Events in the year 1953 in Belgium.
Incumbents
Monarch – Baudouin
Prime Minister – Jean Van Houtte
Events
31 January to 1 February – North Sea flood damages Belgian coastal defences, killing 28 9 April – Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium (1927–2005) marries Prince Jean of Luxembourg (1921–2019), 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 (12 Belgians and 14 Italian immigrant workers) 31 October – First public television broadcasts of the Belgian National Broadcasting Institute, from the Flagey Building in Brussels
Publications
Non-fiction
Gustave Cohen, Le Théâtre français en Belgique au Moyen Âge (Brussels, La Renaissance du Livre) Paul Harsin, La Révolution liégeoise de 1789
Fiction
Louis Paul Boon, De Kapellekensbaan
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 (serialised 1952–1953)
Art and architecture
Paintings
René Magritte, Golconda
Performance
14 to 18 July – Théâtre National de Belgique production of Jean Giraudoux's Ondine at the Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith).
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 (died 2021) 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 (died 1992) 27 October – Daniel Guldemont, martial artist 28 October – Jean-Marie Berckmans, writer (died 2008) 19 November – Didier de Chaffoy de Courcelles, businessman 20 November – Étienne De Beule, cyclist 4 December – Jean-Marie Pfaff, goalkeeper