Famous people who grew up or lived in Belgium
4 notable people grew up or lived in Belgium. Each listing explores the home and neighbourhood, and how the place shaped the person they became.
Eddy Merckx1946–1965
📍 Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Brussels, Belgium
Eddy Merckx was born in June 1945 in Meensel-Kiezegem, a farming village in Flemish Brabant, and in 1946 his family moved to Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, a residential suburb on the eastern side of…
Kevin De Bruyne1991–2005
📍 Drongen, Ghent, Belgium
Kevin De Bruyne was born in Ghent, Belgium, in June 1991 and grew up in Drongen, a quiet village on the western edge of the city, among fields and canals beside the River Leie. His father…
Max Verstappen1997–2014
📍 Maaseik, Limburg, Belgium
Max Verstappen was born in Hasselt, Belgium, in September 1997, into a racing family. His father, Jos, is a Dutch former Formula One driver, and his mother, Sophie Kumpen, a Belgian kart…
René Magritte1930–1954
📍 135 Rue Esseghem, 1090 Jette, Brussels, Belgium
I grew up in the industrial towns of Hainaut — Lessines, Châtelet, Charleroi — and when I was thirteen my mother was found drowned in the River Sambre; it is something I rarely spoke of…