Destination Spotlight

8 Interesting Facts About Brussels

Brussels, the capital city of Belgium, is well-known for many things – politics, history, architecture, and cuisine just to name a few. It is easy to be captivated by this relatively small city because of its rich culture and charm. Here are eight interesting facts about Brussels to inspire a visit to this European capital destination.

• Brussels is the political capital of Europe, and it is home to 40,000 EU employees and 4,000 NATO employees. So, not surprisingly, about 27 percent of the residents in Brussels are not Belgium citizens.
  
• Belgians do not share one common language. In fact, there are THREE official languages in Belgium. In Brussels, people mostly speak French, but all public signs and documents are in French and Flemish Dutch. The third language spoken here is German.
• The Justice Palace (Palais de Justice) in Brussels is the largest court in the world at 26,000 square metres (that’s 28,000 square feet).
• Brussels is a major producer of beer, waffles, and chocolate – yum! There are more than 800 brands of beer for sale in the city.
• Let’s talk more about the chocolate, shall we? It can, of course, be found all around the capital city, but did you know – the airport in Brussels is the largest chocolate selling point in the world!
  
• Attention french fry lovers! Chips, commonly known as french fries, were created in Brussels. The city has an impressive 138 restaurants per square mile, and at almost all of them you can find some variation of french fries on the menu. There is even a french fry museum!
• From chocolate and fries to…brussels sprouts? Yes, the love-it or hate-it vegetable was broadly grown in Brussels in the 16^th century, and kids have been avoiding them ever since.
• Speaking of vegetables, the largest agricultural, forestry and agri-food fair in Europe, Foire de Libramont is held in Brussels in July.

Ready to explore Western Europe? Beautiful Brussels is just one of the many locations where WorldStrides offers programs of all kinds.