Twenty-One Facts about Belgium that You Probably Did Not Know

𝟮𝟭 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗴𝗶𝘂𝗺:

1. Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, spoken primarily in the Flanders region; French, spoken in the Wallonia region; and German, spoken in a small eastern part of the country.

2. The country is the birthplace of the saxophone, invented in the 1840s by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian instrument maker.

3. Belgium has more comic strip artists per square kilometer than any other country in the world. It's the birthplace of famous comics like Tintin and The Smurfs.

4. Brussels, the capital of Belgium, hosts the headquarters of the European Union and NATO, making it a crucial center for international politics.

5. Belgian chocolate is renowned worldwide, with the country producing over 220,000 tons of chocolate per year. The Brussels Airport is the world's largest chocolate seller.

6. The country has a tradition of lace making that dates back to the 16th century, with cities like Bruges and Brussels being famous for their exquisite lace.

7. Belgium introduced the world to the concept of the "praline," a chocolate shell with a soft center, invented by Jean Neuhaus in Brussels in 1912.

8. The Belgian city of Spa gave its name to all other spas, becoming famous in the 16th century for its healing hot springs.

9. The Belgian Royal Greenhouses in Laeken, with their vast complex of dome-shaped buildings, are only open to the public for a few weeks each year when the flowers are in bloom.

10. Belgium was the site of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, where Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated, leading to his exile and the end of the Napoleonic Wars.

11. Belgium is known for its fries, or "frites," which are traditionally served in a paper cone with mayonnaise, contrary to the popular "French fries" misnomer.

12. The country has one of the highest densities of Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe, reflecting its rich culinary tradition.

13. The world's first beer academy opened in Herk-de-Stad, Belgium, in 1999, underlining the country's long-standing tradition of brewing. Belgium produces over 1,100 varieties of beer.

14. The Royal Palace of Brussels is larger than Buckingham Palace and is available for public viewing every summer.

15. Antwerp, Belgium's second-largest city, is one of the world's leading diamond districts, trading about 85% of the world's rough diamonds.

16. The city of Dinant is the birthplace of Adolphe Sax, and it's known for its striking cliff-top citadel and the Collegiate Church of Notre Dame.

17. The Zinneke Pis, a statue of a peeing dog, joins the Manneken Pis and Jeanneke Pis as part of Brussels' famous peeing statues collection.

18. The Atomium, built for the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair (Expo 58), is a unique building that represents an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times.

19. The country's love for comic strips is evident through the Comic Strip Route in Brussels, where walls throughout the city are painted with scenes from famous Belgian comic books.

20. Belgium was the second country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, in 2003.

21. The Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp is the only museum listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and offers a glimpse into the world of early European printing and publishing.