Charleroi - The ugliest city in the world and the strange thing inside

Not many people know that Charleroi (Belgium) is considered "the ugliest city in the world". However, many curious tourists still come here to discover the special things of this place.

With derelict buildings and abandoned factories, in 2009 the city of Charleroi in Belgium was called "the ugliest city" by a local newspaper in the Netherlands. As time passed, gradually people here also used to call the city with this name.

No one officially recognized this nickname for Charleroi. However, if you search for the term "world's ugliest city", you will see this name appear first. This not-so-good nickname was given to Charleroi by readers of De Volkskrant (Netherlands) in 2008. Over time, people gradually got used to calling the city by this name.

The first impression when coming to this city is the high-rise buildings, abandoned factories. In the past, Charleroi was the center of the country's coal mining industry. However, when this industry went through its heyday, the factories were abandoned, leaving an "ugly scar" for Charleroi.

Charleroi's boom was around 1830 when Belgium entered industrialization. This period saw the coal boom. This industry is so popular that Belgium is called the "black country". By the 1950s, oil had become the dominant fuel. Belgian industry moved north, leaving Charleroi in ruins with old buildings.

Today, in the world's ugliest city, there are still about 416,000 people living. The pace of life is quite bleak and the city is almost always shrouded in silence. During a visit to Charleroi, a reporter for the Brussels Times said: "As I walked, the only noises that broke the silence were dogs barking, police sirens and screams from young men. being questioned by the police."

Being named "the ugliest city in the world" turned out to be not so bad for Charleroi. Many people recognize the potential of that name, for example Nicolas Buissart. He opened up tours of his home city.

"The name is a perfect marketing opportunity," says Nicolas Buissart. "If it's called the ugly city, be the ugliest city." Nicolas founded the tour company Charleroi Adventure with a pretty good number of visitors. Initially, the government and the people did not like this. However, later on, they liked what Nicolas brought.

“In the past, they thought I was promoting the image of Charleroi as a city that makes people depressed,” he said. Efforts to advertise the ugly have made Charleroi a tourist attraction. On the tour, visitors can admire the ruins of the coal industry and some abandoned buildings. If the weather is favorable, they also organize groups to camp by the river.

There are places of interest in Charleroi like the Jules Destree Museum. This is where the city's grass materials and artworks gather. The collection spans from the late 19th to the 20th centuries.

Besides, the town hall in Charleroi is also said to be the most charming building in the city. The building features a blend of classical architecture and outstanding art deco.

In particular, when coming to Charleroi, you cannot miss a visit to the Belfry Bell Tower - a UNESCO heritage site.

This bell tower is part of City Hall Charleroi, designed by architect Joseph André in 1936. A perfect fusion of classical and art deco in architecture, it is built of bluestone and white, 70 meters high. The tower is famous for its 47 bells that play the tune of a famous song by Jacques Bertrand.

Now the local government is working to clean up the degraded parts of the city by converting old buildings into museums and education centers, and building dedicated bicycle routes.

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