| Six kilometres southeast of Brussels, the small town of Tervuren is
one of the prettiest (and greenest) places in the region. Bordered in
the south by the beautiful Forêt de Soignes, dotted with grand old
houses, and surrounded by lush woodland, it is no surprise the area is a
popular place to live, particularly with British and Irish Eurocrats,
although strangely enough it remains firmly off the tourist track.
Connected to the city by the ten-kilometre-long avenue de Tervuren, a
route most easily covered by tram #44 from Métro Montgomery, its
centrepiece is the impressive Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale situated
in the Parc de Tervuren - an attractive park of ancient trees, manicured
lawns, lakes and flower-beds. Once here, a few other sights also merit a
visit, particularly the church of St Jean l'Évangéliste, on Tervuren's
main square, and the Arboretum, which lies half a kilometre to the south.
The Town
From the museum, backtrack for a few minutes along Leuvensestweg until
you reach Kerkstraat, where you'll find the prettily cobbled town square
and a few sights worth investigating. The square itself is dominated by
the imposing church of St Jean I'Évangéliste , a thirteenth-century
Gothic church which contains the tomb the Duke of Brabant, Antoine of
Burgundy, who was killed at Agincourt in 1415. Close by, at Kerkstraat
33, the Schaakboard art gallery (Sat & Sun 2pm-5pm; free) exhibits a
modest but palatable collection of paintings (mainly landscapes) from
the nineteenth-century Tervuren school. The square is also home to
Glacerie Mout Blanc , where you can pause for one of the delicious home-made
ice creams.
From here, continue on Kerkstraat which turns into Pardenmaktstraat,
after which take the first left down Pauwstraat, which runs into
Arboretumlaan; this will bring you to Tervuren's Arboretum Géographique
. Originally part of the Forêt de Soignes, this was converted into an
arboretum in 1905 on the instructions of Léopld II, and was used to
train European officers for the African and Asian colonies. Today it's
home to hundres of different species of trees - redwoods, maples, Scots
pines and larches, to name but a few é and is a great place for an
afternoon stroll. |
