3 ms·

What an ignorant comment

• ahartmetz 4y ago
  I have heard "Belgium is not a real country" from a Belgian. Background: the country is a bit of a strange construct (it split from the Netherlands for... reasons) that is internally divided between French and Dutch speaking parts.
  • com 4y ago
    And don’t forget the curious German-speaking region consisting nine municipalities in north-eastern Belgium. Brussels and its exurbs are a fascinating language and politics mashup, held together and functioning in part by a particularly Belgian mindset and humour, which is often visible nationally on related topics. My favourite part of what is now Belgium is the even weirder history of a once neutral/condominium/contested territory around Moresnet, where a vague attempt to create a little independent country there led to many of its inhabitants learning Esperanto. For laughs, search for “Baarle-Hertog, Belgium” in Google Maps too. The borders around there seem almost fractal.
    • ahartmetz 4y ago
      I have totally visited the German speaking part and (being German) was astonished by the lack of dialect or accent in the German spoken there. The last thing I expected, heh.