Vogelenzang Cemetery Brussels
Anderlecht's re-burial park
Quiz question: ‘What’s the name of the only Belgian victim of the 9/11 attacks in 2001?’
‘Patrice Braut?’
‘Correct! And for a bonus point: where is he buried?’
‘The Vogelenzang Cemetery in Anderlecht?’
‘Wrong! There you find his cenotaph!’
I’m mad about cemeteries. The Anderlecht municipal Vogelenzang Cemetery is one of my funerary favorites in Brussels (also check my Cemetery of Dieweg and Cemetery of Brussels articles). Why? Three reasons.
One: its eerie history. The Vogelenzang Cemetery opened for customers in the 1950s, but it has more than a 1000 graves from the 2nd half of the 19th and 1st half of the 20th century. How is this possible? These gravestones and the coffins were actually transferred from the old municipal cemetery 5 km away, which became today's Bospark. Locals call it ‘skeleton park’ because some bodily remains, well, remained. Find out more in the superb podcast ‘Ondergrond’ by Rina Govers.
Two: its natural environment. Located in the protected Vogelenzang valley reserve, the huge 19-hectare cemetery and its surroundings make for a perfect peaceful walk in nature. You’ll only be bothered by ‘vogelenzang’ (EN: ‘birdsong’).
Three: its testimony to Belgium’s best football club: RSC Anderlecht. Supporters can look for the famous Vanden Stock family grave or for the encased camera of the mythical house photographer ‘Jeanke Photo’ (1927-2006).
And Patrice Braut? He grew up next to Anderlecht’s stadium (check the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium article). You’ll easily recognize the Twin Towers miniature model on his ‘empty’ memorial stone. Indeed, that’s called a cenotaph!
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