Internships in Belgium

Mrs Sylwia Kryczka, a second degree Architecture student, is doing her practice within the Erasmus+ programme. She sent us a report and photos from her stay in Brussels.

“I must say that I am very satisfied with the internship and the trip. As far as the company is concerned, I received a very warm welcome. My mentor is very helpful in all matters – both in terms of work and advice, for example, on places to visit. The internship itself is an interesting experience because the buildings we deal with are completely different from those you can see in Poland. There are many historical buildings that the company renovates, and I can see what such work looks like in Belgium.

Of course, apart from work I have plenty of time to explore Brussels and beyond. Belgium is a small country, so you can easily see some other places. I managed to go to Ghent, Bruges and the seaside. To be honest, I like these smaller towns even more than Brussels because there are many historical buildings and the towns have a unique character. Bruges and Ghent are in Flanders and these are very interesting places geographically. At every turn you can see the canals on which boats often sail, which is why these cities are compared to Venice. If you are in the cities in the north of Belgium, do not forget to try fresh seafood which is served in every restaurant. The most popular are mussels with fries served in at least ten versions (and I was tempted to try this dish as it is much better than in Warsaw). Taking advantage of the warm weather, I was also at the North Sea near Ostend.

When it comes to Brussels, there are also plenty of places to see. A must for visitors is the Grand Place which is the main square with the town hall. There are many museums and other interesting attractions in the city. I very fondly remember visiting a beautiful tenement house, which houses the Victor Horta Museum, an Art Nouveau architect (unfortunately, you could not take pictures inside).

While walking around Brussels, it is worth paying attention to the St. Hubert Gallery or St. Michael’s Cathedral and the Manneken pis, one of the symbols of the Belgian capital. If we go a bit further from the centre, we can visit the Atomium, which was built for the World Exhibition in 1958.

As I described, the whole of Belgium is worth seeing. I still plan to go to the south of the country and I hope I won’t be disappointed either.”

We would like to thank Mrs Sylwia for the report, and we recommend students of WSEiZ to go for foreign internships within the Erasmus+ programme. More information can be found here.