Not many people know about the arboretum planted just outside Brussels by King Leopold II.
Located near Tervuren, it is a beautiful spot to wander on a Sunday morning. The trees are planted in plots corresponding to the world’s continents, so you can begin in a forest that resembles British Columbia, discover a patch of Douglas firs from Oregon, cross a bridge into a Swedish forest and end up in an Alpine landscape.
Leopold’s aim was to find out which species could survive in Belgium’s cold, wet climate. Most trees seem to be doing fine after more than 100 years of Belgian weather.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
