Charleroi is a relatively young town. It was founded by the Spanish in 1666 in honour of the Spanish child-king Charles II. A year later, it was taken by the French, and Louis XIV granted privileges to the inhabitants of the new city. The Treaty of Nimegue (1678), however, restored Spanish control over Charleroi. Coal, iron and glass accounted for the city’s swift economic development. Napoleon spent a couple of days there before the Battle of Waterloo. A major battle was fought at Charleroi in 1914, during World War I. In the 19th Century, a canal was built between Charleroi and Brussels to transport the city’s industrial production to Brussels and Antwerp.

Known as the capital of the Pays Noir ('the black country'), one of the largest coal basins of the time of the Industrial Revolution responsible for the development of the steel and glass industry, Charleroi is seeking today to reshape its identity as a green city with vast parks and a concern for the environment. With the ambition to become a sports centre, the city has a good infrastructure for football, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, etc. It hosts international competitions such as the Astrid Bowl, Rally Bianchi, 10 Miles and Top Gym.

As far as cultural life is concerned, Charleroi also has much to offer, above all the Museum of Fine Arts, featuring works by Gustave Camus, René Magritte, François Joseph Navez, Pierre Paulus, Constantin Meunier, Arsene Detry, Marius Caron, Axel-Louis Martin, Xavier Mellery, Léon Devos and Alphonse Darville. There’s also the Museum of Photography, relating the history of photography and presenting a great collection of cameras, along with the Industrial Museum as well as the Glass Museum. Worth visiting are also the Museum of Rural Life and Crafts and many other numerous expositions and performances.