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High Road to Culture in Flanders and the Netherlands
Once in a while, editor-in-chief Luc Devoldere dives into the archives of The Low Countries and pulls out a story that is worth rereading. Consider it left luggage, that reveals a hidden gem.
Discover one of the greatest classical poets of the twentieth century in the Netherlands.
For a long time, the Dutch believed that the Netherlands was somehow a 'Gidsland' ('Guide Land'), a nation whose moral example could inspire other nations toward better behaviour.
The legacy of the Dutch historians Johan Huizinga and Pieter Geyl can hardly be overestimated.
‘One-Third Land and Two-Thirds Sky' – that is how the film director Peter Greenaway saw, and sees, the Netherlands.
For decades, pigeon racing was as much part of Belgium as the Atomium, chip stalls and cycle racing.
If you really want to get to know Flanders, you have to drive along its stone roads.
Anyone who wants to understand the linguistic complexity of Belgium must be aware of the language border, declared in 1963, that divides the country into two big regions.
Often, when discussing Flanders versus the Netherlands, we tend to fall back on the cliché about being ‘Catholic’ versus being ‘Protestant’. The truth, however, is far more complex.
In 2016, the Flemish political scientist Kris Deschouwer wrote an illuminating piece about the very special character of the Belgian social security system.
