De Grootste Belg

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GenreCompetition show
Presented byKoen Fillet
Country of originBelgium
Original languageDutch
De Grootste Belg
GenreCompetition show
Presented byKoen Fillet
Country of originBelgium
Original languageDutch
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes11
Production
Running time60 minutes
Production companyDe Mensen
Original release
NetworkCanvas, Radio 1
Release27 October (2005-10-27) 
1 December 2005 (2005-12-01)
Father Damian in 1878 on Molokai. He was voted the "Greatest Belgian" in 2005.

De Grootste Belg (The Greatest Belgian) is a 2005 vote conducted by Belgian public TV broadcaster Canvas, public radio broadcaster Radio 1, and newspaper De Standaard,[1] to determine who is the Greatest Belgian of all time. It could be considered as a Flemish list, considering that French-speaking community broadcast RTBF also held a vote, Le plus grand Belge. Nominees needed to have lived between 50 BC and now, between the borders of present-day Belgium. This is because Belgium only gained its independence in 1830, while numerous historical individuals from, for example, the Spanish Netherlands, are considered to be "Belgians".[2]

An initial list of 111 names (100 decided by a panel, 11 added by the public after a preliminary poll) was set online.[3] People could vote for their favourites to reduce the longlist to a shortlist of ten.[4] After the first television show, the final list of ten nominees was announced. Two of them, Ambiorix and Hendrik Conscience, came out of the 11 names chosen by the public instead of the 100 chosen by the panel. The ten finalists were each presented on Canvas with a documentary, their nomination defended by famous Flemish people.[5]

On 1 December 2005, Pater Damiaan was announced as the winner of the "De Grootste Belg" poll, beating Paul Janssen and Eddy Merckx.[6][7]

Rank Person Notability Nomination defended by Ref.
1 Father Damien Priest and humanitarian. Went to help leprosy victims in Molokai. Beatified in 1995, Canonized on 11 October 2009. Jef Vermassen, lawyer. [8]
2 Paul Janssen Physician. Founder of Janssen Pharmaceutica. Discovered more than 80 new medicines, including a record-breaking four which are listed on the WHO list of essential medicines. Frieda Van Wyck, TV presenter [9]
3 Eddy Merckx Cyclist, often named the greatest in his sport. Won more than 525 individual races, including three world championships, five times the Tour de France and an hour record which stood for 28 years. Mark Uytterhoeven, TV presenter [10]
4 Ambiorix Chieftain and resistance leader. Fought against Julius Caesar and won a decisive battle against him, after which he disappeared without ever being caught. Patrick de Witte, writer and comedian [11]
5 Adolf Daens Priest, activist and humanitarian. Helped poor people and fought for the rights of workers. Inge Vervotte, politician [12]
6 Andreas Vesalius Physician, father of modern anatomy. Robrecht Van Hee, professor. [13]
7 Jacques Brel Singer, most famous for Ne Me Quitte Pas and Le Plat Pays. Celebrated for his passionate, satirical and acerbic songs. Internationally covered by many singers and admired for his free-spirited nature. Johan Verminnen, singer [14]
8 Gerardus Mercator Cartographer. Founder of modern cartography. Dirk Draulans, biologist [15]
9 Peter Paul Rubens Painter. Creator of vivid, extravagant and sensual works (The Descent from the Cross), which made him the richest and most high-in-demand painter of his time period. Still internationally famous and respected to this day. Herr Seele, comics artist [16]
10 Hendrik Conscience Novelist. Author of the novel The Lion of Flanders, which was a major influence on the Flemish nationalistic movement. Marc Reynebeau, journalist and historian. [17]

From 11 to 111

See also

Notes

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