Original subtitles

(wind whooshes)

(bright uplifting music)

(energetic upbeat music)

- Our journey begins in the city of Antwerp,

once a medieval center of international trade and commerce.

We will then fly over the beautiful province

of East Flanders and make our way to Ghent,

which at its height in the 13th century

was second in size only to Paris.

Moving along, we'll visit Blankenberge,

the one sleepy fishing town

that has since become a Belgian summertime Mecca.

From here, we'll visit Ostend, the Flemish City-by-the-Sea

and preferred retreat for the early kings of Belgium.

We'll stop at Tyne Cot,

the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world.

And finally, we'll discover Ypres,

the town which was completely annihilated in World War I

and is now a self-declared City of Peace.

With a population of half a million,

this is the largest city in Flemish Belgium, Antwerp.

Although it's still an important economic

and cultural center, its heyday was in the 16th century

when it was a thriving hub of international trade

and one of the strongest economies in the world.

(airy somber music)

Imposing structures like the Cathedral of our Lady

are a testament to the once vast wealth of the city.

When the gothic church was finally completed in 1521,

it was the tallest building in the world and at a 123 meters

it is still Antwerp's highest.

With over 320,000 visitors a year,

the cathedral is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The church tower looms over the Grand Market,

a pedestrian square lined with medieval Guild houses.

During Antwerp's golden era, workers in various trades

and professions organized themselves into guilds

to maximize their political clout and profits.

They now serve as shops, residences, and restaurants.

This one is a 500-year-old Vleeshuis, or the Butcher's Hall.

A meat market had stood here since the 13th century,

but Antwerp's economic boom 300 years later

compelled the butchers' guild

to triple the building in size.

The city has had a varied past.

And although it has never quite regained the prominence

it once had, Antwerp is still a bustling place.

And as with any great city, there's a station to match.

This is Antwerp Central.

The structure is regarded by many as the finest example

of railway station architecture in all of Belgium

and is ranked on par with the greatest in the world.

Although Antwerp's economic gravitas

dwindled in the 17th century, artistic initiatives,

like the Middelheim sculpture park,

have in recent years served to rebrand the city

as a fashion and cultural center.

The park was opened in 1950

and now has over 400 modern sculptures

dating from 1900 to the present day.

Nearby is Antwerp port.

(light relaxing music)

It was developed in 1811, when French military forces

moved into the region.

Napoleon, then the French Emperor,

saw its strategic potential for his European campaign.

(light relaxing music)

Today, it still serves as a major gateway to Europe

being one of the continent's biggest ports

with a capacity to hold over 3,500,000 cubic meters

of liquid bulk cargo.

(light relaxing music)

Leaving the province of Antwerp,

we enter the heart of Flanders

where flower growing is big business.

(light acoustic guitar music)

This region is Belgium's major producer

of stems, bulbs and tubers

with exports to Europe and America.

Belgium's national flower is the indigenous red poppy

which bloomed across some of the bloodiest battlefields

during the First World War.

And for many countries across the world

it's become the symbol for fallen soldiers.

(light acoustic guitar music)

Following this train headed towards

the ancient banking town of Ghent provides an opportunity

to take in the modern landscape of Flanders.

But beneath the surface lies an age-old cultural divide

with the southern French-speaking region of Belgium.

It's not forgotten by many here that their language

wasn't properly recognized until 1930,

when Dutch was finally made an official language of Belgium

and a Flemish university was opened.

And even to this day most of the six million

Dutch speakers of Flanders identify as Flemish

rather than Belgian.

This is Ghent.

Until the 13th century,

it was the largest city in Europe after Paris.

The city's success was fueled

by the cloth and textile trade,

it sourced most of its wool from England and Scotland.

(light airy music)

The economy completely collapsed

after the Belgian revolution of 1830

and Ghent never regained the wealth and prosperity

it had once enjoyed.

the belfry is a typical feature of Flemish towns.

They had multiple functions: not only did they serve

as bell and watch towers, but most were also treasury rooms

where financial documents were stored.

(light airy music)

In the Middle Ages lords would grand townsfolk privileges

such as of organizing markets and selling their goods.

In return there lords received money or the promise

of armed service from the populous.

The agreements drawn up were kept under lock and key

in this belfry.

Another popular attraction for visitors

is Gravensteen Castle.

The current structure was built in 1180.

It served as the seat of the Count of Flanders

until it was abandoned when the town declined in prominence.

It then functioned briefly as a cotton factory

during the Industrial Revolution,

before being scheduled for demolition.

But fortunately, the city of Ghent stepped in

to purchase the building and began renovations.

Part of the castle is now a dedicated Torture Museum,

partly because the adjacent square was once the site

of public executions.

In the historic City Center

lies a 15th century Saint Bavo Cathedral

named in honor of a local nobleman

who gave away all his wealth to the poor and became a monk.

Much of the interior was destroyed in 1566 during a period

known as the Iconoclastic Fury,

which saw Calvinists decimating artwork

inside many churches in the area.

Much of the destroyed art was later replaced

with pieces by famous Belgian artists

such as Jan van Eyck.

Canals served as the arteries of commerce throughout Ghent.

It was the construction of these waterways

which led to the town's prosperity in the Middle Ages.

They ran through all the important sectors of the city

and were essentially the highways of the 13th century.

(light acoustic guitar music)

Though the canals are still important for trade,

their key role now is in tourism as it's a popular way

for visitors to see the city.

Leaving Ghent, we pass the impressive Ghent-Terneuzen Canal

built in the mid-1800s.

It allowed commercial craft easy access to the sea ports.

But these days getting to the coast

takes on a quite different form.

(light dreamy music)

Running right beside Ghent is E40 motorway,

constructed in 1956.

(light dreamy music)

It's perhaps the most important road in Flanders

as it connects the capital of Brussels

with a popular North Sea town of Ostend

where we'll be heading.

Unlike the hilly south, northern Belgium is very flat,

especially as we move further

into the province of West Flanders.

It is the only Belgian province to share a border

with both the Netherlands and France.

For reasons we'll soon discover, it's also the region

that draws many of the country's tourists.

Our first stop is its largest city, Bruges.

It was of a significant economic importance

for hundreds of years, mostly due to its easy access

to the North Sea.

First fortified by the Count of Flanders

in the 9th century to guard against Viking invasions,

it quickly became a center of cloth trade

in the 13th century.

Although the city's location was central

to commercial success, it was the monetary innovations

that truly boosted the economy of Bruges.

Bills of exchange and letters of credit

made this place one of the most sophisticated

money markets in the world at the time.

It is also is thought

that the world's very first stock exchange

was set up here as early as 1309.

Often referred to as the Venice of the North,

in Bruges a canal is never far away.

Now mostly vacant, the waterways

were once teeming with merchant vessels

moving to and from the Guild Houses

built right on the edge of the canals.

The Reie river which runs through Bruges

was transformed over hundreds of years

to create easy waterway access

to markets and trading houses.

Indeed, the entire economy here hinged

on the health and navigability of the canals.

It was in fact, the silting of the waterways

which ultimately suffocated commerce

and sent the city into a rapid decline in the early 1600s.

These days commercial boats are banned from the canals

and transit on them is solely the privilege

of licensed tourist vessels.

One of the many treasures along Bruges canals

is Sashuis or sluice gate house.

It was from here that the lock system was operated

which allowed boats to move

into different sections of the canal.

It is very likely that the operator of the lock

would be busy with this task all day long

and so would have once resided inside.

Because of Bruges immense wealth, at its height

the city was painstakingly fortified.

An example of such fortification is here, the Ghent Port,

one of the four surviving defensive medieval gates

that regulated commerce in and out of the city.

Situated on the road to Ghent,

it was probably the most important gate.

And here is the Kruispoort, another of the four surviving

fortified entrances into the city.

This one was constructed as part of a massive rebuilding

of the city's fortifications in the late 13th century

at the height of Bruges glory.

The gate itself was rebuilt yet again

out of strong white limestone in the 15th century.

Farther along, is the Bonne Chiere windmill.

Built in 1888 and moved to this spot in 1911,

it stands as a fine tribute to the Golden Age of windmills.

The tallest building in the city is the Church of our Lady

standing at a 122 meters

it took over a century to construct.

Inside are many artistic treasures

including marble works by Michelangelo.

The fact that Bruges was able to buy such prized pieces

by famous artists and have them shipped

all the way from Siena goes to show

the power its thriving economy commanded.

"In the market-place of Bruges

"Stands a belfry old and brown;

"Thrice consumed and thrice rebuilt

"Still watches o'er the town."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's verse

alludes to be unlucky history

of the city's most recognizable

piece of architecture, the belfry.

Like many Flemish belfries, it housed important documents.

But in 1280, these were all lost in a fire.

In the 15th century a wooden spire

in the likeness of the Archangel Michael

was struck by a lightning.

It was rebuilt 200 years later, but fell victim

to yet another fire.

The tower overlooks the market Square.

The Guild houses and old banks that were once prevalent here

have now been converted into restaurants and shops.

We leave Bruges along the 23-kilometer canal

that leads across the flatlands to the Belgian coast.

It's part of a vast 1,600-kilometer network of waterways

connecting Holland and France, making it popular

with boaters and cyclists alike.

(light relaxing music)

Reaching the coast, we first arrive

at the very popular seaside resort town of Blankenberge.

(light relaxing music)

The population is about 20,000 but in the summer months,

the town sees a massive influx of Belgians

coming from inland to enjoy the sun and sand.

For many hundreds of years Blankenberge

was just a small fishing village,

though the port was recognized

as having some strategic value

being between Bruges and Ostend.

But it wasn't until the 19th century

that the time really started to alter its image

to that of a luxurious holiday resort.

It even became a favorite for Austrian Royals.

The fad soon spread and within a few decades

the English aristocracy had begun making their way

across the sea to sample the beaches, spas and plush hotels

to the town it become famous for.

(light relaxing music)

Today, the stretch of sand is no longer the exclusive domain

of royals and the wealthy.

In fact, the beaches across the length of the Flemish Coast

already popular with and easily accessible by Belgians

are becoming more well known to the British

and the rest of Europe.

A total of 13 holiday resorts

run along the 60-kilometer stretch of golden beaches.

Surfing, spas, and seafood are some of the major drawers

to the coastline that's dotted with hotels, apartments,

villas, cottages, holiday villages, and campgrounds.

The Flemish Coast has been an important area of trade

and a constant point of foreign invasion

throughout the centuries.

One of the most prominent ports here for both commerce

and warfare is Ostend.

And like any strategic harbor,

it stood prepared for enemy attacks.

This is fort Napoleon.

It was constructed initially to fend off a Spanish invasion

in the 16th century, which resulted in a four year battle

known as The Siege of Ostend.

About 200 years later, soon after Napoleon

was crowned emperor of France,

he realized the importance of the fort

and ordered its massive expansion into its present form.

Today, the fortress enjoys a more sedate life

as a historic visitor center

that even boasts a gourmet restaurant.

Ostend port remains an important point of transit

between England and Belgium.

After the original port was totally destroyed

in the 16th century during the Siege of Ostend,

the docks were re-developed under Dutch rule in 1815.

A permanent feature of the port is the Mercator,

Ostend's floating museum.

It's greatest claim to fame is bringing back to Belgium

the remains of Father Damien,

a priest who dedicated his life to helping lepers in Hawaii.

Ostend came to prominence

after the Dutch shut down canal access to Antwerp in 1722.

The Holy Roman Emperor then granted the city

exclusive trading rights with Africa.

Although this arrangement was soon quashed

by the British and Dutch,

it's a testament to Ostend's importance.

But it's current reputation

as the Queen of the Belgian Seaside Resorts

was cemented by the first king of Belgium Leopold I

who often frequented the town for relaxing breaks.

(light pensive music)

And a contribution to the city

by the second king, Leopold II, stands here,

the church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

In fact, Leopold was so enthusiastic

about the construction of his new church,

that some suspect the king organized

the burning down of the Pieterskerk whose tower

is the only part left standing.

Leopold II lived to see the completion of his project

in 1905, four years before his death.

The church faces out to sea as an impressive display

of the city's prestige to approaching visitors.

The population here is usually around 70,000,

but this number jumps significantly in the summer,

as tourist buses shuttle visitors in

from other Belgian cities.

Ostend is without doubt one of the most popular

summer sites in Belgium.

And to ferry this huge influx of tourists

along the shoreline is the coastal tram.

Running for 68 kilometers, it is claimed by some

to be the longest tram line in the world.

Three million people use it every summer

as a convenient way to visit the many seaside towns.

We now follow our route inland

to the site of some of the bloodiest battles

of the Great War between 1914 and 1918.

Tyne Cot cemetery is the resting place

for almost 12,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers,

who fought here on the Western front.

And nearby makeshift hospital was set up

to care for the wounded, but as the death toll grew,

so did the number of burials.

And today Tyne Cot stands

as a largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world.

Over 8,000 graves are unidentified.

Their headstones are simply marked with Known unto God.

When King George visited the cemetery in 1922,

he said, "I have many times asked myself,

"whether there can be more potent advocates

"of peace upon earth that this massed multitude

"of silent witnesses to the desolation of war."

The closest town to Tyne Cot is Ypres, which still bears

the memory of the Great War.

The Menin Gate which stands at the entrance

bears the names of 54,000 Commonweath servicemen

who have no known grave.

It is symbolic of the Commonwealth forces

driving to Europe from which they were likely

never to return.

Ypres itself was devastated by German forces

during the Great War.

Mustard gas, tear gas, and poison Yperite,

named after the city, was used on the population.

Saint Martin's Cathedral though completed destroyed

during the conflict was rebuilt

and has since become a pilgrimage site

for those paying respect to the war dead.

As a result of its brutal past,

Ypres along with places like Hiroshima

has labeled itself a City of Peace,

a poignant place to end this journey.

(bright uplifting music)

(swooshes)