in Belgium during the first world war, British soldiers decided to start publishing their own satirical newspaper from the trenches. – Source

22. In the 1970s, Belgium used to serve children beer at school. – Source

23. Belgium has 4 commonly spoken languages: Dutch, French, German (the 3 official languages) and English. 38% of Belgians use 2 or 3 languages at work and 27% of Belgians can converse in more than 3 languages. – Source

24. The Dutch-Belgian border passes through several cafes. The Dutch had a law requiring dining establishments to close earlier than they did in Belgium. When this time came around, patrons on the Dutch side would have to get up and move tables, over to the Belgian side. – Source

25. During WWI Belgium opened their sluices to allow seawater to flow in and flood their country to prevent German occupation. They held their front for the duration of the war. – Source

26-30 Belgium Facts

26. The Flemish anthem of Belgium is exceptionally bloody: “He tears, destroys, crushes, covers in blood and mud; And in victory grins over his enemy’s trembling corpse.” – Source

27. The province Luxembourg in Belgium is nearly twice as big as the actual country Luxembourg. – Source

28. In September 2014, GlaxoSmithKline accidentally dumped 45 liters of concentrated live polio virus solution into the Lasne river in Belgium. – Source

29. Ghent, Belgium has a weekly “veggie day”, where people do not eat meat once a week. – Source

30. In Belgium (Ypres), the Last Post is played every evening since 1928 at the Menin Gate to commemorate those fallen in the First World War (they stopped briefly in WWII). – Source

31-36 Belgium Facts

31. The word spa comes from Spa, Belgium, a city known for its healing mineral springs. – Source

32. There is a one-room hotel near Antwerp, Belgium that is a gigantic scale model of a human colon and anus. Originally created as a work of art, it is realistic in every way including color, veins and a gigantic puckered sphincter. – Source

33. In 2014, a Belgian convicted rapist and murderer requested to be euthanized, which was granted. – Source

34. There is the church in Belgium made of horizontal steel columns.By standing at the same height as the structure, you can see through the slats and it appears almost transparent, making landscape behind the church visible. – Source

35. There is a town in Belgium where psychiatric patients live with local families instead of institutions, sometimes for their entire lives. – Source

36. French Fries actually originated in Belgium; However, during World War I, Americans arriving in Belgium thought they were in France due to French being the national language, and tasted a fried slice of potato. – Source