Square Ambiorix – Parks in Brussels #1
One of the things that really surprised me when I started to explore Brussels was how many beautiful green spaces exist in the city. In typical Belgian fashion, English information about many of these parks is scarce, so I thought I would start a series of my favourite green spaces here on CheeseWeb.
Right around the corner from our loft, is one of the prettiest parks in Brussels – Square Ambiorix. This is actually a series of small green spaces that are linked. It includes: Square Marie-Louise, Palmerston Avenue, Square Ambiorix and Square Marguerite.
Marie-Louise square surrounds a large pond with a huge fountain in the middle. The trail around the pond is shaded by enormous old trees, many of them droopy willows that offer shady nooks around the park. The pond is a paradise for ducks and other waterfowl. It can be surprising, but not uncommon, to see ducks flying around this area of the city. This park seems to be a haven for old men who can often be seen whiling away the hours chatting on one of the many benches.
Palmerston Avenue is a wide boulevard bordered by beautiful houses in the Art Nouveau style. Many of them are now used as embassies. One of the top sights is the Hotel Van Eetvelde, designed by Victor Horta, located at No. 4. In the middle of the Avenue is a well tended lawn with flower beds, surrounded by hedges. There is also a small water feature.
Avenue Palmerston leads into the largest of the green spaces, Square Ambiorix. This square is a haven for the locals on a sunny day. Children flock to the playground, students read on the grass and elderly folks catch up on the weekly gossip on the shaded benches. There are always many dogs walking their owners by the old shade trees and many well tended flower beds. At the top of the park sits another small water feature with a fountain.
The final section of the green space is Square Marguerite, which is a haven for the sports lover. Here you will find basketball hoops, soccer pitches and a small area for skate boarders. This narrow stretch of park seems to be busy rain or shine. Its shady trees keep the sun off of the players and spectators alike.
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Stay tuned for more green spaces of Brussels in future blog posts. If you haven’t already done so, you can subscribe to this blog to read in your favourite news reader.
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It looks so beautiful and such a great idea. I think Europeans enjoy the outdoors more than people in North America do, or at least it seems people get out to sit and relax in a park more often.
How lovely. It is on my list of places to explore once we move to Brussels in July. How lucky we are to live in such a fascinating country.
ET – I think Europeans tend to enjoy the outdoors where they live more often than N. American’s do.. ie city parks and so on. As Canadians we tend to think we have to drive somewhere to get to “the wilderness” instead of enjoying the green spaces all around us. Maybe we take the openness for granted?
Lydia – Do you know where you are moving yet? There are many beautiful parks in the area
Nice to meet you too Alison. Thank-you for the offer of help. We are moving to Avenue de la Porte de Hal (what a lovely name for a street) in Saint Gilles next month. Currently living in Leuven. Not looking forward to packing up everything again.
Ah we have friends right in that neighbourhood! We also go to the Saint Gilles market on Sundays. It’s a very multi-cultural and active area and you’re right beside the best bagels in Brussels
I’m with you on the packing though… bleck!