Belgium is a village in

Ozaukee County, Wisconsin Ozaukee County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,503. Its county seat is Port Washington. Ozaukee County is included in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. As of the 2000 Census, Ozaukee ...

, United States. Located along

Interstate 43 Interstate 43 (I-43) is a Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Wisconsin, connecting I-39/I-90 in Beloit with Milwaukee and I-41, U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) and US 141 in Green Bay. State Trunk Highw ...

, the village is one of the northernmost communities in the

Milwaukee metropolitan area The Milwaukee metropolitan area (also known as Metro Milwaukee or Greater Milwaukee) is a major metropolitan area located in Southeastern Wisconsin, consisting of the city of Milwaukee and some of the surrounding area. There are several defini ...

. The population was 2,245 at the 2020 census. Beginning in the 1840s, immigrant farmers from

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

settled in Northern Ozaukee County and formed several rural communities, including Belgium as well as the neighboring hamlets of Dacada, Holy Cross, and Lake Church. Although Belgium grew after a railroad was constructed through the community and incorporated as a village in 1922, the community remained primarily agricultural in the 20th century. As recently as 2015, the local

cannery Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container ( jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although unde ...

, which processes fruits and vegetables harvested at area farms, was by far the village's largest employer. The village continues to have strong cultural ties to the

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembourg ...

. Members of the

Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg The grand ducal family of Luxembourg constitutes the House of Luxembourg-Nassau, headed by the sovereign grand duke, and in which the throne of the grand duchy is hereditary. It consists of heirs and descendants of the House of Nassau-Weilburg, wh ...

have visited, and the Luxembourg Government sponsors the Luxembourg American Cultural Society and Museum in the community. Among other programs, the center assists Americans of Luxembourgish ancestry in applying for

dual citizenship Multiple citizenship (or multiple nationality) is a person's legal status in which a person is at the same time recognized by more than one sovereign state, country under its nationality law, nationality and citizenship law as a national or cit ...

, and since 1987 the village has hosted an annual festival devoted to Luxembourgish food and culture.

Toponymy

Since its beginning, Belgium has had a large population of

Luxembourgish Americans Luxembourgish Americans are Americans of Luxembourgish ancestry. According to the United States' 2000 census, there were 45,139 Americans of full or partial Luxembourgish descent. In 1940, the number of Americans with Luxembourgish ancestry w ...

. In 1857, the immigrant settlers submitted the name "Luxembourg" to the U.S. Postal Service for review. At the same time, a group of Belgian-American settlers in

Kewaunee County, Wisconsin Kewaunee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,563. Its county seat is Kewaunee. The county was created in 1852 and organized in 1859. Its Menominee name is ''Kewāneh'', an ar ...

, submitted the name "Belgium" as the name for their majority Belgian-American town. Due to a clerical error, the names were switched with the result that Belgium, Wisconsin, is a center of Luxembourgish-American settlement, and Luxemburg, Wisconsin, is a center of Belgian-American settlement.

History

Northeastern Ozaukee County, including the town and village Belgium, was inhabited by several Native American tribes, including the

Menominee The Menominee ( ; meaning ''"Menominee People"'', also spelled Menomini, derived from the Ojibwe language word for "Wild Rice People"; known as ''Mamaceqtaw'', "the people", in the Menominee language) are a federally recognized tribe of Na ...

. The Menominee surrendered the land that would become Belgium to the United States Federal Government through the 1832 ''Treaty of Washington''. In the late 1840s, immigrants from

began to settle in what would become northeastern Ozaukee County. In 1848, the town of Belgium was created out of the town of Port Washington. The Northwestern Railway Company set up a station in 1864. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway began running through the community in 1872, spurring population growth. In the early 20th Century, Belgium was a stop on the Milwaukee Interurban Line, which ran between Milwaukee and Sheboygan from 1908 until 1948. The population began to concentrate around the railroad station, and the community incorporated as the Village of Belgium in 1922. In 1945, sixty German

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

from Camp Fredonia in Little Kohler, Wisconsin were contracted to work at Krier Preserving Company in the village to make up for the loss of labor due to local men fighting in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The camp was under the command of Captain Ray Thill, a native of the Village of Belgium. The Ozaukee County line of the Interurban declined and ceased operation following World War II, but the village continued to grow in the mid-20th Century after the construction of

, connecting Milwaukee to Green Bay. Since 1977, Belgium has been home to the Luxembourg American Cultural Society & Center, including the Roots and Leaves Museum, which is devoted to telling "the story of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, past and present, as well as Luxembourg immigration to America the impact of Luxembourg immigrants and their descendants on life in America." In 1987, Prince Henri, then-heir-apparent to the crown of Luxembourg, and Princess Maria Teresa visited the village. In 2016,

Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg (''Guillaume Jean Joseph Marie''; born 11 November 1981), is the heir apparent to the Luxembourg throne since October 2000 and regent of the country since October 2024, as the son of Grand ...

and

Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg Princess Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (born Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy on 18 February 1984), is the wife of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, the Succession to the Luxembourger throne, heir apparent to the throne of Luxe ...

visited Belgium on a trip to the United States.

Geography

The Village of Belgium is located at (43.500735, -87.846897). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Belgium has a total area of , all of it land. The village is surrounded by the Town of Belgium and is located two miles (3 km) west of

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

and adjacent to conjoined

-State Highway 32. The village is located in the Southeastern Wisconsin glacial till plains that were created by the

Wisconsin glaciation The Wisconsin glaciation, also called the Wisconsin glacial episode, was the most recent glacial period of the North American ice sheet complex, peaking more than 20,000 years ago. This advance included the Cordilleran Ice Sheet, which nucleated ...

during the most recent ice age. The

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) is a government agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin charged with conserving and managing Wisconsin's natural resources. The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board has the authority to set polic ...

considers the village to be in the Central Lake Michigan Coastal ecological landscape. Before white settlers arrived in the area, the Belgium area was a mixture of upland and lowland forests. The upland forests were dominated by

American beech American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

and

sugar maple ''Acer saccharum'', the sugar maple, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is native to the hardwood forests of eastern Canada and the eastern United States. Sugar maple is best known for being the ...

trees, while the lowland conifer forests and swamps were dominated by

white cedar White cedar may refer to several different trees: * Bignoniaceae ** '' Tabebuia heterophylla'' - native to Caribbean islands and also cultivated as an ornamental tree * Cupressaceae: ** ''Chamaecyparis thyoides'' – Atlantic white cypress ** ''Cup ...

and

tamarack ''Larix laricina'', commonly known as the tamarack, hackmatack, eastern larch, black larch, red larch, or American larch, is a species of larch native to Canada, from eastern Yukon and Inuvik, Northwest Territories east to Newfoundland, and als ...

. Much of the original forest was cleared to prepare the land for agriculture. As land development continues to reduce wild areas, wildlife is forced into closer proximity with human communities like Belgium. Large mammals, including

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known Common name, commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North America, North, Central America, Central and South America. It is the ...

coyotes The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely relat ...

, and

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...

es can be seen in the village. The rural areas surrounding the village are also home to several bird habitats, including

Harrington Beach State Park Harrington Beach State Park is a Wisconsin List of Wisconsin state parks, state park on the shore of Lake Michigan in the Belgium (town), Wisconsin, Town of Belgium. In addition to a mile-long beach, the park contains a white cedar swamp surro ...

which is located on the shore of Lake Michigan and is one of two Wisconsin Important Bird Areas in Ozaukee County. The open fields in the western part of the park are a breeding ground for

upland sandpiper The upland sandpiper (''Bartramia longicauda'') is a large sandpiper, closely related to the curlews. Older names are the upland plover and Bartram's sandpiper. In Louisiana, it is also colloquially known as the papabotte. It is the Monotypic tax ...

s. The region struggles with many invasive species, including the

emerald ash borer The emerald ash borer (''Agrilus planipennis''), also known by the abbreviation EAB, is a green buprestid or jewel beetle native to north-eastern Asia that feeds on ash trees, ash species (''Fraxinus'' spp.). Females lay eggs in bark crevices o ...

common carp The common carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), also known as European carp, Eurasian carp, or simply carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Ark ...

reed canary grass ''Phalaris arundinacea'', or reed canary grass, is a tall, perennial bunchgrass that commonly forms extensive single-species stands along the margins of lakes and streams and in wet open areas, with a wide distribution in Europe, Asia, northern ...

, the

common reed ''Phragmites australis'', known as the common reed, is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae. It is a wetland grass that can grow up to tall and has a cosmopolitan distribution worldwide. Description ''Phragmites australis' ...

purple loosestrife ''Lythrum salicaria'' or purple loosestrifeFlora of NW Europe''Lythrum salicaria'' is a flowering plant belonging to the family Lythraceae. It should not be confused with other plants sharing the name loosestrife that are members of the family Pr ...

garlic mustard ''Alliaria petiolata'', or garlic mustard, is a biennial flowering plant in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). It is native to Europe, western and central Asia, north-western Africa, Morocco, Iberia and the British Isles, north to northern S ...

, Eurasian buckthorns, and

honeysuckle Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or Vine#Twining vines, twining vines in the genus ''Lonicera'' () of the family Caprifoliaceae. The genus includes 158 species native to northern latitudes in North America, Eurasia, and North Africa. Widely kno ...

s. Some of the wetlands in the Town of Belgium are especially affected by reed canary grass, with the invasive species accounting for more than 50% of plant coverage along some stretches of Sucker Creek and the Onion River.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 2,245 people, 817 households, and 608 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 848 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 94.5%

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.4%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 2.9% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 5.2% of the population. There were 817 households, of which 41.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.6% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.24. The median age in the village was 35 years. 29.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 33.8% were from 25 to 44; 23.5% were from 45 to 64; and 8.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 51.0% male and 49.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,678 people, 582 households, and 444 families residing in the village. The

was 1,163.0 people per square mile (449.9/km²). There were 592 housing units at an average density of 410.3 per square mile (158.7/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.31%

, 0.48%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.42% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 1.49% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 4.11% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 1582 households, out of which 44.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.9% were

living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.31. In the village, the population was spread out, with 31.8% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 36.1% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males. The median income for a household in the village was $53,523, and the median income for a family was $59,375. Males had a median income of $40,152 versus $25,609 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $20,659. About 1.8% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

Northern Ozaukee County — including the Belgium community — was a center of Luxembourgish-American settlement in the United States in the 19th century, and the Village of Belgium continues to have strong cultural ties to the

. Banners along Main Street read "Wëllkomm," which means "Welcome" in

Luxembourgish Luxembourgish ( ; also ''Luxemburgish'', ''Luxembourgian'', ''Letzebu(e)rgesch''; ) is a West Germanic language that is spoken mainly in Luxembourg. About 400,000 people speak Luxembourgish worldwide. The language is standardized and officiall ...

. Since 1977, Belgium has been home to the Luxembourg American Cultural Society & Center, which is sponsored by the Luxembourg Government Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Economy. The society facilitates a program to help Americans of Luxembourgish ancestry get

, organizes guided tours of the Grand Duchy, and maintains a museum devoted to the history of Luxembourg and Luxembourgish immigration to the United States. Since 1987, the society has also organized an annual Luxembourg Fest featuring tradition cuisine such as

träipen Träipen, sometimes treipen, is the Luxembourg variant of black pudding. The sausages are traditionally prepared from hog's head (or offal and any other scraps of pork) and fat, blood, and (winter) vegetables (such as white cabbage and onions ...

. Many of the Luxembourgers who settled in northern Ozaukee County were

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and established Catholic parishes in rural parts of the county. The hamlets of Dacada, Holy Cross, and Lake Church in the Town of Belgium formed around Catholic parishes that primarily served Luxembourger farmers. The Village of Belgium is also home to two

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

churches — Belgium Community Church and Christian Life Church — as well as St. Mark Lutheran Church, which is affiliated with the

Missouri Synod Missouri (''see pronunciation'') is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it borders Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas to the south and Oklahoma, Kansas, a ...

Economy

Law and government

Belgium is organized as a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

governed by an elected village board, comprising a village president and six trustees who are elected to three-year terms. The current president is Pete Anzia, who was elected to his first term in April 2014. As part of

Wisconsin's 6th congressional district Wisconsin's 6th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in eastern Wisconsin. It is based in the rural, suburban and exurban communities between Madison, Milwaukee, and Green Bay. It also ...

, Belgium is represented by

Glenn Grothman Glenn Sholes Grothman ( ; born July 3, 1955) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative from Wisconsin's 6th congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected to his seat in 2014. Gro ...

(R) in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, and by

Ron Johnson Ronald Harold Johnson (born April 8, 1955) is an American businessman and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Wisconsin, a seat he has held since 2011. A Rep ...

(R) and

Tammy Baldwin Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin (born February 11, 1962) is an American politician and lawyer serving since 2013 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Wisconsin. A member of the Democratic Party (United Stat ...

(D) in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

Duey Stroebel Sherburn Duane "Duey" Stroebel Jr. (born September 1, 1959) is an American realtor and Republican politician from Cedarburg, Wisconsin. He served 10 years as a member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing Wisconsin's 20th Senate district from ...

(R) represents Belgium in the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those o ...

, and

Robert Brooks Robert, Bob or Bobby Brooks may refer to: Business * Robert A. Brooks (1932–2000), American telecommunications entrepreneur * Robert H. Brooks (1937–2006), founder of Hooters of America * Robert Brooks, chairman of English auction house Bonham ...

(R) represents Belgium in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

. The village is served by the Belgium Volunteer Fire Department, which operates one fire station in the village. The department does not have its own ambulances an relies upon the neighboring Village of Fredonia's fire department for ambulance service. Belgium's law enforcement officer is the village marshal. Unlike a municipality with a police department, the village marshal does not provide 24-hour law enforcement, and the village is served by the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Department when the marshal is off duty and in emergency situations.

Education

The village is served by the joint Cedar Grove-Belgium School District. Students attend Cedar Grove-Belgium Elementary School for kindergarten through fourth grade, Cedar Grove-Belgium Middle School for fifth through eighth grades, and Cedar Grove-Belgium High School for ninth through twelfth grades. All of the district's schools are located in Cedar Grove,

Sheboygan County Sheboygan County () is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is named after the Sheboygan River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 118,034. Its county seat is Sheboygan. The county was created in 1836 and organized in 1846. At ...

, north of the Village of Belgium. The district is governed by a seven-member elected

board of education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...

. The Cedar Grove-Belgium School District made national headlines in April 2024 when the desired characteristics listed by the Board of Education in its official search for a new Superintendent of Schools cited "Christian Values" as well as "conservative politics" as those characteristics sought in a successful candidate. Questions were raised in many quarters about the legality of a "religious test" for the position in light of the provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as the propriety of insisting on specific political views. Subsequent to publication of the District's Search Document, a public meeting concerning the Search was abruptly cancelled.

Transportation

runs parallel to the village's eastern municipal boundary with access via Exit 107. Ozaukee County Transit Services' Shared Ride Taxi provides a public transit option for Belgium residents. The taxis operate seven days a week and make connections to Washington County Transit and Milwaukee County Routes 12, 49 and 42u. Unlike a typical taxi, however, the rider must contact the service ahead of time to schedule their pick-up date and time. The taxi service plans their routes based on the number of riders, pick-up/drop-off time and destination then plans the routes accordingly. The Ozaukee Interurban Trail, which is for pedestrian and bicycle use, passes through Belgium and connects the village to the neighboring communities of Port Washington and Cedar Grove, and continues north to

Oostburg Oostburg (Zeelandic Flemish: ''Wòstburg'') is a city in the south-western Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Sluis, in the province of Zeeland. As of 1 January 2015, its population is 4731, down from 5008 in January 2005. It receiv ...

and south to

Milwaukee County Milwaukee County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, containing about 1 ...

. The

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

operates a freight rail line running parallel to the Ozaukee Interurban Trail in the village, but Belgium currently does not have a passenger train station.

Parks and recreation

The Village of Belgium maintains six public parks with amenities including baseball and softball diamonds; basketball, tennis, and volleyball courts; an ice-skating rink; picnic shelters; playgrounds; soccer fields; a

splash pad A splash pad or spray pool is a recreation area, often in a public park, for water play that has little or no standing water. This is said to eliminate the need for lifeguards or other supervision, as there is little risk of drowning. Typically ...

; a three-acre fenced

dog park A dog park is a park for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners. Description Dog parks have varying features, although they typically offer a fence, separate double-gated entry an ...

; and walking trails. Grand Duke Henri Plaza, located between the village hall and the Luxembourg American Cultural Center, contains the "Wisconsin's Luxembourgers" State Historical Marker as well as a statue of

Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henri (; , ; born 16 April 1955) is Grand Duke of Luxembourg, reigning since 2000. He is the eldest son of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean and Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium, Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium, a ...

, who visited the village in 1987.

, the only Wisconsin State Park in Ozaukee County, is located directly east of the village on the shore of Lake Michigan. The Ozaukee Interurban Trail runs through the village, following the former route of the Milwaukee Interurban Rail Line. The southern end of the trail is at Bradley Road in Brown Deer which connects to the Oak Leaf Trail (), and its northern end is at DeMaster Road in the Village of

(). The trail connects the community to neighboring Port Washington and Cedar Grove. The Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary was established in 2021 in the waters of

off Belgium.National Marine Sanctuaries: Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary Accessed 10 September 2023
/ref>

Notable people

* Nicholas J. Bichler - Wisconsin State Representative * William J. Bichler - Wisconsin State Senator * Henry Ellenbecker - Wisconsin State Representative

References

External links

* {{authority control Belgian-American culture in Wisconsin Villages in Wisconsin Villages in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin