ADVERTISEMENT

Disclaimer: I love Belgium. I love its vast fields, pleasant parks, and deep forests. I love its awesome playgrounds, playful ducks, and friendly people. I love its architecture, cozy buildings, and impressive castles. Having lived there for three years, during which I attended the Brussels American School (hi to all of my classmates; go Brigands!), I have a deep and nostalgic appreciation for the country. It’s the place that turned me into who I am today and the country where I learned my very first words in English.

So you can bet your bottom dollar that I turned my full attention to Hannes Coudenys when I heard that he posts pictures of ‘ugly’ Belgian houses on the internet. Now, Coudenys and I disagree about Belgian architecture: what he calls ‘ugly,’ I find to be ‘quaint.’ However, nobody can deny that he finds very intriguing examples of Belgian architecture.

Scroll down, upvote your fave ‘ugly’ buildings, and share them with your friends and family. Be sure to let us know in the comments if you’re on my or Coudenys’ side when it comes to Belgian buildings. Beautiful or horrifying? That’s for you to decide. After you’re done with this list, check out Bored Panda’s previous article about Coudenys and ‘ugly’ (aka misunderstood) Belgian houses.

More info: Instagram | Facebook

#2

Angrytecture

Angrytecture

uglybelgianhouses Report

Add photo comments
POST
kaisu-reinikainen avatar
Kaisu
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would be mad too, squished between two other buildings like this

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

In an interview, Coudenys told Bored Panda that his project is ‘loved’ and he joked that it has turned into a kind of a ‘cult.’ “We all love to hate ugly Belgian houses,” he said, drawing attention to the fact that “Poland has terrible architecture, as a lot of people have let me see.”

However, not all is grim in Coudenys’ world. He noted that there are examples of good architecture in Belgium: “I like the work of Gijs van Vaerenbergh, Vens-Vanbelle, De Vylder Vinck Taillieu, Vincent van Duysen.”

#4

When You’re Trying To Watch Something On Pornhub But Those Spam Windows Pop Up

When You’re Trying To Watch Something On Pornhub But Those Spam Windows Pop Up

uglybelgianhouses Report

Add photo comments
POST
inferno55 avatar
eliana
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

when youre playing the Sims and you can't decide where to put your windows

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#5

Mayday Mayday! The East Wall Is Sinking!

Mayday Mayday! The East Wall Is Sinking!

uglybelgianhouses Report

#6

My House When You Came In The Backdoor

My House When You Came In The Backdoor

uglybelgianhouses Report

Coudenys’ hobby has grown into a phenomenon: he has more than 104,000 followers on Facebook and 76,800 fans on Instagram.

ADVERTISEMENT

In a previous interview, Coudenys told Bored Panda that some Belgians have a peculiar understanding of what constitutes good architecture: "Normally, if you like architecture you like good houses, but in Belgium, there’s a lot of ugly architecture. So I started taking pictures of it.”

"Because regulations are quite liberal and we love to design our own quirky dreamhouse," Coudenys explained. He added that lots of home-owners were angry that their houses were being mocked online.

#7

The Sky Is Limited

The Sky Is Limited

uglybelgianhouses Report

#8

If Snake And Tetris Made A Baby

If Snake And Tetris Made A Baby

uglybelgianhouses Report

Add photo comments
POST
benfancomplex avatar
Daja Lindeman
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There used to be a garage, and a normal door where the red brick is now. They repurposed the building

View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#9

When Your House Tried To Be Beautiful

When Your House Tried To Be Beautiful

uglybelgianhouses Report

“I received emails from lawyers and eventually gave in, stopping the blog altogether. I can understand the negative reactions in a way... It's the house of their dreams and I am demolishing it!" the Belgian revealed.

ADVERTISEMENT
#12

Pablo Picasa

Pablo Picasa

uglybelgianhouses Report

Coudenys isn’t the only critic of Belgium’s architecture. According to Culture Trip, if you’re in Belgium and want to see the country’s ugliest buildings, you would do well to visit the Ghent Market Hall, the Wiels Museum in Brussels, and the Tour Paradis in Liège.

Also be sure to see the ‘Book Tower’ in Gent, Leuven’s Sint-Maartensdal Towers, the seat of the Humanist Democratic Center in Brussels, the Radisson Blu Astrid Hotel in Antwerp, and The Water Tower in Ghent. Even I have to say that a few of these buildings make my inner artist cringe.

#13

‘Make It Look Like A Sad Elephant’ Said No One Ever. Oh Wait A Belgian Did

‘Make It Look Like A Sad Elephant’ Said No One Ever. Oh Wait A Belgian Did

uglybelgianhouses Report

#14

Please Explain

Please Explain

uglybelgianhouses Report

Add photo comments
POST
nemisis98 avatar
Shawn
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ugh you just don't get it if you need it explained... said the architect.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#16

What The Flying Duck

What The Flying Duck

uglybelgianhouses Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#19

When You’ve Got The Cheapest Street In Monopoly But You Bought Two Hotels

When You’ve Got The Cheapest Street In Monopoly But You Bought Two Hotels

uglybelgianhouses Report

#20

When Windows 10 Keeps Randomly Crashing And Freezing

When Windows 10 Keeps Randomly Crashing And Freezing

uglybelgianhouses Report

Add photo comments
POST
stijncornelis avatar
Stijn Cornelis
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fun fact: till the end of the second world war you had to pay taxes acording to the number of windows and doors your house had (pretty common in Europe). With bricked off windows as a result.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#24

When You See Yourself In The Mirror

When You See Yourself In The Mirror

uglybelgianhouses Report

Add photo comments
POST
lsoo avatar
Raine Soo
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is the house version of the "Home Alone" aftershave burn.

View more commentsArrow down menu
#26

Belgium Is A Work Of Art

Belgium Is A Work Of Art

uglybelgianhouses Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#29

This Is An Emergency, Somebody Call The Akropolice

This Is An Emergency, Somebody Call The Akropolice

uglybelgianhouses Report

#34

When You Stop Halfway The Reveal Because You’ve Seen Enough

When You Stop Halfway The Reveal Because You’ve Seen Enough

uglybelgianhouses Report

Add photo comments
POST
vikrant-talponkar avatar
Vic
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Image download in the 90s with those dial up modems

View more commentsArrow down menu
#35

Not Sure If Roof Or Tiny Hat

Not Sure If Roof Or Tiny Hat

uglybelgianhouses Report

#36

When Your Architect Has A Black Out

When Your Architect Has A Black Out

uglybelgianhouses Report

Add photo comments
POST
jean-francoisbrisson avatar
Jean-Francois Brisson
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We have some of these here sometimes, it has water pipes inside that absorb solar radiation to heat your floors or whatever.

View more commentsArrow down menu
#37

You Cant Leave Your Hat On

You Cant Leave Your Hat On

uglybelgianhouses Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#39

When Your Keyhole Is Swollen And Red, You Better Go See A Doctor

When Your Keyhole Is Swollen And Red, You Better Go See A Doctor

uglybelgianhouses Report

#40

When You Don’t Know What Hit You

When You Don’t Know What Hit You

uglybelgianhouses Report

#41

It Must Have Cost An Arm And A Leg

It Must Have Cost An Arm And A Leg

uglybelgianhouses Report

Add photo comments
POST
lsoo avatar
Raine Soo
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These creepy busts make garden gnomes look adorable. It must be Halloween everyday here.

View more commentsArrow down menu
#42

Must Be Really Into Garage Sales

Must Be Really Into Garage Sales

uglybelgianhouses Report

Add photo comments
POST
nemisis98 avatar
Shawn
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hey Larry, get this I sold the idiot 3 garage doors.. one for each floor!! Bwahahahaha

View more commentsArrow down menu
#44

So, Who Was Ugly First?

So, Who Was Ugly First?

uglybelgianhouses Report

#45

When Your Architect Was Thinking Outside The Xbox

When Your Architect Was Thinking Outside The Xbox

uglybelgianhouses Report

Note: this post originally had 115 images. It’s been shortened to the top 45 images based on user votes.