Skip to content
VitrineRoyal Houses of Europe
Sign in

Albert II of Belgium

b. 1934

Born
6 Jun 1934, Laeken
Country of birth
Belgium

Living person. The family sees only the name, dates and photo; everything else stays private unless they choose to share it.

facts
5
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

A life in time

  1. Born · Laeken

    Birth, Laeken

  2. Child born: Philippe of Belgium

    Birth, Laeken

  3. Child born: Princess Astrid, Archduchess of Austria-Este

    Birth, Brussels

  4. Child born: Prince Laurent of Belgium

    Birth, Laeken

  5. Child born: Princess Delphine of Belgium

    Birth, Uccle

What was it like?

The world around Laeken, 1934: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

Albert was born the same year as Carl Sagan, Leonard Cohen, and Judi Dench.

Born the same year

  • Carl Sagan

    American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934–1996)

  • Leonard Cohen

    Canadian singer, songwriter and poet (1934–2016)

  • Judi Dench

    English actress (born 1934)

  • Vavá

    Brazilian association football player (1934–2002)

  • Yuri Gagarin

    Soviet pilot and cosmonaut, first human in space (1934–1968)

  • Jane Goodall

    English primatologist and anthropologist (1934–2025)

Fashion

Boys' and youth clothing trends

Starting around 1936, golf breeches that bloused around the calf became popular for Sunday best, while boys typically received their first pair of long trousers around age 17 or 18 as a sign of becoming a man. Children’s weekday clothing was less of a concern, with schoolchildren often wearing iron-shod boots and short trousers.

Daily attire for working-class men

In the 1930s, working-class men typically wore caps, with a deep cap for weekdays and a flat cap for Sundays. Men also commonly wore suspenders, sock garters, long drawers, and, in the summer, alpaca jackets.

Music

Radio listening became immensely popular

By 1939, radio listening became a widespread habit in Belgium, with the number of radio sets soaring to over 1.15 million.

The rise of jazz culture

Jazz became a major craze in the 1920s and 1930s, with Belgian cities hosting their first jazz concerts and tournaments for amateur dance orchestras.

Getting around
Around 1926–1926

Train travel times between Belgian cities

In 1926, a non-stop express train connected Brussels and Antwerp in 40 minutes, while a journey from Brussels to Cologne took 5 to 6 hours.

Around 1940–1945

Wartime travel and fuel costs

During World War II, strict fuel rationing forced civilians to rely on bicycles or overcrowded trams, and private car travel became extremely rare. Petrol for the few permitted vehicles cost between 30 and 50 francs per liter on the black market.

Daily life

Memorable Survival Tactics and Tools

To save money and ensure winter food supplies, families bought potatoes in bulk, sometimes 1000 kg at once, which were stored in specially prepared cellar bins lined with straw. To carry heavy water buckets from public pumps, people used a 'reep', a modified bicycle wheel without spokes that helped balance the weight and kept the buckets away from their legs.

Childhood Chores and Schooling Experiences

Children's daily routines involved chores like fetching water or tending to animals, while schooling was often disrupted, especially during the war years. Some schools eventually introduced amenities like communal showers, though access to such facilities remained a luxury for many.

Food
Around 1941–1941

Three hours waiting for butter ration

In early 1941, a person had to wait in line for three hours in the cold just to receive a ration of 120 grams of butter.

Around 1940–1943

Wartime bread was sticky and gray

During the 1940s, wartime bread contained additives like pea or bean flour and straw, resulting in a sticky, gray loaf that had to be left for 24 hours before it could be sliced.

Prices and wages

Decline in food budget share

By the late 1940s, food expenses accounted for approximately 45 percent of a worker household's budget, a significant decrease from about 58 percent in 1929.

Around 1928–1929

Income of industrial worker families, 1928-1929

In the 1928-1929 budget inquiry, some industrial worker families earned at least 24,000 francs annually, a threshold that separated them from white-collar families.

Work

Common Blue-Collar Jobs in Belgium

Blue-collar jobs were concentrated in industries such as metalwork, mining, transport, construction, and textiles.

Earnings in Domestic and Industrial Work

In 1942, live-in Hungarian maids earned a minimum of 350 BEF per month, while an unskilled labourer in 1945 earned 5.60 francs per hour.

News and letters

Skilled Belgian postmen delivered mail accurately

Belgian postmen were known for their skill in finding recipients even with incomplete addresses, and residents often tipped them three or four sous for registered mail.

Tram-based express mail service

In Brussels, mail boxes were attached to electric trams, allowing people to post express letters for an extra fee of 25 centimes.

During their lifetime

  1. 1935

    First electric railway line opened

    On May 5, 1935, the national railway company opened Belgium's first electric line between Brussels-Nord and Antwerp-Central.

  2. 1944

    Operation Gutt currency reform

    Following the liberation of Brussels in October 1944, the government carried out Operation Gutt to exchange existing banknotes and curb post-war inflation.

  3. 1956

    First nuclear chain reaction achieved in Belgium

    Belgium successfully achieved its first controlled nuclear chain reaction at the BR 1 research reactor in Mol.

  4. 1958

    Brussels hosts World Fair Expo 58

    The World Fair in Brussels, Expo 58, modernized the country and introduced citizens to a new era of global possibilities.

  5. 1962

    First nuclear electricity connected to grid

    The BR 3 reactor, Belgium's first electricity-producing nuclear reactor, was connected to the power grid.

  6. 1974

    Ban on non-EEC labour immigration imposed

    Following the oil crisis, the Belgian government imposed a ban on unskilled labour immigration from non-EEC countries.

Family

Parents

Spouses

Children

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.