Tant Anna hos belgiska kungen - växthusen i Laeken

Guest writer: Anna Nilsson Spets

This is the time of year when it's time for a royal spanking, not that I'm remotely interested in any royal family, but a visit to the Royal Greenhouses in Laeken is an extraordinary experience. I've been working with plants for 32 years and it takes a lot to impress me, but here I'm amazed.

Brussels has two botanical gardens, the one in Meise which is open all year round (coming in a post soon) and the Royal Greenhouses in Laeken which are only open 20 days a year. Advance booking is essential. If you are in Brussels soon, it is open from 14 April to 7 May.

You book a time frame for your visit, 1.5 hours or 2.5 hours, I recommend the latter option as it is quite large and there are a lot of people around.

The area is not far from Atomiumyou know those balls that are one of the landmarks of Brussels.

The Royal Palace is located at the beginning of the park, inhabited by King Philip and his family. Construction of the castle began in 1782 and since then it has been inhabited by all Belgian kings except one.

The area around the castle contains everything a king would need such as a golf course, artificial lakes and a Japanese tower.

And of course the greenhouses and their pavilions. These were built between 1874 and 1895 in the Art Nouveau style.

Construction took place during the era of Leopold II, the despot with grandiose plans for his Belgian Congo. The king decided that the greenhouses would be open to the public for three weeks a year, which is still the case today. In my opinion the only good thing that king did, the colonial rule in the Congo is just a terrible bloody story. In one of the greenhouses, the Congo House, he displayed his colonial power in the form of unusual plants from there.

The park itself was created at the beginning of the 20th century, with King Leopold II playing the violins, as a gift to the population, a place of recreation.

The largest part, the domed conservatory is 25 metres high, the palms seeking the light. I wonder how all these panes are washed.

The Royal Greenhouses consist of 36 different buildings, all made of glass and green-painted iron structures, all with different names and themes such as the Congo House, the Iron Church, the Mirror House, etc.

The collections of plants are huge, ranging from tropical plants to plants that are the main focus of these weeks.

Over the three weeks, a sea of fuchsias, geraniums, camellias and hydrangeas, to name but a few species, will be on display. A spectacle of colour, pure and simple. It's like a vitamin shot after a long and rainy winter.