Brussels : The Green Walk (from Heizel to Schaarbeek)
The Green Walk is a magnificent stroll of over 60 km enabling pedestrians and cyclists to tour the Region and traverse a number of parks and forests, islands of country right in the city strewn with ponds, thickets, and marshes. In addition, it brings new visibility to areas that had previously been inaccessible to the public. The Green Walk is an integral part of the regional “Green Network” which strives to preserve the natural heritage of Brussels, particularly by fostering diverse flora and fauna.
This project covers the first route from Heizel to Schaarbeek.
No need to take your car. Take the tramway line #6 towards Koning Boudewijn and exit at Houba-Brugman station. Did you know that be MIVB has been providing public transportation services on electrical power for more than 125 years...
One of the most iconic landmarks of Belgium. The Atomium was designed by André Waterkeyn and constructed for the 1958 World Expo.
Don't worry, The restaurant and exposition area inside of the Atomium are accessible by elevator...
Detail of some of the 9000 metal plates. Restored in 2004-2006.
In the backyard of the Royal Palace are the Chinese Pavilion and the Japanese Pagode. The construction was commissioned by King Leopold II in 1901. It used to house the Indo-China museum but unfortunately both buildings are closed for safety reasons. A feasibility study on a potential restoration is being conducted.
Believe it or not, this is watercress production site. Watercress requires constant flow of fresh water. This water originates from a water source located at the neighboring royal domain. The original purpose of the site was a railway bed that would link the Royal railway station with the Belgian railway network. This connection was commissioned by King Leopold II but after his passing in 1909, the project was stopped.
Railway station of Schaarbeek is one of the oldest in the country (1835) and is now home to an incredible museum dedicated to the Belgian Railways (Trainworld)
This bowstring bridge from 1925 has seen better times. This bridge spans over the rail yard of Schaarbeek.
View on line 36 connecting Brussels to Leuven. There is some 3600 km of rail infrastructure in Belgian which makes it the most dense rail infrastructure in the world.
Motorcarriages MS75, nicknamed 'pignose' entered into service in 1975 and are now being overhauled and modernized. In the meantime, some of the carriages remain at the maintenance facilities of Schaarbeek and are often visited by 'graffiti artists'.
Old buildings of the maintenance facilities at Schaarbeek. If I'm not mistaken, the royal carriage were parked in this building.
Nature reserve 't Moeraske (the swamp) has some peculiar wildlife. These parakeets were released when Meli park closed in the 1970's. They have no natural enemies and their population has grown considerably over time.
