The Royal Trust ( nl, Koninklijke Schenking, french: Donation royale) was a donation to the state proposed in a letter by

King Leopold II of Belgium * 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 = ...

on 9 April 1900. In addition some properties were added to the donation in a letter of 15 November 1900. The Belgian government accepted the donation by law on 31 December 1903 (Belgian Monitor of 1 January 1904). When the King handed the Congo Free State over to the Belgian government on 28 November 1907, additional properties were added to the Royal Trust (law of 18 October 1908, published in the Belgian Monitor of 18 October 1908). The King donated his properties, such as his lands, castles and buildings, to the

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

nation. Leopold did not want them to be divided amongst his three daughters, each of which was married to a foreign prince. The donation was made on three conditions: the properties would never be sold, they would have to retain their function and appearance, and they would remain at the disposal of the successors to the Belgian throne. Since 1930, the Royal Trust is an autonomous public institution which operates completely independently (Royal decree of 9 April 1930 - Belgian monitor of 29 May 1930).

Properties

The

Royal Palace of Brussels The Royal Palace of Brussels (french: Palais royal de Bruxelles, , nl, Koninklijk Paleis van Brussel , german: Königlicher Palast von Brüssel) is the official palace of the King and Queen of the Belgians in the centre of the nation's capita ...

and the Royal Palace of Laeken are the property of the Belgian State and are not part of the Royal Trust. However the park surrounding the Royal Castle of Laeken and the

Royal Greenhouses of Laeken The Royal Greenhouses of Laeken (french: Serres Royales de Laeken, nl, Koninklijke Serres van Laken) are a vast complex of monumental heated greenhouses in the park of the Royal Palace of Laeken (northern part of the City of Brussels), Belgium ...

do belong to the Royal Trust. The Royal Trust also owns woods and land that it rents to private persons and semi-public institutions.

Used by the Royal Family

Belvédère Castle Belvédère Castle ( French: ''Château du Belvédère''; Dutch: ''Kasteel Belvédère'') is a Belgian royal residence in Laeken, Belgium, which currently houses Albert II of Belgium and his wife, Queen Paola of Belgium. History Belvédère C ...

(private residence of King Albert II) * Park of the Royal Castle of Laeken *

(used for state receptions etc.) * Stuyvenberg Castle (former residence of Queen Fabiola) * Villa Schonenberg (residence of Archduchess Astrid) * Villa Clémentine (currently the house of Prince Laurent and his family) in

Tervuren Tervuren () is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Duisburg, Tervuren, Vossem and Moorsel. On January 1, 2006, Tervuren had a total population of 20,636. The total a ...

* Ciergnon Castle (holiday retreat) * Fenffe Castle (id.) * Villers-sur-Lesse Castle (near Houyet, occasionally used as a hunting lodge)

Open as public parks (total of 7000 ha)

* Arboretum in

* Dudenpark / Parc Duden in

Forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

* Elisabethpark / Parc Elisabeth in Laeken * Maria-Henriëttepark in

Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...

* Leopold II-park in Nieuwpoort * Koloniale Tuin / Jardin Colonial in Laeken

Open to the public

* Memorial Chapel for

Queen Astrid of Belgium Astrid of Sweden (17 November 1905 – 29 August 1935) was the Queen of the Belgians and the first wife of King Leopold III. Originally a princess of Sweden of the House of Bernadotte, Astrid became the Duchess of Brabant after her marriage ...

, in

Küssnacht Küssnacht am Rigi (official name since 2004: Küssnacht) is a village and a district and a municipality in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The municipality consists of three villages Küssnacht, Immensee, and Merlischachen, the hamlet ''Ha ...

, Switzerland * Japanese Tower in Laeken * Chinese Pavilion in Laeken

Rented to golf clubs

* Park and castle at Ravenstein in

* Park of

Ardenne Castle The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

* Golf course in

Klemskerke De Haan (; french: Le Coq, ; vls, D'n Oane; literally ''The Rooster'') is a place and a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of De Haan proper, Wenduine, Klemskerke, Vlissegem and ...

near De Haan

Other

* Château of Val-Duchesse in

Auderghem Auderghem (former Dutch spelling, now used in French; pronounced ) or Oudergem () is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region (Belgium). Located to the southeast of the region, along the Woluwe valley and at the entrance to t ...

*Château Ferage / Feragekasteel *Koninklijke Villa (Royal Villa) in

*15.5 km² farmland *48 km² woodland in Houyet *5 km² woodland in

Postel Postel is a surname, and may refer to: * Guillaume Postel (1510–1581), French linguist, astronomer, Cabbalist, diplomat, and religious universalist * Christian Heinrich Postel (1658–1705), German jurist, epic poet and opera librettist * Geor ...

*Terrains of the British School in

*Ponds of Boitsfort *Wellington-renbaan (Wellington racecourse) and "Noorse Stallen" (Norwegian Stables) in

*Sports centre in Strombeek-Bever *dunes in De Panne *Offices 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 ...

(Kunstberg / Mont des Arts) *Vier-Armenkruispunt / Carrefour des Quatre-Bras * Villers-sur-Lesse ...

Sources

Royal Trust
(Dutch)

External links

Royal Trust on the website of the Belgian Royal Family
Belgian monarchy 1900s in Belgium 1903 establishments in Belgium Organisations based in Belgium with royal patronage Leopold II of Belgium