The Palace opens the doors to its superb greenhouses for a few weeks. Here is the practical information.
©Belgian
The curious will be able to discover the splendors of the royal greenhouses of Laeken from April 26 to May 20, the Royal Palace announced Thursday during a press visit. The Buildings Authority has also launched a call to find the company that will renovate the “Winter Garden” section of the greenhouses.
Designed in 1873 by the architect Alphonse Balat for King Leopold II, the greenhouse complex was to complement the Château de Laeken and its classic style. The first greenhouse to emerge from the ground is the Winter Garden, a giant of glass and iron within which palm trees planted at the time still live. Several other greenhouses then came to complete the complex, which now has around ten.
Two routes are offered to visitors. The long visit, approximately three kilometers long, begins with a walk in the gardens of the Royal Domain allowing you to admire the fine architecture of the greenhouses from afar before entering them. The short visit, of more or less two kilometers, focuses solely on visiting the glass buildings to discover rare plants, of great value, or belonging to the original plantations of Leopold II.
Also at night
Night visits will be organized every Friday, Saturday and Sunday as well as Pentecost Monday. Only the short route will then be offered. A route suitable for people in wheelchairs will also be offered on May 14.
Entrance tickets are available from this Thursday on the site www.koninklijke-serres-royales.be. Reservations are required to access the premises.
The Buildings Authority also published a public contract on Thursday to find the company which will carry out the renovations of the Winter Garden. Interested companies with ad hoc aggregation can submit their offer until June 4. The start of work is planned for 2025.
