Belg of Belgium
The Belg der Belgen is a vote carried out in 2005 by the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad to identify the greatest Belgians of all time. The action is based on " 100 Greatest Britons " by the BBC . The German counterpart is our best .
The 10 best
- Damian de Veuster (Catholic Missionary)
- Eddy Merckx (cyclist)
- Paul Janssen (scientist)
- Peter Paul Rubens (painter)
- Jacques Brel (singer)
- Jan Decleir (actor)
- Ernest Claes (Author)
- René Magritte (painter)
- Adolphe Sax (instrument maker)
- Victor Horta (architect)
De Grootste Belg
In the same year 2005, the Dutch- speaking Belgian broadcaster VRT and the French-speaking Belgian broadcaster RTBF determined "the greatest Belgian" in appropriate broadcast formats.
The final results looked like this:
VRT | RTBF |
---|---|
The two tables clearly demonstrate the differences between the two halves of the country. While the Flemings tended to agree on historical figures of art and science (Vesalius, Mercator, Rubens), the French-speakers opted for light entertainment with filmmakers, comic artists and crime fiction authors (Poelvoorde, Hergé, Simenon). It is also significant that the former King Baldwin came second at RTBF, who does not appear at all at VRT. Conversely, the freedom fighter Ambiorix, a kind of "Belgian Asterix" who defied Caesar, is not represented at RTBF at all.
According to this result, the only Belgian who has roughly the same reputation on both sides is Eddy Merckx.
source
- www.nieuwsblad.be , as of October 8, 2008