Page 22 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Belgium & Luxembourg

20  INTRODUCING BEL GIUM AND L UXEMBOURG

The medieval château of Bourscheid, nestling in the remote forests of Luxembourg’s Ardennes
Land and Nature dismissed as remote and under-
Belgium has the reputation of being a flat developed, the Ardennes is now
country. However, without ever being a magnet for people who cherish
mountainous, much of the land is, in fact, natural beauty. Much of the land-
hilly. This is also the case in Luxembourg, scape rests on limestone karst, riddled
whose capital is perched spectacularly on with spectacular rock formations
a rocky escarpment. and caves.
Broadly speaking, the landscape of These wilder regions are home to a
Belgium and Luxembourg can be divided rich diversity of wildlife that includes
into three distinct zones. The northwest eagle owls, black grouse and wild boar.
of Belgium is fairly flat and low-lying. The coastal region of Belgium is on the
However, the land rises in the central migratory routes of egrets, spoonbills
band on either side of Brussels. To the and storks. Both nations readily
west, the area around Oudenaarde is hilly appreciate their natural heritage
enough to have earned the name, the and are wary of the threats posed
Flemish Ardennes. To the east of Brussels, by uncontrolled development.
productive farmlands cover the hills of This sensitivity is reinforced through
the Hageland in Flemish numerous parks and
Brabant and the nature reserves.
Haspengouw (Hesbaye
in French) in southern People and Society
Limburg. The climate is Belgium and Luxembourg
mild and the land well have three official
watered; grapes grown languages, reflecting
in this area make high- their geographical
quality Belgian wine. position on the
The third zone is the borderlands of three
Ardennes, which covers major linguistic groups.
southeastern Belgium Luxembourg has German
and northern parts of A flock of gulls sharing the beach with walkers and French, as well
Luxembourg. Once along the North Sea coast as Lëtzerburgesch,

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