The () or (
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
) is an urban public
park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, Belgium. It lies in the south of the
Brussels-Capital Region
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, in the
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
of the
City of Brussels
The City of Brussels (french: Ville de Bruxelles or alternatively ''Bruxelles-Ville'' ; nl, Stad Brussel or ''Brussel-Stad'') is the largest municipality and historical City centre, centre of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, as well a ...
, and covers an area of , forming a natural offshoot of the
Sonian Forest
The Sonian Forest or Sonian Wood ( nl, Zoniënwoud, french: Forêt de Soignes, ) is a forest at the southeast edge of Brussels, Belgium.
The Sonian Forest was a favorite hunting ground of the Habsburg Imperial family, and as such features promi ...
, which penetrates deep into the city in the south-east of Brussels. It is linked to the rest of the municipality by the
Avenue Louise/Louizalaan, which was built in 1861, at the same time the park was laid out.
The park consists of two large, slightly oval parts. The northern part is the most wooded and is home to some 19th-century buildings. The southern part comprises a large artificial lake with an island in its centre, called Robinson Island, home to the ''Chalet Robinson''.
History
Early history
As an offshoot of the
Sonian Forest
The Sonian Forest or Sonian Wood ( nl, Zoniënwoud, french: Forêt de Soignes, ) is a forest at the southeast edge of Brussels, Belgium.
The Sonian Forest was a favorite hunting ground of the Habsburg Imperial family, and as such features promi ...
during the
Ancien Régime
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word for "ancient, old"
** Société des anciens textes français
* the French for "former, senior"
** Virelai ancien
** Ancien Régime
** Ancien Régime in France
{{disambig ...
, the wooded area where the Bois de la Cambre located today belonged to
La Cambre Abbey
La Cambre Abbey (french: Abbaye de La Cambre, ) or Ter Kameren Abbey ( nl, Abdij Ter Kameren) is a former Cistercian abbey in the City of Brussels, Belgium. It is located in the Maelbeek valley between the Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos an ...
, located just north of it, and was called the or , an
Old Dutch
In linguistics, Old Dutch (Dutch: Oudnederlands) or Old Low Franconian (Dutch: Oudnederfrankisch) is the set of Franconian dialects (i.e. dialects that evolved from Frankish) spoken in the Low Countries during the Early Middle Ages, from aroun ...
term which could mean "seigneurial wood". In 1840, it was given its current name after the abbey.
![Pelouse des Anglais Plaque](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Pelouse_des_Anglais_Plaque.jpg)
On 17 June 1815, on the eve of the
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...
, English soldiers played a
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
match on a ground located in the area currently covered by the park. Ever since, this area has been called ("The Englishmen's Lawn"), although few are aware of the name. In 1965, the then British Ambassador in Belgium planted an oak tree and unveiled a bronze plaque to commemorate the 150th anniversary of this sporting and historical event.
19th-century development
![Brussels,Bois de la Cambre](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Brussels%2CBois_de_la_Cambre.Chalet_Robinson.JPG)
From 1846, the Brussels authorities wished to provide the city with a large wooded park and proposed a development plan for La Cambre by converting an area of of the Sonian Forest. The condition was that two-thirds of the trees would be preserved and a zone around the park would remain undeveloped. The decision was prompted by the popularity of the place among well-to-do walkers, who were increasingly less fond of the
industrialising / in northern Brussels.
The Bois de la Cambre was laid out starting in 1861 by , a German architect. His project, relating to
English landscaping, was characterised by an irregularity in the plantations and roads, by alternating massifs and clearances allowing beautiful visual escapes, and by the creation of picturesque scenes. The park, property of the Belgian State since 1843, was granted through a
royal decree
A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...
issued on 21 April 1864 to the
City of Brussels
The City of Brussels (french: Ville de Bruxelles or alternatively ''Bruxelles-Ville'' ; nl, Stad Brussel or ''Brussel-Stad'') is the largest municipality and historical City centre, centre of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, as well a ...
, which is responsible for its development and maintenance.
In 1866, the park, largely landscaped, was open to the public and aroused considerable enthusiasm. The place quickly became a popular recreational area for the people of Brussels, comparable to the
Bois de Boulogne
The Bois de Boulogne (, "Boulogne woodland") is a large public park located along the western edge of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine. The land was ceded to the city of Paris by t ...
in Paris. In addition to its many promenades, it hosted a
dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...
, a
velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate Track tran ...
, a theatre, an artificial boating lake, as well as a racecourse.
Queen Marie-Henriette, wife of
King Leopold II
* german: link=no, Leopold Ludwig Philipp Maria Viktor
, house = Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
, father = Leopold I of Belgium
, mother = Louise of Orléans
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Brussels, Belgium
, death_date = ...
, often went riding in the park. The horsemen's battle
bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
sculptural group at the entrance is the work of the Anglo-Belgian sculptor
Jacques de Lalaing
Jacques de Lalaing (1421–1453), perhaps the most renowned knight of Burgundy in the 15th century, was reportedly one of the best medieval tournament fighters of all time. A Walloon knight, he began his military career in the service of Adolp ...
.
20th and 21st centuries
With the rise of motorised traffic in the early 20th century, the Bois de la Cambre's avenues were increasingly turned into
thoroughfare
A thoroughfare is a primary passage or way as a transit route through regularly trafficked areas, whether by road on dry land or, by
extension, via watercraft or aircraft. On land, a thoroughfare may refer to anything from a multi-lane highway ...
s fragmenting the park. The park was protected as a landscape in 1976 and was designated a special protection zone within the framework of
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...
in 2004. Since 1985, it has also hosted a cycling event every spring for
scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
**Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
**Scouts BSA, sectio ...
groups; the ''24 heures vélo du bois de la Cambre''.
Nowadays, the question of the park's closure to motorised traffic is regularly raised. The main road around the lake has been closed to traffic on Saturdays and Sundays since the 1990s. In April 2012, a new mobility plan, drawn up at the request of the City of Brussels, proposed a partial closure of the park to motorists, and the requalification of the public space for cyclists and pedestrians. In March 2020, traffic was temporarily banned from the park due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium
The COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium has resulted in confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths.
The virus was confirmed to have spread to Belgium on 4 February 2020, when one of a group of nine Belgians repatriated from Wuhan to Brussels was repor ...
. At the end of May, cars were allowed again in its northern part. As of 14 December 2020, a new traffic plan has been in effect with access for cars in the northern and southern parts on weekdays, and only in the northern part on Saturdays and during school holidays. The park is car-free on Sundays.
The ''Chalet Robinson''
In 1877, the ''Chalet Robinson'', a tea-room
café
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...
designed in picturesque
Swiss chalet style
Swiss chalet style (german: Schweizerstil, no, Sveitserstil) is an architectural style of Late Historicism, originally inspired by rural chalets in Switzerland and the Alpine (mountainous) regions of Central Europe. The style refers to traditi ...
, was built on the lake's island, known as Robinson Island (french: Île Robinson, link=no, nl, Robinson Eiland, link=no). The chalet was twice destroyed by fire; the first time in 1896, and the second time in 1991.
The decision was made in 2006 to rebuild it and it reopened to the public in September 2009. The surface of the wooden building is approximately , with a restaurant on the ground floor and a ballroom on the first floor. An electrical
ferry
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
boat links the island to the shores of the lake.
Gallery
File:Bruxelles - Étang - Bois de la Cambre 2.JPG, View of the lake at the Bois de la Cambre
File:Bois de la Cambre.Chalet Robinson 2017.jpg, View of the ''Chalet Robinson'' across the lake
File:Brusel, Bois de la Cambre, jezero.jpg, The Bois de la Cambre in the autumn
File:Anciens pavillons d'octroi de la Porte de Namur 01.JPG, Former toll
Toll may refer to:
Transportation
* Toll (fee) a fee charged for the use of a road or waterway
** Road pricing, the modern practice of charging for road use
** Road toll (historic), the historic practice of charging for road use
** Shadow toll, ...
pavilion at the entrance of the Bois de la Cambre
See also
*
List of parks and gardens in Brussels
This is a list of parks and gardens in the Brussels-Capital Region divided by municipality.
A park or garden located on the territory of several municipalities is listed for each municipality.
Anderlecht
Audergem/Oudergem
Berchem-Sainte- ...
*
Square du Bois
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
External links
{{Authority control
Parks in Brussels
Urban public parks
City of Brussels