1953 in Belgium

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

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

Deaths

 * 6 January – Maurice Corneil de Thoran (born 1881), musician
 * 9 January – Jean Brusselmans (born 1884), painter
 * 17 January – Jean de Bosschère (born 1878), writer and painter
 * 19 January – Jean Delville (born 1867), painter
 * 11 March – Charles Saroléa (born 1870), philologist
 * 26 March – Paul Loicq (born 1888), hockey administrator
 * 16 May – Django Reinhardt (born 1910), jazz musician
 * 2 June – Servais Le Roy (born 1865), entertainment
 * 20 June – Henri de Man (born 1885), politician
 * 25 June – Jules Van Nuffel (born 1883), priest and musicologist
 * 12 July – Joseph Jongen (born 1873), composer
 * 14 September – Pierre Nolf (born 1873), scientist
 * 18 September – Charles de Tornaco (born 1927), racing driver
 * 2 November – Émile Cammaerts (born 1878), writer