In search of... Jacques Brel in Brussels

He was Belgium's greatest singer-songwriter and his heart belonged there. Mark Rowe seeks out the haunts of this inspirational artiste on the 25th anniversary of his death

Remind me who he is again

Jacques Brel was simply one of the 20th century's greatest singer-songwriters, in the true sense of the phrase. We are talking about a universe untarnished by the likes of Fame Academy and Pop Stars. Brel remains a hero of modern Belgium and the world is divided into those people who love his songs and those who have never heard of him. Despite a slightly gauche appearance and bucked teeth he had great charisma, as well as a voice that carried the lower-key resonance of Edith Piaf. He developed a huge audience thanks to his frequently intense lyrics, accompanied by a piano, guitar, drums and accordion. His themes range from love to introspection and social commentary in songs such as "Madeleine", "Jojo" and "Ne me quitte pas". Later, he moved into film and wrote a musical about Don Quixote, which become the Broadway hit The Man of La Mancha.

I thought he was French

Pah! He was born in Brussels. Having had his fill of working in a cardboard factory, he took his wife and two children off to Paris, where he found stardom as a performer. Brel never denied his Belgian roots and a number of his songs were recorded both in Flemish and French, such as "Mijn vlakke land" ("Le plat pays") and "De Burgerij" ("Les bourgeois"). He frequently sang of his homeland, in hits such as "Bruxelles" and "Jacky". As his daughter, France, said: "The French relate to my father intellectually, they analyse him. But the Belgians feel him. Brel is somebody who ate mussels and frites and drank beer. He belongs to them. He's one of them. It's a certain look. A way of being."

Go on, let's have a rundown of famous covers of his songs

Terry Jacks's "Seasons in the Sun", a cover of "Le Moribond", is the one everybody can hum, though you may wish they wouldn't. On the positive side, David Bowie ("Amsterdam") and Frank Sinatra ("If You Go Away", an English version of "Ne me quitte pas") are the two musical greats to have recorded covers. As have Nina Simone and Sting (both again with "Ne me quitte pas"), Marc Almond ("Jacky") Celine Dion ("Quand on n'a que l'amour") and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band ("Next", aka "Au suivant"). If you don't speak French then listen to Scott Walker, widely recognised as providing the best English translations of his songs.

Why are you telling me about him now?

This year sees the 25th anniversary of his death on 9 October and to mark the event, the Fondation Internationale Jacques Brel is staging a festival in his honour in Brussels. This includes exhibitions, a film festival, a tribute concert and a firework display. Among the highlights are "Brel, le droit de rêver" (The right to dream), which runs from 22 March and is a life-and-times collection of film footage and other archives gathered over the past 20 years. Also on 22 March, the foundation stages a one-off "Un dernier soir, avec Brel à l'Olympia" (a final evening with Brel at the Olympia), where you walk through a show recapturing the flavour of the Paris music hall where Brel held forth.

I can't wait. Anything else to see?

Right now, until 22 February, you can visit the long-running "Avec Brel, un soir en tournée" (An evening on tour), a marvellous walk-through exhibition located at the foundation's headquarters and based on a night during Brel's heyday. The reception is meant to be the Hotel Central in the French town of Roubaix – the signing-in book lists Brel as a visitor and you visit his dressing room and stand in the wings of the stage while he sings on screen. There are interviews in which he talks about his pre-stage nerves and his friends. Afterwards you visit a bar where he would unwind and you can pick your favourite songs from a 1950s jukebox. If you are a Brel fan, this is as good as it can ever get. A further exhibition will be staged on the Brussels metro while a collection of unpublished photographs of Brel by Jean-Pierre Leloir will be displayed, at a venue and date to be announced.

Where can I follow in his footsteps?

Head for Brussels, where the wet paving stones, waffles, frites with mayonnaise and the wonderful and abundant beer convey the atmosphere in which the young Brel grew up. You can get a feel for all this by taking a stroll around Brel's haunts with a leaflet from the tourist office or the Fondation Internationale Jacques Brel. Start off at A la morte subite, 7 rue Montagne aux Herbes, a bar frequented by Brel and beautifully described in the Cadogan Guide to Brussels as resembling "a rococo boudoir". The walk wriggles and nudges its way past more watering halls and jazz clubs attended by Brel before reaching the magnificent Grand' Place, where he seems to have visited pretty much every bar and restaurant. The pick of the bunch may just be Le Roy d'Espagne, topped by a magnificent gilded figure of Fame, and providing a beautiful log fire, glasses of Leffe and hearty dishes such as waterzooi, a creamy hot pot with chicken and vegetables. Brel even has a metro station named after him.

So do I only need to go to Belgium?

Brel remains popular across the globe and he often sang in far-flung villages in France that grander names would not deign to visit. He and his entourage would wile away the long hours of travelling by pretending to shoot clergy.

He embarked on a round-the-world sailing trip and, like any self-respecting artiste of Francophone inclination, bobbed up in French Polynesia. He set up home on Hiva Oa in the spectacular and remote Marquesas Islands, which prompted the haunting song "Les Marquises". Here he lived in the small town of Atuona with his girlfriend, Madly, from Guadaloupe.

Brel was a heavy smoker and died of lung cancer at the age of 49 near Paris. His body was taken back to Hiva Oa and buried in the Calvaire cemetery, arguably the world's most beautiful resting place, overlooking Traitors' Bay. Upon his tombstone is a bas-relief of him and Madly. His near-neighbours in the graveyard include Paul Gauguin. Jojo, the Beechcraft aeroplane that Brel used to buzz between Papeete and the Marquesas, is mounted on a pedestal in town. To complete the pilgrimage, visit his memorial – a black marble plaque – and his house, Belvedere.

How do I get there

I travelled to Brussels with Eurostar (www.eurostar.com) which offers return fares from £79. I stayed in the Amigo hotel on Rue de l'Amigo 1-3, Brussels (00 32 2 547 4747; www.hotelamigo.com), which offers rooms from £240 per night. For further information on the festival visit www.brel-2003.be or contact the Fondation Internationale Jacques Brel, Place de la vieille, Halle aux Blés 11 (00 32 2 511 1020). Belgian Tourist office for Brussels-Wallonia (020-7531 0390; info@belgiumtheplaceto.be).