The weather has warmed up, vacation is starting… and we ’re itching to get away! No need to go far from Brussels, when you consider that Belgium boasts no fewer than 16 remarkable UNESCO-listed sites! A real boon for this small—and flat—country!
The Grand-Place, the Stoclet Palace, the works of Victor Horta… in Brussels alone, there are 3 (actually, 7) UNESCO-listed sites. Nationwide, the flat country has 16! As a reminder, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is responsible for identifying, through its World Heritage List, humanity’s most precious cultural and natural assets, with the aim of preserving their condition and ensuring their long-term survival. What are these 16 UNESCO-listed sites in Belgium?
And let’s start with the most magnificent of them all: our beloved Grand-Place in Brussels! It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998 (only!) and dates mainly from the late 17th century. Its cobblestones, its splendid City Hall and tower, as well as its colorful houses make it a must-see for visitors.
As we mentioned in this article listing the 5 cities (other than Brussels) to see in Belgium, the historic center of Bruges is clearly a must-see. It’s that simple: you’ll feel like you’re strolling through an open-air fairy-tale village! The site has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since the year 2000.
In 1999, UNESCO decided to include 32 belfries located throughout Belgium on its list. By adding a 33rd belfry to its list in 2005 (the one in Gembloux), as well as 23 other belfries in northern France, the list was renamed “Belfries of Belgium and France. “ The most notable ones are those in Bruges, Ghent, Aalst, Antwerp, Namur, and Charleroi.
Notre-Dame Cathedral in Tournai
Listed in 2000, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Tournai “stands out for its Romanesque nave of exceptional scale, the rich sculptural detail of its capitals, and a transept flanked by five towers heralding the Gothic style,” according to the website whc.unesco.org. The cathedral dates back to the 12th century.
When they founded the beguinages in the 13th century, the beguines— women devoted to the worship of God—may not yet have known that they were creating one of the greatest heritage treasures of all of medieval Western Europe. These 13 beguinages are located in Bruges, Ghent, Mechelen, Lier, and Leuven, among other places.
Spa (and Europe’s major spa towns)
Added in 2021, this list of international sites includes eleven European “major spa towns” that have contributed to the spread of spa culture. All with a view to advancing medicine and science! Among them is the Belgian town of Spa!
What would Brussels be without Victor Horta? This specialist and pioneer of Art Nouveau put our capital on the international map thanks to his creations. Five major works that are inseparable from his legacy —and undoubtedly the best known—were inscribed on the UNESCO list in 2000: the Tassel House, the Solvay House, the van Eetvelde House, and the Horta House-Studio.
The Stoclet Palace
Let’s stay in Brussels. In 2009, UNESCO decided to add the Stoclet Palace, located in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, to its list. Completed in 1911, the Palace and its garden stand out as an innovation in Brussels’ architectural landscape. A symbol of artistic renewal and a centerpiece of the Vienna Secession, it houses works by Klimt and Moser.
The Guiette House (and the works of Le Corbusier)
By adding a list of 17 works by the Swiss architect and urban planner Le Corbusier to its heritage in 2016, UNESCO also included a work on Belgian territory: the Maison Guiette, located in Antwerp, designed by Le Corbusier and built by René Guiette in 1927. It is an example of the “International Style.”
The Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp
Located in Antwerp, the Plantin-Moretus Museum has a history closely linked to that of typography: and for good reason, as this splendid printing house dates back to the Renaissance! Christophe Plantin was the greatest printer of the second half of the 16th century; the museum is teeming with rare objects and collections related to printing (including a painting by Rubens!).
The Neolithic Flint Mines of Spiennes in Mons
They cover more than 100 hectares and are the largest and oldest mining sites in Europe: the Neolithic flint mines of Spiennes, in Mons, are true gems for archaeology enthusiasts. They were inscribed in 2000 and are open to the public from April to October.
The Wortel Charity Colony
To combat destitution and reduce poverty, the former United Kingdom of the Netherlands (to which Belgium belonged) established agricultural colonies (known as “charity colonies”) in remote areas as early as 1818. The Wortel colony had as many as 6,000 residents in 1910. It has been listed since 2021 along with two other Dutch colonies.
The Canal du Centre Lifts in Hainaut
As surprising as it may seem, the four hydraulic lifts on the Canal du Centre (in Hainaut) have also been on the list of UNESCO-listed sites in Belgium since 1998. They bear witness to the industrial landscape of the 19th century and are still in working order!
There are four of them, located in Boussu, La Louvière, Charleroi, and Blegny! They are more commonly known as Grand-Hornu, Bois du Luc, Bois du Cazier, and Blegny-Mine, and are the best-preserved sites of19th- and 20th-century coal mining. They have been listed since 2012.
The Grippensdelle Hazel Grove in the Sonian Forest
In 2007, the “Primeval and Ancient Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe” were added to this list! Among them is the beech forest of the Grippensdelle Forest Reserve, located in the Sonian Forest, near Brussels! It is the only natural site listed for Belgium.
The Western Front of World War I stretches 700 km, from the North Sea to the French-Swiss border. It is home to 139 burial and memorial sites dedicated to soldiers who fell in battle. These sites, varied in size and design, feature individual graves and memorials, crafted from fine materials and designed by renowned architects. They have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since September 20 , 2023.
