Is Charleroi really the World's Ugliest City? 🇧🇪

[@ytchannel6569]

Europe cities are so beautiful makes this city looks ugly amongst Europeans. Try going to third world cities.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Good point, any recommendations?

[@ireneuszpyc6684]

@@helloantoniotraveladventures Latin America: graffiti & muggers everywhere

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Luckily I speak Spanish... Maybe time to leave Europe and head somewhere a bit more edgy!

[@ireneuszpyc6684]

@@helloantoniotraveladventures favelas are so edgy that tourist guides say that those hoods are too dangerous for foreigners

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Guess I'll need to find some locals who'll look after me!

[@isakaldazwulfazizsunus7564]

Bear in mind: the blocks right in front of the station used to be EVEN WORSE than that. The "nice part" used to have a big parking lot and a central, decrepit old building right on the pedestrian area, with most of the building abandonned, the rest was occupied by a McDonald's and a bunch of shitty tourist traps. Rue de la Montagne used to be the beating heart of the city. Art Déco buildings filled with shops of every description and now most of them are empty. Also Rue de la Montagne used to be the main artery leading to the fortress which is now the (mostly abandonned) plaza. Fun fact about the police station: we call it the fish pond because there's water leaking into its foundations. Also the park you sat in is known for being a hot spot for drug addicts. They took out all the bushes and trees so they wouldn't be able to hide and it's been less awful since. I still wouldn't stay there too long. "It's not a place you come to twice". My wife has to go there for work on a regular basis. We live in the Flemish countryside. It feels bloody awful. Plus the traffick is a catastrophe. Also interesting thing: Wallonia was left behind economically because ironically a good portion of its industry was left untouched by the World Wars, and so they missed the opportunity to modernize their economy. Meanwhile, Flanders was mostly empty farmlands up until the second World War. They still had stick houses strung together by mud in many villages, and the region was mostly very poor (that's why there are many Flemish surnames in Wallonia: the Flemish emigrated to find work), so when the global economy switched, they were ready to start from scratch, and that's why Flanders is richer, more modern and better developped than most of Wallonia today.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Great insight, thanks so much! I wish I could have seen a bit more of Charleroi in the past to compare with the (relatively) modern city

[@isakaldazwulfazizsunus7564]

@@helloantoniotraveladventures basically they bulldozed most of the "lower city" to build the plaza with the shopping mall. A lot of the buildings on the river bank were also part of that. Before the renovations it was a series of dilapidated old buildings. Some of them are still there: either abandoned or burnt down, then abandonned, filled with illegal prostitution (human trafficking) and narrow, unmaintained streets, with grass piercing through the concrete. Greater Charleroi actually has quite a few nice spots. Jumet is easy to reach with public transports, and it's a green little suburb with woodlands and hiking routes. You used to have access to abandonned industrial buildings from the mining era, and even coal mounds. Marcinelle has a few nice things as well.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Maybe it's time to do a video on the greener side of Charleroi!

[@martina4833]

Het is waar dat de situatie in Vlaanderen beter is, de haven van Antwerpen is de toegangspoort voor cocaïne, en de explosies op straat kunnen als bewijs worden gezien... je bent maar een arme Vlaamse idioot. als bewijs: jouw taal wordt alleen in Nederland gesproken en Brussel is een Franstalige stad geworden en je bent steeds minder in de meerderheid in de gemeenten rond Brussel 😂

[@Azzsiamoamilano]

Ora capisco ... I fiamminghi come noi lombardi si sono fatti il mazzo a lavorare e meritata ricchezza .. Questi invece come e forse peggiori di certi parassiti sociali che purtroppo esistono anche da noi .....

[@jslfcs6655]

Sounds like Bald & Bankrupt. Are you two related? Even the hand movement.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

I wish. I reckon Señor Calvo would be a great older brother

[@jslfcs6655]

@@helloantoniotraveladventures Yep. Anyway. All the best.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Cheers mate, take care

[@tasingp]

Funny I was thinking exactly the same thing! Very similar accents/voices.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

😂 Not related but from a similar part of the world. Cheers

[@jakeevara]

Charleroi has been done up a fair bit over the last few years. It used to be a lot uglier. I recommend watching the documentary "Bienvenue à Charleroi."

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Cheers, I'll give it a look!

[@fryoung1]

I wanna say are you kidding? World's Ugliest city ... who's standard? This looks relatively calm to some cities in the US.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Not my words!

[@RolandPeteur]

Dutch people say this. They have no taste. Their cities are a kindergarten

[@riccardoattilia8219]

The guy at 9:35 emptying a bucket behind you made me laugh aahah

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

😂 Never noticed that before! Very Charleroi

[@jackf1841]

Wallonia has some really depressing cities. It's a sad place overall. Like it has just given up.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

It has some great places too! The best formula one circuit, for example

[@isakaldazwulfazizsunus7564]

Some places that used to be nice are going down the drain, too... Namur has turned into another Charleroi and it's fucking depressing.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

I didn't realise Namur had become so bad

[@isakaldazwulfazizsunus7564]

@@helloantoniotraveladventures shops are closing down in the nice pedestrian areas, it's getting increasingly unsafe and dirty... Namur used to be higher-end, people from there even had a reputation for thinking a bit highly of themselves... and now it's getting bad. It's not Liège or old Charleroi, but it's a far cry from what it was even 10 years ago

[@thomasvandenberghe6260]

​@@isakaldazwulfazizsunus7564 Nah, I think it's beautiful with the cathedral and all that

[@nachogames_yt3989]

Looks conpletetly different to the time I went, nice video, also you remind me of a very nice German cover teacher I had

[@RobertOosterbeek]

At 12:44 I did some Google Maps on that, it was a shop of a gas / pump / fuel station.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

My favourite kind of shop when on the road

[@onbekendonbekenedd537]

When there is a Nokia adventisement on the building, you know the city is abandoned

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Old school

[@immortalituss]

This just looks like a regular city centre

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Kind of what I was trying to show

[@arewethereyet000]

Thanks for reminding me I should not make a vlog on Charleroi! 🤣 But this was fun to watch from my couch!

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Maybe some travel tips for its airport?

[@arewethereyet000]

@@helloantoniotraveladventures not really... why? Are you there right now?

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Going next week, finally a trip abroad!

[@Eldedarko]

It's not the ugliest city in the world (It's pretty similar to other cities in Belgium like Liege or Namur). The main problem is that it gets dangerous at night. I lived in Schaerbeck (Brussels) and it's similar as well, but not so abandoned.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Charleroi's mining infrastructure is pretty unique though!

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

I went past Rugby in the UK the other day. Looked quite similar to Charleroi, so maybe no longer unique to me!

[@driesroelvink6982]

If charleroi looks similar to other Belgian cities that means the entire country is ugly 😂

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

There are plenty of pretty places in Belgium!

[@xrpedro]

Looks like parts of Los Angeles in California 🤷🏻‍♂️ Not too bad tbh lol

[@RolandPeteur]

Charleroi has character and a soul . More authenticity than all soulles suffocating Dutch cities!

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

I'm not going to disagree with you!

[@RolandPeteur]

@@helloantoniotraveladventures for me, Holland feels like The Truman Show.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

@GuntherSDoumson2178 😂 not sure if you're watching the football tonight but hopefully they'll play like them too...

[@markust7709]

After watching this video I would like to add my 5 cents that it is not glamorous city indeed but by far NOT the ugliest in the World. Maybe ugliest in Belgium or in Western Europe but by faaaaaar not in the World. You should visit Kishinau (Moldovia) or Bangladesh or Angola Capital before you make a statement that Charleroi is the ugliest in the World🤔 However your video is very informative and interesting, thank you!

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

I was just saying what other people say about Charleroi, I don't think it's the ugliest! I also made a video in Chisinau this year, hope you'll enjoy it. I love it there!

[@markust7709]

@@helloantoniotraveladventures Thank you for helping me discovering your channel by recommending the video on Cishinau, Moldovia. I did not have an idea... Watching now.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Nice one, I hope you enjoy. I loved filming in Moldova and still have one more to upload from there

[@masive1498]

It would make a great location for a gritty movie. Maybe something the Dardenne brothers would do.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Nice idea! What would be the plot?

[@masive1498]

@@helloantoniotraveladventures I would imagine it would be about the closure of the old mines and the struggle for work afterwards. Or a dark and gritty Trainspotting story. The abandoned tram line has to be a location for a group hangout.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

I agree, I'll have to go back to explore the abandoned tramline!

[@charleneevans5848]

you should visit it''s sister city,charleroi,pa in the us.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

I'll put it on my travel map!

[@violettabicycletta331]

It is not the ugliest city in the world ... have you been to Eastern Europe and lots of other ugly places around Europe ? Charleroi suffered the closure of the mines people left to find work elsewhere - poor migrants moved in from poor countries . I am offended that some people say in the comments that all Wallonia towns are just as bad ?.. this is shocking and untrue ! Namur is beautiful and so are all the other towns of Wallonia . As or Charleroi it is getting the beauty treatment it needs and deserve and will improve soon Don't' forget it was a mining town unlike Bruges ... what do you expect ... stop mocking ... some towns in England and in the U S are just as bad if not worse . Where are you from . Go back to where you came from and stay there !!!.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Yes I've been to plenty of ugly places. Have you seen the video in my hometown? I didn't say it's the ugliest place, the media did! I feel perhaps you shouldn't let other people's opinions affect you so much. A bit insulting to tell people to go back where they came from, it's the kind of rhetoric that isn't really welcome on this channel!

[@violettabicycletta331]

Sorry did not mean to offend ... just. Thought of calling a spade a spade because people of Charleroi have feelings too ... they love their town and are tired of the bad publicity and mockery ,. I personally live on the other side of the world I am originally from Namur region but knowCharleroi ... and I feel that this has to stop. As a child I knew Charleroi as a vibrant city ... in the times of the mines ... it has fallen on hard times and is going through a revival. Sorry for hurting your feelings ... we have feelings too .

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

@violettabicycletta331 you didn't hurt my feelings! And I quite like Charleroi to be honest

[@jmsmilfajt]

I agree with the Eastern Europe but one has to differentiate between Central and Eastern Europe. Moldova or Bulgaria can be wild. But Czechia has probably nicer cities than all of Belgium and I'm saying that as a huge fan who loves traveling to all of Europe. Prague is in a way very similar to Bruges but even Ostrava doesn't look as Charleroi and that's a former mining town too. I found out that people from western nations tend to look down at all nations behind the former Iron curtain. People even wondered how am I able to afford traveling to Brussels as a Czech and yet they don't wonder that people all over the world travel there too. What Poles have to deal with in the UK is crazy too. About Charleroi, it's a bit rundown but we visited the markets during Monday, some cafés and it is quite nice if one is cautious enough and don't make eye contacts with some odd groups of strangers.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

@jmsmilfajt really well put! Strangely enough, I have a video from Ostrava coming out soon

[@tomhill3205]

Honestly Charleroi doesn’t look any worse than Glasgow

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Totally agree

[@jandenhartogh5003]

Charleroi can have a fair competition with Southampton😉 one nice mall and a broken down city centre.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

I lived in Southampton for five years!

[@jandenhartogh5003]

@@helloantoniotraveladventures that's great I think Southampton has a better port and a lovely marine harbour 😜 So let's the competition begin!

[@sloth-gaming]

Charleroi is far more interesting, Southampton is just a port

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Both have their virtues!

[@sloth-gaming]

@@helloantoniotraveladventures I love the industry in charleroi, it is very cool

[@mauricelamain1978]

looks like Moldavië at Some parts

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

😂 Have you seen my videos in Moldova?

[@xrpedro]

Ah, so Belgium’s Los Angeles?

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

I should have called the video that

[@xrpedro]

@@helloantoniotraveladventures Im an LA native, and I would not have been offended LOL - the city is a shadow of its former self and the rise of homelessness has destroyed it even more, sadly.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

@xrpedro that's sad to hear. I should do a video there

[@thefurbeastunderyourbed5012]

Pretty enough for Ryanair. That should do. 😂

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Top destination!

[@alejandrodanielmoreno6247]

No city is PERFECT!!!!!!!🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

You're right there!

[@pL.M]

6000 Charleroi

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

💯

[@Azzsiamoamilano]

In ogni angolo bruttezza , sporcizia , degrado .... Tutta una città cosi , ma nn vi ribellate ?!? Poi in una nazione ricca , dove ci sono posti stupendi , leuven , Brugge Gent Antwerpen?!?

[@Azzsiamoamilano]

L'unico locale bello ... Quello della signora italiana!!!❤❤🇮🇹🇮🇹

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Grazie!

[@bee38482]

in belgium we no say Chalewa, we say Charleroi Thanks for visiting Rivegauche tho

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

The British, butchering foreign pronunciation for centuries!

[@Bachman777]

Субтитры которые говорят добро пожаловать в шалаву уже многое говорят 😂😂😂

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Hahaha in which language?

[@Bachman777]

Russian bro😂

[@Bachman777]

Even in english subs it says welcome to shalawah which I guess you already know what mean on russian

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

😂 What should it translate to instead?

[@Bachman777]

@@helloantoniotraveladventures Charleroi of course auto subs understood that as shalawah😂

[@IPv6people]

Impossible for me to look at adult people walking outside with masks on, so I will not make it longer than this minute hear.

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

I filmed this in May 2021 when wearing masks outside was obligatory in Belgium. My apologies if it offends you, but I wanted to avoid a fine. For the record, I am also against masks outside

[@enthusiastisch1922]

Well I double mask because 1 it makes me warm, and I breathe warm air in and 2 it reduces me sneezing since I have bad hay fever, I got used to doubling masking that a single mask doesn't affect me anymore, but I'm against the FFP2 masks that Italy made compulsory than the Surgical masking.

[@enthusiastisch1922]

@@helloantoniotraveladventures Fined? Europe is pretty much a dictatorship itself and whatever they say about other countries when it comes to human rights is hypocritical XD

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Fair play to you!

[@alwayshere6956]

Wrong one lol

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Sorry?

[@alwayshere6956]

@@helloantoniotraveladventures It's jus a bit a jest. I'm from the OTHER Charleroi, in Pennsylvania United States. It pales in comparison to where you were

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

OK, a bit of context always helps!

[@suvi7641]

i think norilsk is much worse

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Never been!

[@suvi7641]

@@helloantoniotraveladventures neither, you'd first need to get to russia and then also need to get a special permission for visiting the city because access there is restricted for foreigners. i've just seen a lot of pictures from there

[@suvi7641]

@@helloantoniotraveladventures also from what i've heard it's the most polluted city in the world and people there have a life expectancy of 10 years less than the rest of russia because of it

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

I thought that was Chelyabinsk!

[@helloantoniotraveladventures]

Are you from Russia?