It all began one day in 1907 in Brussels. Little Georges Remi, born on May 22, grew up, studied and created his first comic strip in this very city. Hergé was born.

In 1929, in Le Petit Vingtième, a youth supplement to the Brussels newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle, Hergé brought to life his greatest adventure: Tintin. Today, over 80 years later, Tintin remains the best-known Brussels inhabitant in the world. His adventures have been translated into a hundred languages and sold over 230 million copies.

Brussels was part of Hergé's life and daily routine, so much so that it even became a source of inspiration. The cafés, alleyways, theatres, museums and landscapes imagined in the adventures of the little reporter with a quiff exude the Brussels atmosphere. From the flea market on Place du Jeu de Balle in The Secret of the Unicorn to the Palais Royal in King Ottokar's Sceptre, Brussels is visible in every adventure. You just need to know where to look.

With the international success of the young reporter, Hergé erased some of the overly explicit references, but always remained faithful to his native Brussels. He subtly introduces Brussels locations on maps of the world Tintin travels through, and gives his characters delightful names from Brussels folklore, such as sheikh Bab El Ehr (talkative), baron Almaszout (all about fuel oil) and crooked oil tycoon R.W. Trickler (the original French “Chicklet” is a reference to a Belgian chewing gum brand).

You need to see it to believe it? Here are just a few examples of what you might discover as you stroll the streets of Brussels and its cultural institutions.

Rediscover the familiar landscapes of the royal park of Syldavia in King Ottokar's Sceptre by strolling along the paths of the Park of Brussels. There is no doubt that it inspired Hergé. The Royal Palace, the construction of which was completed in 1829, also served as Hergé's model for the sketch of the Royal Palace of Muskar XII, king of Syldavia, in the same volume.