I’m always vivified strolling in cemeteries (check the Cemetery of Dieweg article) and parks (check the Rood Klooster or Woluwepark article), yet nothing beats a combination of both.
The Cemetery of Brussels is the largest in the Brussels-Capital Region, located in the northeast municipality Evere. Starting at the end of the 18th century onwards, rapid population growth forced dead citizens out of the city centre. That’s why today many cemeteries are to be found on the outskirts.
Opened in 1877, the 400.000 m² Cemetery of Brussels was designed as an English landscape garden. It makes for a park in which to get lost among avenues and cobblestone streets, ramshackle graves and sepulchres, grass and greenery. Funerary art will incite mournful musings not only on your own mortality, but also others': impressive monuments and graveyards for the Waterloo Battle (1815), Belgian Revolution (1830) and Belgian, British, German and Russian World War victims are strewn across the site.
Most ironically, a few eternal tenants in this city of the dead testify to some destructive episodes in Brussels’ architectural history. Politicians Charles de Brouckère’s and Jules Anspach’s names live on in Brussels’ central boulevard, for the construction of which a thousand houses disappeared in the 1870s, and politician Paul 'Manhattan' Vanden Boeynants was responsible for the North district’s demolition in the 1960s.
Fun fact to counter all this gloom: look for Adolphe Quetelet, who coined the Body Mass Index (BMI). That’s right. A mathematician from Belgium - land of chocolate, fries, beer and waffles - invented the BMI.
Find your way with 293 Insider Tips from our Local Spotters
Chyl is a very cute café/restaurant with an excellent plant game. It's the place you bring your girlfriends for a healthy brunch to cure your hangover.
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Fun family activity - check! Original date - check! Fun afternoon with friends - check! Mini golf shouldn't just be known as a camping trip activity!
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They have the tastiest Philly cheese steaks, Italian BLT, pastrami sandwich and filter coffee refills. Take the counter seats for the ultimate experience.
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I was impressed by the Pommes Dauphine with de Herve cheese, but what stole my heart was the Hamachi, sliced perfectly, and it came with labneh & fig leaf.
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When I come to Sao Thai with my friends, we order a couple of plates of the “Assiette Sao”, which includes an assortment of 6 different warm starters...
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The main idea is to order different plates (meat, fish, veggies) and share them! And according to the best Indian tradition, the food gets quite spicy...
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The "Flagey Building", which used to house the National Radio Broadcasting Institute, has become one of Brussels' leading cultural institutions!
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"Boitsfort Market" in Brussels makes for a relaxed Sunday in a green area among locals. I regularly go there and I really enjoy the village feel!
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"Knees to Chin" in Brussels can be both a healthy snack joint and a fully-fledged Vietnamese restaurant! I love the vibe and their famous spring rolls...
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The watermelon with baked halloumi and honey will make you wonder how come you didn’t put these two together before. Be prepared to stay long...
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The counter just in front of the open kitchen where the team of Le 203 accurately plates up and serves each dish is definitely where the magic begins...
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"Botanique" is the name of the Botanical Garden of Brussels which is now a cultural complex and a perfect example of the city's multicultural identity...
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293 Insider Tips from our local Spotters
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