Royal Greenhouses of Laeken

Leopold II had the greenhouses built at Laeken between 1874 and 1905 to designs by Alphonse Balat, Victor Horta's teacher, with Henri Maquet and Charles Girault finishing the work after Balat's death in 1895, and they form a linked complex of iron and glass pavilions, domes and galleries covering about two and a half hectares, connected by long glazed corridors so the whole thing can be walked under cover. Inside are camellias planted in the 1880s, palms, azaleas, orange trees, ferns and a great deal of nineteenth-century planting kept in continuity. They are part of the working royal estate and are open to the public for about three weeks a year in late April and early May, timed for the azaleas and camellias, which is the only chance to see them and which draws long queues.

History

King Leopold II, who had admired the Crystal Palace in London in 1851, wanted a similar building in the palace garden for plants, banquets and plays, found the botanist Jean Linden's design too modest and turned to his architect Alphonse Balat, whose plans outdid the palm house at Kew. The first phase ran from 1874 to 1893, ending with the domed Iron Church meant as the royal chapel, with an inauguration in 1880, and after Balat died in 1895 Henri Maquet and Charles Girault finished the complex by 1905; each spring the greenhouses open to the public for some three weeks, a custom begun by Leopold II and kept by every monarch since (Wikipedia, Royal Greenhouses of Laeken).

Highlights

• Balat's iron and glass pavilions - domes and galleries linked by glazed corridors.
• Camellias planted in the 1880s - original plantings still growing.
• The Winter Garden dome - the largest of the linked structures.
• Azaleas in flower - the display the opening period is timed for.

When to go

Late April to early May only, for about three weeks, which is the sole opening period each year and the dates change; check well ahead. Two hours. Evenings are sometimes included and are less crowded.

Before you go

Three weeks a year is the whole opportunity and queues are long, sometimes over an hour. The route is one-way and moves steadily, so lingering is limited. It rains often in Brussels in spring and the queue is outdoors. Booking is not always possible.

Nearby

The Atomium and Mini-Europe are nearby; Laeken church and the royal park are adjacent.

Key facts