On this week’s installment of Fun Fact Tuesday at Statesman Ties we’re discussing the land of waffles – Belgium! This is the country that inspired our Belgium tie.

Fun Fact 1: There are more castles per square mile in Belgium than there are anywhere else in the world. The Beersel Castle, near Brussels, was built in the 13th century and it’s everything you’d picture a castle from a Disney movie to be including a moat and turrets. Gravensteen in Ghent and Bouillon near Dinant are two other castles that are also worth taking a gander at if you’re ever in Belgium.

Fun Fact 2: Belgians invented a lot of things that have been attributed to other countries. These things include French fries, cricket, and the Smurfs. They’re actually quite industrious inventors having also invented the saxophone, plastic, Imodium, inline skates, a safe contraception pill, and co-designed the World Wide Web.

My favorite fun fact is that Belgium’s highway, which is 100% lit up at night, can be seen from the moon. Wow!

Please don’t forget to let us know in the comments if you’ve got any fun facts about Belgium and remember to take a look at our Belgium tie. See you next week when we discuss Bolivia!