Belg of Belgium

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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

  1. Damian de Veuster (Catholic Missionary)
  2. Eddy Merckx (cyclist)
  3. Paul Janssen (scientist)
  4. Peter Paul Rubens (painter)
  5. Jacques Brel (singer)
  6. Jan Decleir (actor)
  7. Ernest Claes (Author)
  8. René Magritte (painter)
  9. Adolphe Sax (instrument maker)
  10. 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
  1. Father Damiaan
  2. Paul Janssen
  3. Eddy Merckx
  4. Ambiorix
  5. Adolf Daens
  6. Andreas Vesalius
  7. Jacques Brel
  8. Gerardus Mercator
  9. Peter Paul Rubens
  10. Hendrik Conscience
  1. Jacques Brel
  2. Baldwin I of Belgium
  3. Father Damiaan
  4. Eddy Merckx
  5. Sister Emmanuelle
  6. José Van Dam
  7. Benoît Poelvoorde
  8. Hergé
  9. René Magritte
  10. Georges Simenon

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.

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See also

Web links