150 years later, Charleroi in the Black Country, drags its heavy heritage and its violent past, mixed with banditry, corruption, child victims of a predator named Marc Dutroux. It is famous in Belgium for its sordid events, its endemic unemployment, the car-jackings and for its "barakis" (inhabitants of the popular districts). Nicknamed "Chicago on Sambre" or "Charleroi in Walbania" for its high crime rate, Charleroi was designated in 2008 by a Dutch newspaper as the ugliest city in the world.
Nevertheless, from this city that is trying to reinvent itself, a strange charm and a warm, sometimes crazy atmosphere emanates. From its ugliness emerges a formidable photogeny and a mysterious ambiance carried by the characters who populate it and the living traditions. Some people even hope for a renaissance in the manner of Detroit in the USA. Its mayor declares that "Charleroi is an American city in its urban configuration, in its culture, in its open-mindedness, in its multiculturalism".
It is true that the metropolis counts 128 different nationalities.Humorously called "Carolofornie" by some carolos (from carolorégiens: inhabitants of Charleroi) in reference to Wallifornia, a mythical territory designating a Belgian geo-politico-economic zone located in the Walloon region and which was supposed to become the Belgian silicon valley, Charleroi would like to revive itself through culture, social activities and major construction projects, while promoting its industrial and mining heritage.