Mexican floral carpet flourishes in Brussels’ historic square

More than 500,000 flowers were used to create the Latin American theme, devoted to the Mexican region of Guanajuato which has an exceptionally rich culture and flower tradition. Photo: AP / Virginia Mayo

Brussels — Belgium’s capital is ending summer with Mexican flair.

A Mexican-themed carpet of over half a million flowers has been installed in Brussels’ historic Grand-Place.

The UNESCO World Heritage site on Thursday opened up the cobblestones of its market square for a giant display of flowers depicting scenes and symbols from Guanajuato, which is known for an exceptionally rich culture and flower tradition.

The city lays down such a flower carpet every two years but the extreme heat of this summer posed special challenges.

Brussels Culture Alderwoman Karine Lalieux says that beyond the traditional use of Belgian begonias, dahlias also were used “as this year was very, very hot.”

The carpet, measuring 75 by 24 meters/246 by 79 feet, will be on view until Sunday.

Source: Associated Press

Related: Camino de las Flores returns in time for spring

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