Threesome in Belgium

Apr. 11 2014

by Laurence Ogiela / TÊTU

Brussels, Antwerp, and Ghent form a triangle on the map. A pink triangle because they are so gay-friendly. The three cities also publish a gay map, a map that refers locally to the places where the Belgian homosexual community lives and goes out. The "Holebi", an acronym for "homosexuals, lesbians and bi", have a wide choice of places to go in the French or Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, in the Belgian capital,l or in Flanders.

Brussels, the surrealist

With its provincial air and its status as Belgian and European capital, Brussels is not far from a paradox. Behind Antwerp and Ghent, it has only just adopted a "gay map", but it already has a monument to LGBT pride: a blue column bearing the names of famous or unknown gay figures and sympathizers.

Divided between French-speaking Walloons and Dutch-speaking Flemings, Brussels is naturally cosmopolitan. "Thanks to Europe and its expatriates, in Brussels, we fuck in all languages!" explains Benoît, a regular on the rue du Marché-au-Charbon, in the local Marais. A humor that René Magritte, the pope of surrealism, would perhaps not have disowned, whose good words still adorn the walls of estaminets such as La Fleur en Papier Doré, which he frequented in his time. Because Brussels is also the home of surrealism, and the spirit of René Magritte still floats throughout the city. A museum with an international dimension of the artist opened its doors last June in the Altenloh Hotel, on the Place Royale. Here you can see almost 200 works by the painter who died in 1967, including some copies of the famous series of melon hats, as well as his word paintings. If he had lived in the 2000s, one could hope he would have been gay-friendly, as in Brussels. Didn't he say, "Freedom is the possibility of being, not the obligation to be"?

Antwerp, the diamond rocker

Antwerp is only the second-largest city in the country, but Brussels does not outdo it and is not lacking in paradoxes either. It is the second largest port in Europe, after Rotterdam, yet it is located 85 kilometers from the sea!

At the forefront of Belgian fashion and design, it is the symbol of Flemish creative genius, a veritable incubator of talent that claims its irreverence. Yesterday, Rubens, Van Dyck, and Breughel, today Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, and Walter Van Beirendonck, to name only the best known of the Antwerp's "gang of six", whose names are unpronounceable to non-Dutch speakers.

Modest people will love the Nationalestraat, which is full of designer boutiques, Dries Van Noten's Modepaleis, and the Mode Natie. This splendid building houses the MoMU, the fashion museum, as well as the Fashion Flanders Institute, where the genius designers who will soon grace the catwalks are trained.

To make sure you don't miss out on any of Antwerp's fashion highlights, pick up the Fashion Walk guide and follow its chic routes. Throughout the pages, you'll go from one good address to another, like the sublime Verso boutique, located in a former bank and specializing in Italian brands, to entire neighborhoods like the Zuid, where Antwerp's creative soul vibrates.

Not to be overlooked is the area around the Antwerp train station, which is often mistaken for a cathedral because of its imposing size. Once a bad neighborhood, it is now home to several hot gay bars along Van Schoonhovenstraat and to the headquarters of the diamond industry, which has fewer than four diamond exchanges and handles 85% of the world's rough diamond production. Antwerp even has one of the oldest zoos in Europe, right in the city center, along the train station. No wonder that the Flanders tourist office has chosen as its slogan: "Land of the irregulars".

Ghent, gabled houses © Laurence Ogiela

Ghent, the unexpected

As for the last of the trio, it is surprising by its vitality and dynamism. Less of a museum city than Bruges, which is a bit sleepy, Ghent certainly has a similar historic center. With its gabled houses reflected in the canals, its imposing castle, its cathedral,l and its impressive belfry, one imagines it as an old-fashioned postcard setting. But you must walk through the city beyond the famous Graslei and Korenlei quays and discover the Arts district and the Smak, the municipal museum of contemporary art, which has nothing to envy those of the big capitals. It houses works by Belgian and international artists from such diverse currents as pop art, minimal art, conceptual art, and Cobra. In addition, it is located in Citadel Park, a well-known hangout for local gays.

Like its big sisters, Ghent is paradoxical. The medieval houses of the Patershol district hide behind their red-brick facades, with trendy restaurants and boutiques, and in the middle of the listed historic center is the Werregarenstraat, reserved for budding taggers who may become the street art masters of tomorrow. One more example of the irrelevance of the "Belgian touch".

(Main photo: Smous Café façade in Brussels © Laurence Ogiela)

Find all the gay and gay-friendly addresses in Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp.