Belgium

In the Flemish Region of Belgium, the capital and main city of the West Flanders province is Bruges. It is the sixth most populated city in the nation and is located in the northwest.Over 14,099 hectares make up the entire city, including 1,075 hectares off the coast at Zeebrugge.The old city center is a well-known UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is roughly 430 hectares in size and oval in shape. About 20,000 of the city's 117,073 residents reside in the city core (1 January 2008). As of January 1, 2008, the metropolitan area, which includes the outside commuter zone, had 255,844 residents and covered 616 km2 (238 sq mi). It is frequently called the Venice of the North, along with a few other northern cities that are centered on canals, like Amsterdam and Saint Petersburg. Once one of the most important commercial cities in the world, Bruges' harbor contributes significantly to its economic significance.As the home of the College of Europe, a university institution dedicated to European studies, Bruges is a popular tourist destination in Belgium.There are two professional football teams in Bruges, both of which compete at the highest level (Belgian First Division). Club Brugge K.V. is currently the national champion, and Cercle Brugge K.S.V. was just promoted to the first division. One of West Flanders' educational hubs is Bruges. A few colleges, such as the HOWEST (Hogeschool West-Vlaanderen) or the VIVES (a combination of the old KHBO (Katholieke Hogeschool Brugge Oostende) and the KATHO (katholieke hogeschool), are located next to the numerous common primary and secondary schools. In addition, the city is home to the United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS), a Research and Training Institute of the United Nations University that specializes in the comparative study of regional integration, as well as the College of Europe, a distinguished postgraduate school for studies in European Economics, Law, and Politics.  

The Meuse River city of Dinant, which is tucked away between the stream and the sheer valley cliffs, is one of the most picturesque destinations in Belgium. It is blessed with beauty and a rich history. Walking around the city allows visitors to take in the sights and learn about its past. Given its small size, tourists will have little time to fully explore Dinant, but its quaint atmosphere will undoubtedly captivate them. For those seeking the perfect weekend escape, Dinant in Belgium is the place to go. Let's examine a few activities that visitors could partake in while in Dinant. When the weather is at its best, May through September is the ideal time of year to visit Dinant. When it's sunny outdoors, Dinant will be even more enjoyable. Although it is busier in the summer, not all of the visitors are there. Therefore, I would still advise going to Dinant during the summer.Lieutenant Charles de Gaulle's regiment attacked the castle of Dinant in 1914 to wrest it from the German occupants during World War I. Tradition has it that when crossing the bridge, the lieutenant was struck in the leg (others claim it was the hand). The bridge underwent further reconstruction in 1924. However, the Belgian army destroyed the bridge in 1940 to halt the German troops' advance during World War II. In 1953, Dinant's present Charles de Gaulle Bridge was opened.

The Ardennes (Dutch: Ardennen), often called the Ardennes Forest or the Forest of Ardennes, is a region that is mostly in Belgium and Luxembourg but also stretches into Germany and France. It is characterized by vast woods, rugged terrain, rolling hills, and ridges. The range, which is a geological extension of the Eifel, was raised during the Devonian Givetian period (382.7 to 387.7 million years ago), together with a number of other named ranges of the same larger range. The majority of the Ardennes proper is in the southeast of Wallonia, the southern and more rural part of Belgium (away from the coastal plain but encompassing more than half of the country's total area); it extends geologically into the Eifel (the eastern extension of the Ardennes Forest into Bitburg-Prüm, Germany) and well into Germany and France (giving its name to the Ardennes department and the former Champagne-Ardenne region). Known as "Éislek" (German: Oesling), the eastern portion of the Ardennes makes up the northernmost third of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The Eifel region extends southeastward into the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany. 

Mechelen is a city and municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium's Antwerp province. It was formerly known as Mechlin in English. Mechelen itself, a few neighborhoods on its outskirts, the nearby hamlets of Nekkerspoel and Battel, a few kilometers away, and the villages of Walem, Heffen, Leest, Hombeek, and Muizen make up the municipality. The city is frequently referred to as the Dijlestad ("City on the Dyle") because the river Dyle (Dijle) passes through it. Mechelen is located roughly 25 kilometers (16 miles) from both cities on the main urban and industrial axis of Brussels and Antwerp. In addition to offices or industry near the city and Brussels Airport, residents can find work at industrial plants close to Antwerp's harbor, or at the southern and northern office estates of Mechelen.Mechelen, along with Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels, Ghent, and Leuven, is a major hub for historical art in Flanders. During the Northern Renaissance, when patrons like Margaret of York, Margaret of Austria, and Hieronymus van Busleyden drew painters, printmakers, illuminators, and polyphonic composers, it was a notable hub for artistic activity.

The Flemish Region of Belgium's Flemish Brabant province has Leuven as its capital and largest city. It is roughly sixteen miles (25 kilometers) east of Brussels. The sub-municipalities of Heverlee, Kessel-Lo, Leuven proper, Wilsele, Wijgmaal, plus a portion of Haasrode and Korbeek-Lo make up the municipality itself. With almost 100,244 residents, it is Belgium's ninth largest city.Since 1425, Leuven has been a university city. As a result, it is the Low Countries' oldest university city. Leuven is home to the flagship campus of KU Leuven, the largest Dutch-speaking university in the world, the largest university in the Low Countries, and consequently the largest institution in Belgium.Anheuser-Busch InBev, the sixth-biggest fast-moving consumer products corporation and the largest beer brewer in the world, has its headquarters in the city. The Vooruit party gains ground following the municipal election on October 13, 2024. Vooruit (23 out of 47 seats), Groen (5 seats), and CD&V (7 seats) will continue the formation of Leuven's ruling coalition, with Vooruit providing Mohamed Ridouani as mayor. N-VA (10 seats), PVDA (1 seat), and Vlaams Belang (1 seat) make up the opposition.

Dinant is a Wallonian city and municipality in Belgium's Namur province. It is located in the Ardennes on the banks of the Meuse River, 90 kilometers (56 miles) southeast of Brussels, 30 kilometers (19 miles) southeast of Charleroi, and 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of Namur. Dinant is located 12 miles (20 km) north of the French border.Anseremme, Bouvignes-sur-Meuse, Dinant, Dréhance, Falmagne, Falmignoul, Foy-Notre-Dame, Furfooz, Lisogne, Sorinnes, and Thynes are the districts that make up the municipality. On the river's left bank sits Dinant's train station. Brussels may be reached by train every hour; the trip takes roughly 90 minutes.The largest employer in the province and a teaching hospital for the University of Louvain, CHU UCLouvain Namur University Hospital, has its Saint-Vincent and Saint-Anne campuses (Centre Hospitalier de Dinant) in Dinant. Currency is  used as  EURO.