The European Federation of Napoleonic Cities

6 June 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Museums, Exhibitions, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  4 minutes

© napoleoncities.eu

© napoleoncities.eu

“This heritage deserves to be better known, highlighted, shared and visited”. Those observations led us to create a Federation for European cities of Napoleonic history. If we look into the great man’s deeds, the French Revolution, the French Age of Enlightenment, the ideals of ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’ are values which bind us together. Rehabilitating historical sites, encouraging historical research, promoting our museums and our culture through live events, opening up to our country and European citizens is a bit like travelling through the complex, contradictory and sometimes opposing tracks whereby those ideals established themselves in Europe.   read more…

Theme Week Belgium – The university city of Leuven

24 April 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Main Library of the Catholic University of Leuven © Athenchen

Main Library of the Catholic University of Leuven © Athenchen

A stone’s throw from Brussels and the national airport and at the intersection of two international motorways there stands the old Burgundian university town of Leuven. Few towns in Flanders appeal to the imagination more than this haven for students, where history, culture, architecture, gastronomy and modern science are intermingled to form a compelling cocktail.   read more…

Overview Theme Weeks

27 December 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  20 minutes

Theme Weeks (Latest addition: February 2024) In irregular intervals we publish Theme Weeks about cities, regions, and countries. Here you can find the complete list.   read more…

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Liege, the cultural center of the Walloon Region

8 December 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

Royal Opera © Benjamin Frere

Royal Opera © Benjamin Frere

Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium.   read more…

Country overview

9 November 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

In addition to the regular search function, a country overview is available here. Click on the country name to see all currently available blog entries.   read more…

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Theme Week Belgium – Bruges, Venice of the North

8 September 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture, European Union, European Capital of Culture, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

Rozenhoedkaai Canal © Jean-Christophe BENOIST

Rozenhoedkaai Canal © Jean-Christophe BENOIST

Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country. The historic city centre is a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO. It is oval-shaped and about 430 hectares in size. The area of the whole city amounts to more than 13,840 hectares, including 1,075 hectares off the coast, at Zeebrugge (meaning “Brugge aan Zee” or “Bruges on Sea”). The city’s total population is 117,000, of which around 20,000 live in the historic centre. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 616 km² and has a total of 256,000 inhabitants. Along with a few other canal-based northern cities, such as Amsterdam, it is sometimes referred to as “The Venice of the North”. Bruges has a significant economic importance thanks to its port. At one time, it was the “chief commercial city” of the world.   read more…

Mons, European Capital of Culture 2015

28 July 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture, European Union, European Capital of Culture, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

Grand'Place © Jean-Pol GRANDMONT

Grand’Place © Jean-Pol GRANDMONT

Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour (partly), Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles, Saint-Denis, Saint-Symphorien, Spiennes, Villers-Saint-Ghislain, Casteau (partly), Masnuy-Saint-Jean (partly), and Ville-sur-Haine (partly). Together with the Czech city of Plzeň, Mons is selected to be the European capital of culture in 2015.   read more…

Theme Week Belgium – Ghent, the proud city

9 April 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  8 minutes

Vrijdagmakt square with statue of Van Artevelde © Volkov Vitaly

Vrijdagmakt square with statue of Van Artevelde © Volkov Vitaly

Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of northern Europe. Today it is a busy city with a port and a university. The municipality comprises the city of Ghent proper and the towns of Afsnee, Desteldonk, Drongen, Gentbrugge, Ledeberg, Mariakerke, Mendonk, Oostakker, Sint-Amandsberg, Sint-Denijs-Westrem, Sint-Kruis-Winkel, Wondelgem and Zwijnaarde. With 240,191 inhabitants in the beginning of 2009, Ghent is Belgium’s second largest municipality by number of inhabitants. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 1,205 km2 (465 sq mi) and has a total population of 594,582 as of 1 January 2008, which ranks it as the fourth most populous in Belgium. The current mayor of Ghent, Daniël Termont, leads a coalition of the sp.a, Open VLD and Pro Gent. Every year the ten-day-long “Ghent Festival” (Gentse Feesten in Dutch) is held. About two million visitors attend every year.   read more…

Theme Week Belgium – Antwerp, the diamond city

8 March 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, European Union, Bon voyage, European Capital of Culture, Theme Weeks, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

Grote Markt © Maros M r a z

Grote Markt © Maros M r a z

Antwerp is a city and municipality in Belgium and the capital of the Antwerp province in Flanders, one of Belgium’s three regions. Antwerp’s total population is 472,071 (as of 1 January 2008) and its total area is 204.51 km2 (78.96 sq mi), giving a population density of 2,308 inhabitants per km². The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 1,449 km2 (559 sq mi) with a total of 1,190,769 inhabitants as of 1 January 2008. The nickname of inhabitants of Antwerp is Sinjoren, after the Spanish word señor, which means ‘mister’ or ‘gent’. It refers to the leading Spanish noble-men who ruled the city during the 17th century.   read more…

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