At the Royal Greenhouses of Laken
On April 20th. 2023, I finally got the chance to visit the Royal Greenhouses of Laken (near Brussels). First we passed the Royal Palace of Laken, the family home of King Philippe of the Belgians. In the Royal Park of Laken, the Greenhouses are located. Dark clouds above the Royal Greenhouses of Laken History The original gardens of the Royal Palace of Laeken date back to the 18th century, but King Leopold II drastically changed their appearance. The king, having visited the Crystal Palace at the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London, wanted such a progressive building in his palace's garden, which would combine his love for plants with multifunctional spaces that could also be used as a banquet, theatre and dining halls. He commissioned his architect Alphonse Balat to create a greenhouse. The inauguration took place in 1880, but the complex was also expanded afterwards. After Balat's death, Leopold called upon the architects Henri Maquet and Charles Girault. The octagonal Palm P