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 Eupedia Top > Benelux Guide Top > Travelling in the Benelux |
Travelling inside the BeneluxA bit of historyThe Benelux region, composed of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, was historically known as the Low Countries or just "Netherlands". After Julius Caesar's conquest in 59 BCE, Luxembourg, Belgium and the south of the Netherlands belonged to the Roman province of Belgica, making up the sub-province of Germania Inferior with the part of Germany west of the Rhine.From the 3rd century, the Franks settled in most of modern Benelux. Tournai, in Belgium, became the seat of the Merovingian dynasty, from where Clovis unified the Frankish tribes and conquered the remains of Roman Gaul. From the 7th century, the power of the Frankish court shifted to the region of Liege with the Carolingian dynasty. Charlemagne moved the capital of his empire in nearby Aachen, which can be considered as historically part of the Low Countries. Part of the Holy Roman Empire from the 9th century (except the County of Flanders that was part of France), the Benelux region came under the control of the Dukes of Burgundy by a series of political marriages. The last Duchess of Burgundy married Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg in 1468, opening the Haburgian era for the Low Countries. Emperor Charles V (1500-1558), who ruled over the Holy Roman Empire, Austria, Spain and half of Italy, was born and raised in Ghent, in Flanders, with French as his mother-tongue. In the second half of the 16th century, King Philip II of Spain's harsh stance on Protestantism prompted a rebellion which resulted in the independence of the mostly Calvinist northern provinces. The United Provinces, as they called themselves, were the forerunner of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (renamed so in 1806). The South remained under Habsburg rule until the French Revolution, under the appellation of "Spanish", then "Austrian" Netherlands (or just "Southern Netherlands"). This area later became the Kingdom of Belgium (from 1830) and the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg (from 1815). The relatively large principality of Liege, which comprises most of today's provinces of Limburg, Liege, and half of the province of Namur, never belonged to the Habsburgian Netherlands. After Burgundy's annexation to France in 1477, the Principality of Liege was the only predominantly French-speaking state left in the otherwise German-speaking Holy Roman Empire. History's political intrigues has left some regions divided between present day countries. For instance, the southern half of the Dutch province of Limburg used to belong to the Principality of Liège or the Duchy of Limburg (based in Limbourg, Wallonia), while half of the old County/Duchy of Luxembourg is now a Belgian province of the same name. Likewise, the medieval Duchy of Brabant used to span from the North of Wallonia to the South of the Netherlands. Two Belgian and one Dutch province are still called "Brabant", while a big chunk of the old duchy is now part of the province of Antwerp. The historical ties are still strong nowadays, so that the people of Maastricht are culturally closer to the inhabitants of the Belgian province of Limburg, and even maybe Liège, than to those of Amsterdam or Groningen.
Fundamental geographyBelgium is made up of 10 provinces, part of 3 region-states : Flanders (Dutch-speaking) to the North, Wallonia (French-speaking) to the South, and Brussels (bilingual) in the middle.The Netherlands is divided in 12 provinces. Only 2 of these are called 'Holland' : North Holland and South Holland. The term "Holland" is often confused for "Netherlands", as the region of Holland happens to be the touristic and historically important area, where over one third of the present population lives. However, it is incorrect to refer to the whole country as "Holland", as local people will remind you. The adjective 'Dutch' refers to the whole Netherlands. Ducth language is called nederlands in Dutch. Luxembourg is about the same size as a Belgian province. If it was part of Belgium, it would be one of the 3 least populous province, along with the provinces of Namur and Luxembourg. PopulationHistorically, the region that make up modern Belgium was always more populous than what is now the Netherlands. In 1816, Belgium had a population of 4.6 million, against only 2 million for its northern neighbour. In 1900, the Belgian state had grown to 6.7 citizens, while the Dutch were 5.2 million. It is only in the middle of the 1930's that the Dutch population overtook that of Belgium, with about 8 million inhabitants for each country. Since then, the Netherlands' population has doubled to 16 million, while that of Belgium only increased by 25%, to 10 million.What is each country famous for ?The Netherlands is probably one of the world's most stereotyped country. Think of it and images of tulips, canals, bicycles, clogs, windmills and Gouda cheese spring to mind. Delftwares are named after the Dutch town that manufactures them : Delft. Note that there are also windmills and lots of bicycles in Flanders.Belgium has its fair share of preconceived images too, especially about food : chocolates, waffles, beer and chips ("French" fries). Tourists also buy Renaissance-style tapestries (gobelins) or lace, which once made Flanders one of the busiest textile centre in Europe. But one of the best things Belgium has to offer is its incredible number of castles (1 every 10 km2 in average, the highest density of any country). Luxembourg is too small to have influenced the world with its products. It does make nice white wine, but what made its international fame are its banks. Tourism in the BeneluxWhat to see in the Benelux ? First of all, it is important to know that a good deal of the sightseeing resides in the architecture, which can date back to over 1000 years, especially in stone-rich Wallonia. About all cities and towns have their town square, with a generally magnificient late-medieval or Renaissance townhall, a cathedral or big church (often medieval), and for Belgian towns also a belfry, i.e. a tower symoblising the town's liberties toward the local lord in medieval times. Belgium is also renowned for its castles -- over 3000 of them, enough to find one you like... The most beautiful are to be found in Wallonia. The country also has plenty of beautiful abbeys, old churches and quaint villages (again mostly in Wallonia, especially along the Meuse Valley).The Low Countries have produced some of the world's finest Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and Modern painters. While the Netherlands can claim such names as Hieronymus Bosch, Rembrandt, Jan Vermeer, Jan Steen, Frans Hals, Vincent van Gogh or Piet Mondriaan, Belgium boasts equally impressive names with Van Eyck, Bruegel (4 of them), Memling, Rubens, Van Dyck, Ensor or Magritte. Naturally, most of the finest works of the artists can be viewed in museums around the Benelux. The Dutch have found a way to relax by buildings innumerable canals (not just in cities, the country is full of them ! Where else can you see boats between sheep fields ?). However, they are the ones to invade their southern neighbours in the summer to enjoy various sporting activities (hiking, horse riding, kayaking...) in the "wilderness" of the Ardennes forest, in the south of Wallonia and Luxembourg. Highlights of the BeneluxBest citiesBy alphabetical order :
Best town halls
Best belfries
LinksCities in the Benelux by chronological year of foundationBelgian townhalls & belfries Belgian cathedrals Belgian castles Transportation in the BeneluxThe best way to visit the Benelux is by car, especially if you want to see the countryside, small towns, castles and abbeys. Using public transports, train are more numerous and more convenient than buses.Short distances and high density of population mean that moving around the Benelux is fairly easy and fast. For instance, towns like Delft, Gouda, Rotterdam or Leiden are all within 20min from The Hague. Major Belgian cities can all be reached within one hour from Brussels. Many discount cards and passes are available: Both railway companies offer discounts on return tickets and especially weekend return. Likewise, there are discounts for people under 26, over 60, groups, students, etc. Trains in Belgium tend to be slightly nicer than in the Netherlands, with clearer annoucements and more signs inside stations. However, Dutch stations are often cleaner and more beautiful. Note that annoucements are usually only in Dutch in the Netherlands and bilingual Dutch and French in Belgium. Only international train (e.g. from Brussels to Amsterdam) have annoucements in English. Dutch stations now have electronic ticket vending machines with menus in Dutch, English and French. Payments can be made in cash or by debit card (Maestro). Most Belgian stations don't have such machines, and when there are, they tend not to work properly - so just go to the counter, or buy your ticket in the train if you board from a rural station with no staff. Keep in mind that areas located along railways in the Benelux tend to be the dodgiest ones, especially in big cities. Station areas around big cities are often run-down, dirty, and zones of predilection for prositution. Don't expect bucolic landscapes while travelling between the densely populated Randstad (Den Haag-Rotterdam region), or anywhere between Antwerp and Brussels. The worst stations in terms of cleanliness, frequentation and immediate neihbourhood are Den Haag HS, Rotterdam, Antwerp-Berchem, Brussels North (except the western and southern neighbourhood) and Brussels South. The rest of Benelux tends to be much better in this regard though. Useful linksPhoto map of the Benelux
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