Belgium knows all about the destruction that war brings. Several of its cities were reduced to rubble during European wars, including the mediaeval university city of Leuven.
Its old centre was almost totally destroyed in one night in August 1914 when the invading German army set fire to the buildings.
Some of the houses were rebuilt in the old style but others were replaced in the 1920s by Art Deco buildings.
You find some impressive examples of the new style on Bondgenotenlaan. Each of the rebuilt houses has a small stone marker with the date 1914 and the symbol of a sword and burning torch.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
