Forget the peeing boy – visit the abbey

While visitors to Dutch tourism website Stedentripper.com have voted Manneken Pis as Europe’s most overrated landmark, a lesser-known monument has been hailed as “foremost among Belgium’s most historic sites” by Europe Up Close. “With her atmospheric medieval squares and castles and magnificent renaissance palaces, Belgium is Western Europe’s most underrated tourist destination,” writes Roy Stevenson, singling out the country’s “forty-one ancient weathered grey stone and red brick abbeys”. “Many of these monasteries lie sadly in ruins, derelict victims of revolution, war and other turbulent social events that dominated medieval history. Villers-la-Ville is without doubt Belgium’s most picturesque ruins, and its largest. This outstanding example of Cistercian architecture with imposing vaulted roofs, arches and rose windows is Belgium’s most visited ruin. Strolling through the ruins at Villers-la-Ville you get a poignant look at how the monks lived and worshipped as you walk through their refectory, kitchen, hostelry, workshops, chapter room, dormitory, hall, cloister, infirmary, church and chapel. The circular windows, known as oculi, are amongst the church’s most unique features – not seen in many Gothic churches of this era.”

As for Brussels’ ‘peeing boy’, it was voted Europe’s biggest touristic let-down by 1,300 participants in a survey organised by the Stedenstrippers website. The size of the statue (58cm) and the constant presence of pickpockets are most prominent among the grievances. Also in the  ‘flop 5’ are the Eiffel tower, the “three-country corner” [Belgium-Netherlands-Germany] in Vaals, Copenhagen’s mermaid and London’s Piccadilly Circus.