Pictures of Belgium

[Your Old Comrade]

Visually stunning documentary shows the interweaving of traditional culture with modern industry as the foundation of contemporary Belgium. Filled with scenes of local atmosphere and color, including a classic sequence of a farmer and a butcher negotiating the price of a cow in Flemish dialect. Produced in 1954.

Een uniek filmpje uit 1955 over het dagdagelijkse leven in Brugge. Van de hand van Ernest Kleinberg.

Portrays the traditional way of life in Bruges, a Belgian town which preserved architecture and traditions from the medieval era. Produced in 1955.

9 uren spotten, regen en wind trotseren, slechts enkele goede beelden, maar toch tevreden dat ik dit uniek moment heb kunnen beleven!

Meer info over de bijeneter kan je hier vinden: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bijeneter
Artikel GvA Peter Baets met mijn foto:
https://www.gva.be/cnt/dmf20230804_93...

[Your Old Comrade]

The Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries (French: Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, Dutch: Koninklijke Sint-Hubertusgalerijen) is an ensemble of three glazed shopping arcades in central Brussels, Belgium. It consists of the King's Gallery (French: Galerie du Roi, Dutch: Koningsgalerij), the Queen's Gallery (French: Galerie de la Reine, Dutch: Koninginnegalerij) and the Princes' Gallery (French: Galerie des Princes, Dutch: Prinsengalerij).

The galleries were designed and built by the architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar between 1846 and 1847, and precede other famous 19th-century European shopping arcades, such as the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan and the Passage in Saint Petersburg. Like them, they have twin regular facades with distant origins in Vasari's long narrow street-like courtyard of the Uffizi in Florence, with glazed arched shopfronts separated by pilasters and two upper floors, all in an Italianate Cinquecento style, under an arched glass-paned roof with a delicate cast-iron framework. The complex was designated a historic monument in 1986.

The galleries are located in the block between the Rue du Marché aux Herbes/Grasmarkt and the Rue de la Montagne/Bergstraat to the south and east, the Rue d'Arenberg/Arenbergstraat and the Rue de l'Ecuyer/Schildknaapsstraat to the north, and the Rue des Dominicains/Predikherenstraat and the Rue des Bouchers/Beenhouwersstraat to the west. This site is served by Brussels Central Station.

The Royal Galleries consist of two major sections, each more than 100 metres in length (respectively called the Galerie du Roi/Koningsgalerij, meaning "King's Gallery", and the Galerie de la Reine/Koninginnegalerij, meaning "Queen's Gallery"), and a smaller side gallery (the Galerie des Princes/Prinsengalerij, meaning "Princes' Gallery"). The main sections (King's and Queen's Gallery) are separated by a peristyle at the point where the Rue des Bouchers/Beenhouwersstraat crosses the gallery complex. At this point, there is a discontinuity in the straight perspective of the galleries. This "bend" was introduced purposefully in order to make the long perspective of the galleries, with its repetition of arches, pilasters and windows, less tedious.
The King's Gallery (French: Galerie du Roi, Dutch: Koningsgalerij) stretches from the Rue des Bouchers to the Rue d'Arenberg/Arenbergstraat. It notably houses the Royal Theatre of the Galleries.

The Queen's Gallery (French: Galerie de la Reine, Dutch: Koninginnegalerij), to the south, leads to the Rue du Marché aux Herbes/Grasmarkt, near the Grand-Place/Grote Markt (Brussels' main square), and on the other side of this street begins the Horta Gallery. Its best known shops are Delvaux leather goods and Neuhaus chocolatier.

The Princes' Gallery (French: Galerie des Princes, Dutch: Prinsengalerij) is located perpendicularly between the King's Gallery and the Rue des Dominicains/Predikherenstraat.
#brussels #bruxelles

[Your Old Comrade]

The Vlaaikensgang or Vlaeykensgang is a 16th-century alley in the historic center of Antwerp. Along the cobblestone paths are a total of eleven authentic back houses, which are mainly made of brick and sandstone. The name Vlaaikensgang comes from a pie and waffle house that used to be there.

General
The entrance to the Vlaaikensgang is located on the Oude Koornmarkt. First one finds the first courtyard, which is typified by some whitewashed and pitched facades. The second courtyard is reached through a passage with a statue of Christ. The last courtyard consists of a few houses with cornices. Here is also the exit to the Pelgrimstraat. Shoemakers used to live here, who also had to ring the emergency bells of the Cathedral of Our Lady, while a few antique shops and art galleries are now located here. There is also an exclusive restaurant.

Trivia
In the 1960s, there was a plan to demolish the Vlaaikensgang to build a parking lot, but in 1969 the alley was bought by antique dealer Axel Vervoordt, who also took care of the restoration.

"Den Grooten Baars", a striking plaque from the 19th century, probably comes from the Antwerpse Burg, which has since been demolished.

The Saint Anna tunnel is a pedestrian and bicycle tunnel under the Scheldt in the city of Antwerp. The construction of the Sint-Annatunnel started in 1931 and the tunnel was opened in 1933.

This 572 meter long tunnel, which is 31.57 meters underground, is also called the Pedestrian Tunnel by the people of Antwerp and has been connecting the city with the Linkeroever since 1933, in other words the older with the newer Antwerp. Both sides have a lift for 40 people or a maximum of 3,000 kg, and two times two authentic wooden escalators. These escalators were a real novelty for that time. The external diameter of the tunnel is 4.74 m, the internal diameter is 4.30 m. Both entrance buildings were designed by Emiel Van Averbeke.

Because there are occasional defects or interruptions to these escalators, or further down the road at the Kennedy cycle tunnel or the Sint-Anna ferry, road manager Agency for Roads and Traffic has a website and, since 2020, a smartphone app, where the current and planned accessibility of these three bicycle and pedestrian connections.

The Stadsfeestzaal is a neoclassical building from 1908, built according to plans by city architect Alexis Van Mechelen at the request of the city council. It is located on the Meir, the main shopping street in the city of Antwerp. Another entrance is on the Hopland. There have always been retail spaces and apartments along the Meir. Through a gate one had access to the banquet hall at the back. The banquet hall has a rather unique metal construction as span for that time.

For a long time it was one of the most famous halls in Antwerp, hosting art exhibitions, the Antwerp Antiques Fair, the book fair, the car show and various parties. In 1983 the building was classified as a protected monument.

On December 27, 2000, a fierce fire destroyed almost the entire building and barely anything remained. In 2004, the city council signed a long lease agreement with a project developer for the reconstruction of the banquet hall. Work began that same year. On October 25, 2007, the completely renovated Stadsfeestzaal reopened its doors to the general public, this time as a luxurious shopping center. The glass dome with gold leaf, the stairwell, the original decorations, sculptures, mosaics, wall reliefs and oak parquet floor have been faithfully rebuilt under the supervision of Monumentenzorg. The marble in the main hall comes from the same quarry as the original marble in the hall.

In addition to the shopping center, 40 apartments and an underground garage with space for 268 cars were also provided.

[Your Old Comrade]

The Cathedral of Our Lady (Dutch: Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Antwerp, Belgium. Today's see of the Diocese of Antwerp started in 1352 and, although the first stage of construction was ended in 1521, has never been 'completed'. In Gothic style, its architects were Jan and Pieter Appelmans. It contains a number of significant works by the Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens, as well as paintings by artists such as Otto van Veen, Jacob de Backer and Marten de Vos.

The belfry of the cathedral is included in the Belfries of Belgium and France entry in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The church's one finished spire is 123 meters tall, the tallest church tower in the Benelux. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor commented that the spire should be kept under glass, and Napoleon compared the spire to Mechlin lace. The largest bell in the tower requires 16 bell ringers.
The west portal features statues which include the missionary Saint Willibrord. He is thought to have spent time in Antwerp in the 7th century.

[Your Old Comrade]

The Rubenshuis (Dutch for 'Rubens House') is the former home and workshop of Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) in Antwerp. Purchased in 1610, Rubens had the Flemish townhouse renovated and extended on the basis of designs by Rubens himself. After the renovations, the house and its courtyard garden had the outlook of an Italian palazzo, which reflected the artistic ideals of Rubens. The ensemble is now a museum dedicated mainly to the work of Rubens and his contemporaries.

A year after marrying Isabella Brant in 1609, Rubens began construction of an Italian-style villa on the then-Vaartstraat (now the Wapper, 9–11), at the time located at the banks of the Herentalse Vaart canal. Rubens designed the building himself, based on studies of Italian Renaissance palace architecture that also formed the basis of his Palazzi di Genova. The layout included his home, studio, a monumental portico and an interior courtyard. The courtyard opens into a Baroque garden that he also planned.

In the adjacent studio, he and his students executed many of the works for which Rubens is famous. He had established a well-organised workshop that met the demands of his active studio, including large commissions from England, France, Spain and Bavaria and other locations. He relied on students and collaborators for much of the actual work. Rubens himself, however, guaranteed the quality and often finished paintings with his own hand. In a separate private studio he made drawings, portraits and small paintings without the assistance of his students and collaborators.

Rubens's house after his lifetime
Rubens spent most of his lifetime in this building. After his death, his wife Helena Fourment let the building to William Cavendish and his wife. After the latter left in 1660, the house was sold. On the World's Fair Brussels International 1910 there was a real-size reconstruction of the house of P.P. Rubens, built by the architect Henri Blomme. The reconstruction was a romantic interpretation of what the building used to be, full of ornaments, but it promoted the idea to save the building. After his death in 1921, the architect Henri Blomme left an important legacy to the city of Antwerp to buy the house. This happened finally in 1937.

The city bought the house in 1937 and after an extensive restoration the Rubenshuis was opened to the public in 1946. Dozens of paintings and artworks by Rubens and his contemporaries were installed in the rooms, as well as period furniture. Paintings include his early Adam and Eve (c. 1600) and a self portrait made when he was about fifty.

The Rubenianum, a centre and archive dedicated to the study of Rubens, is in a building at the rear of the garden.

The Plantin-Moretus Museum (Dutch: Plantin-Moretusmuseum) is a printing museum in Antwerp, Belgium which focuses on the work of the 16th-century printers Christophe Plantin and Jan Moretus. It is located in their former residence and printing establishment, the Plantin Press, at the Vrijdagmarkt (Friday Market) in Antwerp, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005.

The printing company was founded in the 16th century by Christophe Plantin, who obtained type from the leading typefounders of the day in Paris. Plantin was a major figure in contemporary printing with interests in humanism; his eight-volume, multi-language Plantin Polyglot Bible with Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek and Syriac texts was one of the most complex productions of the period. Plantin's is now suspected of being at least connected to members of heretical groups known as the Familists, and this may have led him to spend time in exile in his native France.

After Plantin's death it was owned by his son-in-law Jan Moretus. While most printing concerns disposed of their collections of older type in the eighteenth and nineteenth century in response to changing tastes, the Plantin-Moretus company "piously preserved the collection of its founder."

Four women ran the family-owned Plantin-Moretus printing house (Plantin Press) over the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries: Martina Plantin, Anna Goos, Anna Maria de Neuf and Maria Theresia Borrekens.

In 1876 Edward Moretus sold the company to the city of Antwerp. One year later the public could visit the living areas and the printing presses. The collection has been used extensively for research, by historians H. D. L. Vervliet, Mike Parker and Harry Carter. Carter's son Matthew would later describe this research as helping to demonstrate "that the finest collection of printing types made in typography's golden age was in perfect condition (some muddle aside) [along with] Plantin's accounts and inventories which names the cutters of his types."

In 2002 the museum was nominated as UNESCO World Heritage Site and in 2005 was inscribed onto the World Heritage list.
The Plantin-Moretus Museum possesses an exceptional collection of typographical material. Not only does it house the two oldest surviving printing presses in the world and complete sets of dies and matrices, it also has an extensive library, a richly decorated interior and the entire archives of the Plantin business, which were inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme Register in 2001 in recognition of their historical significance.

St. Charles Borromeo Church (Dutch: Sint-Carolus Borromeuskerk) is a church in central Antwerp, located on the Hendrik Conscience square. It was built in 1615-1621 as the Jesuit church of Antwerp, which was closed in 1773. It was rededicated in 1779 to Saint Charles Borromeo. The church was formerly known for 39 ceiling pieces by Rubens that were lost in a fire when lightning struck the church on 18 July 1718.

The church was inspired by the Church of the Gesu, the mother church of the Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic religious order also known as the Jesuits. The church was built next to the Huis van Aecken, bought from the heirs of Erasmus II Schetz. It was the first church in the world to be dedicated to the Jesuit founder, Ignatius Loyola.

In 1617-1618 Rubens painted two altarpieces. He was also commissioned to paint the ceiling pieces, for which he made the designs while the execution was done mostly by pupils, including Anthony van Dyck. A contract was drawn up in 1620 by Jacobus Tirinus and the paintings were delivered a year later in time for the consecration. Rubens received 7,000 guilders for his works in the church, and though the lavish decorations including sculptures and other artwork were well received, Tirinus was dismissed in 1625 for going beyond his budget.

In 1718 the vault of the nave, including Rubens' ceiling paintings, was destroyed by fire. Jan Pieter van Baurscheidt the Elder restored the damaged parts according to the original plan, but replaced the original coffers with wide transverse arches. In 1773 the Society of Jesus was suppressed and the building was confiscated. It reopened in 1779, renamed St.-Carolus Borromeuskerk, after Charles Borromeo.

Since 1803 the St.-Carolus Borromeuskerk has been in use as a parish church. During the Dutch reign preceding Belgium's independence in 1830 the baroque interior was sobered to make it a Protestant church.

A restoration campaign in the 1980s brought back the churches baroque splendor. Besides works by Rubens the interior displays paintings by Gerard Seghers, Daniel Seghers, and Cornelis Schut.

On 30 August 2009 fire broke out again, but none of the important artworks were damaged.

The Grote Markt ("Great Market Square") of Antwerp is a town square situated in the heart of the old city quarter. It is filled with an extravagant city hall, numerous guildhalls with elaborate façades, the majority of which are reconstructions in the 19th and early 20th century, approximating paintings of the square by Flemish artists. A few of the guildhall façades, such as that of Sint-Joris's are intact originals entirely dating back to the 16th century.
The square also has many restaurants and cafés, and it lies within walking distance of the Scheldt river. The Grote Markt hosts a Christmas market and ice rink every winter.

Antwerpen-Centraal railway station (Dutch: Station Antwerpen-Centraal, French: Gare d'Anvers-Central, IATA code: ZWE), officially Antwerpen-Centraal, is the main railway station in Antwerp, Belgium. The station is operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB).

Antwerp's first station was the terminus of the Brussels–Mechelen–Antwerp railway line, which opened on 3 June 1836. The original station building was made of wood and was replaced by a new and larger building on the occasion of the opening of the new international connection to the Netherlands in 1854–55.

The current terminal station building was constructed between 1895 and 1905 as a replacement for the first station. The stone-clad building was designed by the architect Louis Delacenserie. The viaduct into the station is also a notable structure designed by local architect Jan Van Asperen. A plaque on the north wall bears the name Middenstatie ("Middle Station"), an expression now antiquated in Dutch. To the north of the station a large public square, known as the Statieplein ("Station Square"), was created, acting as an entry to the city for its many commuters. In 1935, the square's name was changed to the Koningin Astridplein, in honour of the recently deceased Queen Astrid.

World War II damage and restoration
During World War II, severe damage was inflicted to the train hall by the impact of V-2 rockets, though the structural stability of the building remained intact, according to the National Railway Company of Belgium. Nevertheless, it has been claimed that the warping of the substructure due to a V-2 impact had caused constructional stresses. The impact remains visible due to a lasting wave-distortion in the roofing of the hall.
n the mid-20th century, the building's condition had deteriorated to the point that its demolition was being considered.

The station was closed on 31 January 1986 for safety reasons, after which restoration work to the roof (starting at the end of March 1986 and finishing in September 1986) and façades was performed. The stress problems due to the impact of bombs during the war were reportedly solved by the use of polycarbonate sheets instead of glass, due to its elasticity and its relatively low weight (40% less than glass), which avoided the need for extra supporting pillars. After replacing or repairing steel elements, they were painted burgundy. Copper was also used in the renovation process of the roof.

The bourse of Antwerp was the world's first purpose-built commodity exchange. Falling into disuse in the 17th century, from 1872 until 1997 the restored building housed the Antwerp Stock Exchange. After further restoration, the building is now part of an events venue that goes by the English name Antwerp Trade Fair. The Royal Exchange, London was modelled on the Antwerp Exchange.

1531: Inception
As Antwerp took over the role of trade center from Bruges, it grew into a large metropolis with more than 100,000 inhabitants, including 10,000 foreign merchants, mostly Spaniards and Portuguese. From 1531 the old bourse was given a new building, conceived as a rectangular square with galleries covered on four sides, built on top of a street intersection. For half a century this exchange would be the focal point of European trade and the model for cities with similar ambitions.
On the initiative of Thomas Gresham, the representative of the English crown in Antwerp, the Royal Exchange, London was opened in 1565 on this model. It was also called "the Bourse" until Queen Elizabeth I, after a visit on January 23, 1570, changed its name to the Royal Exchange.[3] The Middelburg stock exchange was opened in 1592, then Rotterdam in 1595 and Amsterdam in 1611.
The first building in Brabant's late Gothic style dates from 1531, after a design by Domien de Waghemakere. A rectangular open space was enclosed by a colonnade covered with star and net vaults. The gallery concept of this building served as a model for London's Royal Exchange (designed by Hendrik van Paesschen), as well as for Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Lille. The high-rise 'pagoda towers' with octagonal and cylindrical hull may have served as a lookout for the harbor. Every nation had a more or less permanent location at the exchange.

1583: First fire, siege
After a fire in 1583, the Bourse was immediately rebuilt to the same plan. The Siege of Antwerp (1584-1585) and the surrender to the 'Spanish' Army of Flanders led to a decline in trade, with Antwerp unable to compete with Amsterdam. Between 1661 and 1810 the building was used, among other things, as a drawing academy and seat of the Guild of Saint Luke. The open interior space was domed in 1853 by Charles Marcellis, following the example of London's Crystal Palace.

1858: Second fire
After a second fire in 1858 had once again destroyed the building, the Antwerp city authorities twice organized a design competition in which the old concept had to be preserved. The current building was finally completed in 1872 by architect Joseph Schadde. It is a remarkable combination of the neo-gothic style and revolutionary techniques, in particular the metal construction for the covering of the interior. The building housed the Antwerp Stock Exchange (a true stock exchange) from 1872 until its 1997 merger with the Brussels Stock Exchange.

1997: Merger with Brussels Stock Exchange, building abandoned
With the closure of the Antwerp Stock Exchange in 1997, the building lost its function and was abandoned and neglected. After a long and intensive renovation, it was reopened in October 2019 as an event hall with restaurant, hotel and public passage. The ground floor with its beautiful central square is open to the public from Saturday to Sunday, between 10:00 and 17:00.
The building will be used as a venue for the 2021 World Choir Games, co-hosted by Antwerp and Ghent.
The Antwerp Trade Fair is an events venue in the Belgian city of Antwerp, located in the Twaalfmaandenstraat, a side street of the Meir. It encompasses the building of the Bourse of Antwerp, which has been described as "the mother of all stock exchanges". From 1531 to 1661, it was the site of the world's first dedicated commodity exchange, and after extensive renovations it housed the Antwerp stock exchange from 1872 until 1997.

After the 1997 merger of the Antwerp stock exchange with the Brussels stock exchange, and the advent of online trading, the exchange building in Antwerp fell into disuse, with various proposals to redevelop the building going nowhere for fifteen years. The investment file started moving again in October 2013, after a new partner was found: the Marriott hotel chain. A heritage budget was also released from the Flemish government for the restoration of the Bourse. In October 2014, it was announced that the new building application for the project was approved by the city of Antwerp. But at the beginning of December 2014, it became known that various local residents had appealed to the permanent deputation of the province against the building permit.

[Your Old Comrade]

Oostende is the most beautiful location that caters for every age group. Excellent range of facilities beautiful beach. All areas are always kept meticulously clean.

[Your Old Comrade]

The Ommegang in Brussels on 31 May 1615: The Triumph of Archduchess Isabella - Denis van Alsloot (1616 painted).

This painting is the fifth in the series of six paintings which was commissioned by the Archduke Albert and Archduchess Isabella to celebrate the Ommeganck in Brussels in 1615. This was an important procession that honoured the most prestigious Guild in Brussels: the Crossbowmen guild. The present painting depicts the Triumph of Isabella who was crowned Queen of the procession as she successful shot a jay attached at the spire of the church of Notre-Dame-du-Sablon. This work was therefore the most important in the series because it shows the ten pageant cars that formed the most spectacular element of the parade.

The Ommegang of Brussels is a traditional Ommegang, a type of medieval pageant, celebrated in Brussels, Belgium.

The painting is part of the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Denis van Alsloot or Denijs van Alsloot (c.1570–c.1626) was a Flemish landscape and genre painter, draughtsman and tapestry designer. He is considered to be a member of the Sonian Forest school of landscape painters, which included landscape painters such as Jacques d'Arthois and Cornelis Huysmans. These painters working in Brussels had a preference for depicting scenes from the Sonian Forest near Brussels. Van Alsloot was also a specialist in depicting civil processions, local festivals and ceremonies. Denys van Alsloot was born in Brussels where he remained all his life.

Google Photos Album
https://photos.app.goo.gl/bYgRhvmVT9x...

#OmmegangofBrussels

[Your Old Comrade]

Bonjour à tous les amis,
Welcome to this trip report onboard M4 coaches, the peak train from SNCB. Straight up to the 80s!
Welcome back Benjamin on the channel!

- TRIP INFORMATION -
RECORDED IN DECEMBER 2020
Railroad company: SNCB/NMBS
Train type : HLE 21 + M4 coaches
From : Brussel-Zuid to Namur
Time : 1h14
Price : €9.1 - $11

[Your Old Comrade]

Het mooie Hageland.

[Your Old Comrade]

Bonjour à tous!
Welcome to this trip report onboard the brand new coaches of the Belgium national carrier : the M7!
First time on the channel from the marvelous station of Liège.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments !

- TRIP INFORMATION -
RECORDED IN DECEMBER 2020
Railroad company: SNCB
Train type : HLE 18 + M7 + I11
From : Liège-Guillemin to Brussels South (Zuid or Midi)
Time : 1h00
Price : €15,50 - $18