All About Royal Families

Just north of Brussels, Plantentuin Meise unfolds across 92 hectares of breathtaking landscape, surrounding the elegant Bouchout Castle. The castle once served as the secluded residence of Princess Charlotte of Belgium , later Empress of Mexico, sister-in-law of Sisi and sister to King Leopold II . But Plantentuin Meise is not only a place of royal memory. It is also a living archive of botanical science. One of the garden’s remarkable achievements was the relocation of the Balat Greenhouse in the 1930s. Originally designed by royal architect Alphonse Balat , mentor to the great Victor Horta, the structure once stood near the Royal Palace in Brussels. Its careful reconstruction in Meise stands as a tribute to Belgium’s botanical heritage and architectural legacy. The Greenhouse Alphonse Balat Today, the garden is home to over 18,000 plant species, an extensive herbarium with more than 4 million specimens, and the spectacular Plant Palace, where 13 interconnected glasshouses allow visit...

Gardening has numerous advantages, spanning physical, mental, and environmental benefits.  I must admit, I adore gardening as much as visiting a wonderful royal garden. After the visit of Palazzo Pitti in June 2024, I visited the Boboli Gardens, which are located directly behind the Palazzo Pitti, the main residence of the de' Medici Family.  The Boboli Gardens are known for its strict and formal Italian style. As it was a very hot day in Florence, the shadow brought some refreshment but not a lot. However the Boboli Gardens really are a wonderful royal destination with again lots of royal history. Some royal history The Boboli Gardens were laid out for Eleonora di Toledo, the wife of Cosimo I de' Medici.The name may be a corruption of "Bogoli"or "Borgoli", possibly the name of a family who had previously owned the land. The first stage had scarcely been begun by Niccolò Tribolo when he died in 1550, after w...

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....