Brussels

Brussels was selected as a primary administrative base for the European Economic Community in 1958 due to its central geographical position in Western Europe, the official bilingual neutrality of the Capital Region, and Belgium's cooperative role in post-war European integration. Today, it hosts the European Commission, the Council of the EU, and the European Parliament, cementing its status as Europe's de facto political center.

Brussels and the nearby Pajottenland region are famous for Lambic beers, which are brewed using spontaneous fermentation. Rather than adding cultivated yeasts, brewers expose the hot wort to the open air. This allows wild yeasts and ambient microflora native to the Senne Valley (such as Brettanomyces bruxellensis) to inoculate the liquid. The beer is then aged for years in oak barrels, yielding a complex, tart, and acidic profile.

Yes, the Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual in French and Dutch. Street signs, transport announcements, and public notices are always displayed in both languages. However, French is spoken by the vast majority of residents in daily life, and Dutch is spoken by a minority. Because of Brussels' incredibly diverse international expat population, English is exceptionally widely understood and spoken in tourist areas, restaurants, and hotels.