Belgium and Luxembourg (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

Flanders at a Glance

Northern Belgium forms the Dutch-speaking region

known as Flanders. The language here is spoken

in Flemish dialects that vary hugely across the land.

The western half of Flanders consists of two prov-

inces – West Vlaanderen, which has a coast on the

North Sea, and Oost Vlaanderen. The beautiful cities

of Bruges and Ghent are the respective capitals.

To the east lie three more provinces: Antwerpen,

with its capital in the city of Antwerp; Limburg

and Vlaams Brabant. Much of the north is flat, but

towards the southern border with Wallonia, the land

begins to rise into softly undulating hills.

100 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION

The Belgian Coast (see pp118–19)

is a popular destination for family

holidays, but sun-lovers may need

shelter from the bracing sea breezes.

A striking feature here is the invest-

ment in contemporary public

sculpture, such as the seated figures

outside Oostende’s railway station.

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Bruges (see pp108–117)

casts a romantic spell with

its step-gabled façades and

a skyline pricked by medie-

val towers. The canals that

thread through this minia-

ture city were used in the

Middle Ages by barges

laden with trade goods.

The wealth and luxury this

trade brought to Bruges is

still very evident in the city’s

monuments and museums.

WESTERN FLANDERS

(see pp104–139)

Ghent (see pp130–35), the capital of

Oost Vlaanderen, is most notable

for the glorious Gothic architecture

that lines the city’s picturesque

canals and medieval streets.

Red poppies, a symbol of the war dead, carpeting the battlefields of Flanders

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