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Kim Clijsters’ father, Lei, set his daughter on an early road to success when he built her a clay tennis court at their home in Bree, in the eastern province of Limburg. In 2003, Clijsters became the first Belgian to reach number one in world rankings.

First king of Belgium (ruled 1831–65), popular for his total commitment to the task.

Second king of Belgium (ruled 1865–1909) (see Outer Brussels).

There are three béguinages (see Bruges) in Ghent, but this is by far the prettiest. With step-gabled, whitewashed houses set around a little park and Baroque church, it is a classic of its kind – a fact recognized by its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was founded as a community of single women in about 1235, and has been continuously occupied, although the residents are no longer béguines . Most of the present houses date from the 17th century.

The Royal Museum of Central Africa represents a grandiose enterprise: the huge and elegant Neo-Classical palace built in the early 1900s to promote the wonders of Belgium’s greatest colonial possession, the vast tract of Central Africa called the Congo. The original purpose – education and glorification – has been sorely compromised by the uncomfortable re-evaluation of Belgium’s colonial history in recent years. There are numerous anthropological exhibits, including a vast canoe hewn from a single tree trunk, plus mementos from the history of exploration, such as Henry Stanley’s cap.

Antwerp’s fine arts museum is in a similar league to Brussels’ equivalent, housing a full range of paintings from early Flemish “Primitives”, such as Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden and Hans Memling, to the Symbolists James Ensor and Rik Wouters. Not surprisingly, special emphasis is placed on Rubens, Jordaens and Van Dyck. The collection is housed in a grand Neo-Classical pile a tram ride or 20-minute walk from the city centre.

One of only four surviving gates of the city walls.

A chemist (1863–1944) who invented Bakelite, the first totally synthetic plastic.

A Symbolist (1856–1940) whose works combine social realism with poetic vision.

A Symbolist (1881–1946) of great originality, whose works, often black and white, are instantly recognizable.