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Maria Magdalena
Material world
Economic crises are nothing new in Flanders. One of the worst occurred in the cloth industry nearly seven hundred years ago

The period between the 11th and 13th centuries was a golden age for Flanders. Thanks to the diligence of its weavers and the entrepreneurship of its merchants, Flemish cloth was renowned for its exceptionally high quality and was in great demand throughout Europe and beyond. The industry attracted wealthy Italian and Spanish merchants and bankers to the Flemish cities and financed the development of Ghent and Ypres, while turning Bruges into the busiest port in northern Europe. Yet in the 14th century the industry stagnated and by the early 15th century had declined to a fraction of its former glory.
Denzil Walton
(March 31, 2024)
Patati Patata
No textbook needed
A new initiative by Brussels’ House of Dutch reminds us that learning a language doesn’t always have to be so formal

“Every time I try to speak Dutch, they just switch to (insert any other language here).” For many who have tried their hand at learning a bit of the local language in Belgium, this scenario sounds all too familiar. Although ‘any other language’ is an exaggeration, it is meant as a ‘hats off’ to the incomparable language skills of most native Dutch speakers. What they don’t realise, though, while accommodating others by showing off their polyglottism, is that they are in fact discouraging people who might otherwise be willing to learn to speak Dutch with fluency.
Robyn Boyle
(March 31, 2024)