Belgium (1940s?)

Belgium is free again. Her sovereign independence is recognized small for the benefit of the people. Belgium has [Music] already this prosperity was based to a great extent on Jim's favorable location on the North Sea which since prehistoric times this sea has offered the primary means of substance to the coastal [Music] population. For ages, families in the seaside villages have lived on what they caught in the sea. Some even fish on horseback. They sling a large net across the saddle and hang their baskets for the catch on either side. for macro herring and other fish. They sail in their sturdy boats into the North Sea. Behind the dunes are the villages with their regularly planted trees, all bent away from the sea like silent monks in prayer along the straight roads and canals. They give to the plane the aspect of a large tapestry. This is the northwestern part of Belgium which is known as Flanders. Picturesque windmills are typical of this part of the country. The population is of Germanic origin and speaks the Flemish language. [Music] In their eternal fight against the North Sea and its raging winds, the population of this part of Belgium have transformed a sandy desert into a flowering garden with not one inch of the soil remaining unused. Since earliest times, these sturdy Belgian people toiling in their fields have been forced to defend their soil against foreign aggression. This hardy community has its cultural roots deep in the Gaelic and Roman [Music] tradition. In Flanders, people live in small villages where the houses gleam with their whitewashed brick walls and their colorful red roofs and the old watermills splash in their monotonous rhythm. The provinces to the east and the south with their rolling hills, swift rivers, and forested slopes and cool valleys are called the Amunia. The people, the Woons, are of French extraction and speak French and old Latin dialects. This part of Belgium is one of the oldest parts of Western Europe. Nearly all geological formations typical of Western Europe may be found here. [Music] Even high in the mountains we find areas under cultivation. In Belgium, the most densely populated country in Europe, every inch of the soil is made to produce. The farmers have only 5 million acres at their disposal. But by their unceasing labor, they are able to reach an output per acre which is one of the highest in the world. Wooded slopes not suitable for agriculture provide lumber for the exacting needs of the industry. Fleets of trucks transport the produce from the forest to the city. These are the productive centers of an industrial nation. Beyond the idyllic fields and forests of Belgium lie the great centers of industry. Greatest of the Belgian industries, the basis of the economic life is steel. Most of the foundaries are in the southern part of the country near the coal mines. 400,000 workers turn out rails, machinery, ship engines, and locomotives. [Music] The steel industry produces machines which manufacture commodities once made by craftsmen. [Music] Complex machines make hundreds and thousands of miles of electrical cables, connecting Belgium with a market centers of the world. Medieval Flanders was famous for its fine leather products. Today, machines do the work of the old [Music] guildsman. However, skilled artisans still create many beautiful things. They make fine hand painted tiles for the ceramic industry. Famous Bal San Lambbe glass, the purest of all, is blown into lovely shapes and cut into sparkling crystals. They make silverware which reflects the geometric simplicity of modern design. Modern cutlery and brightly painted plates invite guests to the table. [Music] Modern interiors use new forms and new materials. The honored tradition of the art furniture of Malen is adapted to the changing needs of modern life. Industrial and artistic creations have brought the prosperity reflected in these comfortable and beautiful modern homes. [Music] Great industries need intricate networks of communication. Bus lines, railroads, and canals. Excavators dig canals across the face of the land. [Music] The Albert Canal was one of the greatest of these and the center of heavy fighting in the Second World War. Ministries are geared to produce for world markets. Their main port is the city of Antworp. Of ducks welcome ships from every corner of the globe. It was here where Allied armies landed supplies during the last months of 1944 and the beginning of 1945. To all the continents of the world, Belgian ships go bearing manufactured goods. [Music] Near the busy industrial centers are the windswept beaches of the North Sea [Music] coast. Most striking of the many sports on the beach at Oend were the sail wagons sweeping gracefully over great stretches of sand. The spectacle of crowds playing in the sun and the waves is gone too, replaced by the sight of mighty Allied armies landing supplies. Formerly, one might have seen fine horses training on the beaches for the Grand Prix Dustin, which was run every August. [Music] Visitors to Belgium will still be able to see monuments like Want Castle, which has been untouched by the war. What is set in the storied Arden Forest, once a wild region of waring nights and impenetrable woods. Following the course of the river MS, the traveler passes through a land of old towns picturesely placed on wooded hills. Most of the little towns have preserved their old churches. The twice marted city of Binance has its cathedral sheltered by towering [Music] cliffs. Ancient buildings along the banks of the river MS remember the old Belgian cities and their glories. [Music] One of Belgium's most ancient cities, Pier, is known chiefly for its great festival, the procession of the penitence, which has been held for many centuries. Men and women penitants come from all corners of the country draped in sackcloth robes and hoods which conceal their faces. They stagger under the pressing weight of crosses and other religious symbols which they bear in sincere penance for their sins. [Music] One of the richest forts of medieval Flanders was Bruge. The great towered gateways which guarded the entrance to the town are the only remnants of the old fortifications. Bruge, called the city of bridges, now dreams away her old age among her tranquil canals and medieval homes. But during her days of glory, the ships of Bruge departed with bales of cloth and returned with goods of all the world to her door. The river's wind made it possible at this time for ships to come directly into her commercial district. But all this prosperity vanished when the river filled up with sand so that the ships could not reach the town. [Music] [Music] The burgers made wealthy by their trade spent money lavishly on fine mansions, guild houses, churches, and works of art. Visiting princes and princesses were amazed at the luxuries displayed, at the magnificent costumes of the people of [Music] bridge. June is another town once rich and wellknown. Its cathedral is renowned for its five towers. One of the most important cities of Belgium is Gent. World famous since the 7th century. The castle of the counts of Flanders with its thick walls and towers, its dungeons and torture chambers is a typical example of a medieval fortress. [Music] Since the Middle Ages, Gent has declined in commercial importance, but it has conserved its aspect of a Gothic town with narrow streets and gabled buildings bearing a distinctly Flemish [Music] aspect. The town hall of the city of Als in splendid Gothic style is an example of the proud civic buildings. Even the largest and most modern of these Brussels capital some of its medieval character. The big market square over which the great hotel devil towers is surrounded by the historic halls of the medieval [Music] gills. During yearly processions and folk festivals, the symbols of the guilds are carried through the streets. [Music] Antworp of the 16th century was the greatest seaport in the world. The wealth and splendor of those days is reflected in many buildings still standing. Among its churches, the most famous is the Cathedral of Notradam for which the great painter Peter Paul Rubin created many masterpieces. [Music] Levorus opens the art world of medieval and Renaissance Flanders. A world whose wealth we can merely suggest in this short review. Here we pause before Memling's gorgeously ornamented shrine of St. Ursula. The adoration of the lamb. Perhaps the most famous of all alter paintings is the work of Bian Banek, greatest of the Flemish primitives. [Music] Krendan Massiss painted realistic merchants faces on his biblical characters set against the scenic background of his own country. [Music] Peter Bravo's gusty paintings are alive with a deep feeling of the village with its beggars and its lusty peasants, its cafes and dances. [Music] [Music] Peter Paul Rubin in his vast exuberance chose subjects from his surroundings or from the Bible or from classical myths as the spirit moved him. David Teners painted folksy village characters while Jordans characters were heavy Flemish peasants. The traditions of the golden south and the vitality of the [Music]