1953 in Belgium

Incumbents

Events

• 31 January to 1 February – North Sea flood damages Belgian coastal defences, killing 28
• 9 April – Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium marries Prince Jean of Luxembourg, with civil registration in the Grand Ducal Palace and a nuptial mass in Notre-Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg
• 14 October – Sabena Convair Crash
• 24 October – Firedamp explosion in the Many pit in Seraing, owned by Ougrée-Marihaye, kills 26
• 31 October – First public television broadcasts of the Belgian National Broadcasting Institute, from the Flagey Building in Brussels

  Publications

• Louis Paul Boon, De Kapellekensbaan
• Gustave Cohen, Le Théâtre français en Belgique au Moyen Âge
• Hergé, Explorers on the Moon, serialised 1952-1953
• Georges Simenon, Feux rouges, Maigret et l'homme du banc, and Maigret se trompe
• Willy Vandersteen, De dolle musketiers, Suske & Wiske album

  Art and architecture

• René Magritte, Golconda

• 14 to 18 July – Théâtre National de Belgique production of Jean Giraudoux's Ondine at the Lyric Theatre.

  Births

• 10 January
• * Olga Zrihen, politician
• * Josiane Vanhuysse, cyclist
• 23 January – Carl Devlies, politician
• 26 January – Daniël Theys, glassmaker
• 1 February – Walter de Paduwa, radio DJ
• 21 February – Siegfried Bracke, politician
• 14 March – Dirk Van der Maelen, politician
• 3 April – Pieter Aspe, writer
• 5 April – Paul Broekx, Olympic canoer
• 11 April – Guy Verhofstadt, politician
• 1 May – Willy Linthout, comics author
• 7 May – Alain Brichant, tennis player
• 6 June – Jan Durnez, politician
• 30 June – Koen Fossey, illustrator
• 22 July – René Vandereycken, footballer
• 25 August – Georges De Moor, health statistician
• 20 September – André Delcroix, cyclist
• 26 September – Micha Marah, singer
• 27 September – Jean-Paul Comart, actor
• 9 October – Marcia De Wachter, economist
• 17 October
• * Thierry Soumagne, fencer
• * Claire Vanhonnacker, singer
• 27 October – Daniel Guldemont, martial artist
• 28 October – Jean-Marie Berckmans, writer
• 19 November – Didier de Chaffoy de Courcelles, businessman
• 20 November – Étienne De Beule, cyclist
• 4 December – Jean-Marie Pfaff, goalkeeper

  Deaths

• 6 January – Maurice Corneil de Thoran, musician
• 9 January – Jean Brusselmans, painter
• 17 January – Jean de Bosschère, writer and painter
• 19 January – Jean Delville, painter
• 11 March – Charles Saroléa, philologist
• 26 March – Paul Loicq, hockey administrator
• 16 May – Django Reinhardt, jazz musician
• 2 June – Servais Le Roy, entertainment
• 20 June – Henri de Man, politician
• 25 June – Jules Van Nuffel, priest and musicologist
• 12 July – Joseph Jongen, composer
• 14 September – Pierre Nolf, scientist
• 18 September – Charles de Tornaco, racing driver
• 2 November – Émile Cammaerts, writer