William Cook

Belgium meets its Waterloo

At a re-enactment of the Battle of Waterloo, William Cook thinks that this hotchpotch nation cannot last. Two centuries on, Flanders and Wallonia feel like separate countries

issue 26 June 2010

Last weekend, on a windswept plain about ten miles south of Brussels, 3,000 grown men dressed up as soldiers to re-enact the Battle of Waterloo. Performed every five years, on the original battlefield, this noisy extravaganza attracts more than 50,000 visitors, and on Sunday I was one of them. It was an extraordinary experience, more vivid than any movie.

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