Flanders

Yellow white sand dunes, wide and green open spaces: if you explore this region close enough, you will find highlights wherever you look, that give Flanders its charm. Your travel through Flanders should begin in the Belgian capital, Brussels: the 343 feet high Atom, built as a landmark for the 1958 world

fair,and the 2 feet high bronze statue ‘Manneken Pis’ are the biggest tourist attractions. In Mini Europe you can experience the whole of Europe in a few steps. The park displays Europe’s most famous landmarks on a scale of 1:25. Comic-fans should look closely while making their way through the town, as many house fronts and metro stations are decorated with comic book heroes. It’s not without good reason that Brussels is known as the capital of comics: Many European classics such as Lucky Luke, The Adventures of Tintin, Gaston Lagaffe and Marsupilami are all Brussels originals.

North West of Brussels is the city Ghent. The city has approximately 240,000 residents and is often referred to as one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, as the medieval architecture is preserved well. The two quaysides Graslei and Korenlei in the old harbour are lined with gabled houses. Ghent is also the location of one of Belgium’s most significant Roman castles. And just as in many Flemish cities, belfries tower into the sky – a slim bell tower that was originally put up as a sign of the city’s power compared to the church, that later acted as a defensive construct. Twenty four of these watchtowers are still around in Flanders, and in 1999 together with the Walloon belfries were included on the list of World Heritage Sites.

Further north of Ghent is the port city Antwerp, a veritable collection of uniqueness: The Brabo monument draws attention to the fact that something’s not quite right. The bronze statue in the middle of the fountain is in stopped throwing position: the portrayed hero throws with his right arm and stands and balances on his right leg. Here we see the error, caused by the sculpture’s supposed alcoholism.

Whether you arrive by train or car hire, you should definitely pay a visit to the old railway station, where the stone entrance hall, the 610 foot long steel station concourse, and the 245 metre high dome are impressive sights to all, train-spotters or otherwise! In the local area the building is also known as the railway cathedral.

In Antwerp, you can visit the first museum that was put on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites: The Platin-Moretus-Museum is the only preserved printing office from the 16th Century. Here stands the world’s oldest printing press.

North West from Ghent in the direction of the North Sea coast, you will come across Bruges, the most famous Flemish city among tourists. As the historic inner-city has never been touched by war, the city walls, windmills, historic dwellings are impressively well preserved. It is best to explore the inner city by foot or by boat upon the many canals. In the Church of Our Lady is one of famous artist Michelangelo’s few works outside of his homeland on display: the Madonna.

Whoever is looking for some peace and quiet and to allow their eyes a pause from all the sights need only leave the city to fall upon rolling meadows, green alleyways, glittering lakes, luscious orchards and seemingly endless cycle and hiking tracks. Further up north you will come across the ‘green baking tray’, as the Flanders landscape is often known, on the north sea – whether in Autumn or Winter with lots of wind and choppy sea, in springtime when the sky is more mild and the hours of sun increase, or in summer, when the sea with an agreeable climate for taking a dip: the Flemish coast and its bathing spots are a premium travel destination the whole year round.