Did you know that Ghent was larger than London in the Middle Ages? That Belgium emerged from an opera evening? Or that Brussels is the EU capital simply because B is the second letter of the alphabet? The history of Belgium is as surreal as a painting by René Magritte and as thrilling as a detective novel featuring Hercule Poirot. Yet, it has been completely neglected in Germany until now - this book is the first comprehensive account ever. Christoph Driessen takes his readers into the early capitalist cities of the Middle Ages, onto the battlefields of World War I, and into the rainforests of Belgian Congo. Illustrations, short portraits from Pieter Bruegel to Jacques Brel, and keywords from comics to fries enliven the narrative. A book that surprises in every way!.