"The Baby with a History" Provincie Vlaams-Brabant by Scarlie

Flemish Brabant is the latest addition to the administrative map of Belgium, and was born by the division of Brabant along the language lines into Flemish-speaking (Vlaams) and French-speaking (Brabant-Wallonie). It's the smallest of the five Flemish provinces and the only Belgian province which has no external border.

Vlaams Brabant contains some of the most beautiful landscapes in all of Belgium: the rolling hills of Pajottenland tot he west, the fruit-growing Hageland to the east and also part of the Flemish Ardennes to the south.

As is generally the case in Belgium, the province has its own dialect - Brabants, and it sounds quite different from the Brabants spoken in Antwerpen or Limburg.

Vlaams Brabant administration

Administratively, the province is divided into Arrondissement Leuven to the east and Arrondissement Halle-Vilvoorde to the west. The capital of the province is Leuven. It's the second most densely populated province after Antwerpen, a direct result of the long histotry of Leuven, the proximity to Brussels and the attractiveness of the open landscapes of the Green Belt.

A word of caution - the question of the electoral structure of Brussel-Halle-Vilvoorde is absolutely MASSIVE and defies logic for any foreigner. It is one of hottest potatoes in the Belgian political stew and regularly causes the eruptions the size of Krakatau. Please broach the subject on your own risk & tread very carefully.

The Flag of Vlaams Brabant

Vlaams Brabant could be the administrative baby, but it certainly has been part of the history of the Low Lands for centuries.

Leuven iteself is a jewel of a town with its architecture and atmosphere.

In the Green belt you can find opportunities for walking, cycling, eco-tourism, gourmet-tourism (lambiek beers, Grimbergen), history/art trips (Gaasbeek Castle, Beersel Castle, Museum of African Art in Tervuren), National Botanical Gardens in Meise, and even explore the area on a boat on some of the canals.