On 21 July Belgium celebrates its National Day. This marks the day on which, after Belgium declared independence, Leopold I swore allegiance to the new constitution, thus becoming the first King of the Belgians in 1831. On their national day, the Belgians organise a variety of events such as music festivals, games for children, military and folklore parades or fireworks displays across all the country’s regions.
Belgium is divided into three regions: the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders, the French-speaking region of Wallonia (which also includes the German-speaking community in the “Eastern Cantons”) and the bilingual Brussels Capital Region.
Brussels is also regarded as the capital of the European Union, as major EU institutions are located here: the European Commission, the Council of Ministers of the European Union, the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee. The European Parliament also has one of its official seats in Brussels. Other international organisations also have their headquarters in Brussels, including NATO and Eurocontrol. As a result, Belgium has become a veritable melting pot of languages and cultures.
To celebrate the Nationale feestdag van België, Fête nationale belge or Belgischer Nationalfeiertag, we encourage you to visit our Dutch, French and German sections of the Speech Repository.