Cultural differences between Germany and Belgium

Germany borders Belgium in the northwest and the border between the two countries is 204 kilometres long. The Vennbahn (running on disused railway lines), is now a cross-border cycle path that stimulates tourism. The route crosses the borders between Belgium, France and German and is almost 130 kilometres long in total.

Belgium has three official languages and there are cultural similarities, as well as clear differences between Belgium and Germany.

Belgium's linguistic diversity

French, Dutch (Flemish) and German are all spoken in Belgium and are considered to be official languages of the country. With Belgium's independence in 1830, French was the sole official language for a long time, but the Flemish wanted to put Dutch on an equal footing with French. Unlike in monolingual Germany, Belgians are very aware of their existing language culture and consciously adapt it to this day. German lessons are a fixed part of the school curriculum in Belgium, especially in Wallonia, but in Germany Dutch and French are usually only optional subjects in the school curriculum.

Germans are thrifty whilst Belgians love a little luxury

While Germans are proud of their thriftiness, Belgians enjoy the little luxuries of life. They like to take the whole family out to eat in good restaurants, and love visiting museums and other places of culture. The German tabloid press often reports on the luxury lifestyles led by the country's rich and famous. In Belgium, even well-known personalities live comparatively modestly and keep their private lives under wraps.

Another remarkable difference can be observed in the building industry. In Germany, if people want to build a house they have to quickly become familiar with and comply with the relevant rules and regulations, otherwise they face fines. In Belgium, people take a more relaxed approach and have learnt from an early age that some rules can be interpreted flexibly and that they do not need to obtain every permit going.

The East Belgians combine German thoroughness with Belgian flexibility

About 80,000 Belgians live in the Wallonia region and German is their mother tongue. The small community has cultivated its own education and culture and there is an exciting mixture of German thoroughness and Belgian flexibility here. Walloon Belgians aspire to typical German customs such as punctuality and thriftiness, but they combine the strictness of the German culture with Belgian flexibility and a more relaxed sense of humour.

It's always light on Belgium's motorways

In addition to Belgium's linguistic diversity, there are other diverse elements that run through their culture from their architecture to other areas of life. There is one peculiarity that amazes everyone on their first visit to Belgium, and that is the country's motorways. Whilst in Germany you drive along dark motorways and country roads at night, in Belgium all of these connecting routes are illuminated – although this is something that has led to many discussions from an environmental point of view. More than 300,000 lights ensure that the roads are never completely dark and thanks to modern LED technology, the costs for this have been significantly reduced.

Belgian and German Business

Belgians are more relaxed in business than Germans, and enjoy small talk before meetings. At the beginning of a business meeting, people chat about other things before getting down to business. There are definite differences in the approach to business meetings between Germans and Belgians therefore. Belgians prefer to take time to get to know their counterparts first and give them their full attention, while Germans prefer to get down to business straightaway so as not to waste time.

FAQ on differences between Germany and Belgium