Restored greenhouses at Stuivenberg back in use
Between 1896 and 1898, King Leopold II commissioned the construction of a horticultural complex on the Stuivenberg estate in Laeken. Plants and flowers for the royal properties and Brussels parks were grown in the greenhouses. After years of neglect and decay, they have been restored to their former glory since September 2023.
Management of the greenhouses is in the hands of Brussels Environment-BIM, the Brussels Capital Region's environment and energy administration. The latter has now granted a 10-year concession to the sheltered workshop La Ferme Nos Pilifs near Neder-over-Heembeek. Seven gardeners will now grow mainly vegetables, aromatic herbs and small fruits such as raspberries, strawberries and currants according to the principles of sustainable agriculture. For now, they will still be sold by La Ferme Nos Pilifs, and later in the greenhouses themselves, which are partially open to visitors.
And there's more. The Brussels non-profit organisation Bûûmplanters has also joined the project. For several years, they have been planting fruit trees or distributing them to schools and individuals in Brussels. This has involved hundreds of trees already. Starting this spring, the non-profit organisation will hold workshops specifically to teach local residents and other interested parties how to prune and cut fruit trees, work in their gardens and so on.
As such, Stuivenberg's greenhouses bring people closer to the environment by allowing them to buy their products directly from local producers and get to work themselves.