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As part of its tenth activity since its foundation, the Sablon Diplomatic Circle visited the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken, accompanied by a group of 45 participants. Beyond their spectacular beauty, the greenhouses conceal many little‑known stories, reflecting the ingenuity, boldness and visionary spirit of King Leopold II.
The greenhouses form a true “city of glass”, designed as early as 1873 by architect Alphonse Balat, mentor to Victor Horta. Built of glass and metal, and characterised by monumental domes and luminous galleries, they herald the Art Nouveau movement and rank among Belgium’s architectural masterpieces of the nineteenth century.
Along a 700‑metre route, the greenhouses house one of the oldest and most important collections of camellias under glass in the world, as well as a remarkable variety of exotic, colourful and fragrant flowers and plants. Among them is a flower native to South America, the Abutilon megapotamicum, displaying the colours black, yellow and red. This is the favourite flower of Queen Mathilde, and it has found within the greenhouses an ideal environment in which to flourish.
Did you know that a royal underground railway station was built beneath the greenhouses, designed to accommodate a private train directly linking the Laeken estate to the Belgian rail network? This line, intended to ensure the discreet arrival of the sovereign and distinguished guests, was never put into service. The infrastructures still exist today, and the route of the tunnel can still easily be traced beneath the lawns of the royal estate.
The English‑style landscaped gardens play a key role in the beauty of the site. The very essence of an English garden lies in its appearance of complete naturalness, despite having undergone numerous transformations and careful planning… all to look so natural. A long slope, once planted with dozens of trees, gently descends towards a pond, allowing rainwater to flow naturally by gravity. This water is then collected and pumped for reuse in the greenhouses, illustrating an early form of sustainable water management within the royal domain.
Another lesser‑known aspect: the Royal Domain of Laeken is now heated through a heat‑recovery system supplied by the waste‑to‑energy plant of the City of Brussels. This residual energy heats both the greenhouses and the estate’s buildings. As a result, 800,000 litres of fuel oil are saved each year, significantly reducing energy costs and the site’s carbon footprint, as part of a tangible ecological transition.
This visit thus offered the opportunity to discover not only an architectural and horticultural gem, but also a place where heritage, technical innovation and national symbols come together in perfect harmony.
