Malou Park

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Parc Malou (French) or Park Malou (Dutch) is an urban park in Brussels, Belgium.

It is located in the Woluwe St Lambert commune of Brussels, to the east of the Woluwe Shopping Centre, in the valley of the Woluwe river. This park is the oldest and the biggest of the commune.

1 History
2 Situation
3 Prominent sights
4 External links
5 References

[edit] History

A view of the park and the castle from 1831

The park was established on the marshy, boggy field surrounding the banks of the Struybeek stream, which is a tributary of the Woluwe river. In 1774 the park featured 7 fish ponds, a small hunting lodge called "t'Speelgoet" and a small reservoir. The gardens of the Speelgoet castle were laid out in the early 17th century by the first knowns owners of the hunting lodge, a local family called Preud'homme.^[1]

In 1776 the local merchant and banker Lambert de Lamberts built his residence is the park which was to be later renamed after Jules Malou, the most famous of the residents. The successive owners of the château transformed the formal gardens to the present form of the park, a landscape largely covered by trees.

The commune acquired the park in 1951. The remains of previously large bogs or marshy areas could still be seen behind the Moulin de Lindekemale.

[edit] Situation

The park lies to the east of the Boulevard de la Woluwel (Dutch: Woluwedal), bordered from the north by the Avenue Debecker (Dutch: Debeckerlaan), from the south by the Chausse Stockel (Dutch: Stokkelse steenweg)and from the east by the Chemin du Struybeken (Dutch: Struybekenweg). The approximate center of the park lies at 50°50′32″N, 4°26′20″E.

The park overlooks the valley of the Woluwe river, which is a tributary of the large lake on the western side of the park. The park covers some 8 hectares in total, including the last remaining pond, home to several ducks and swans.^[2]

There are four principal recreation areas within the park:

the walk along the banks of the brook and pond renovated in 2001;
the area of relaxation and culture in and around the Château Malou, with its contemporary art exhibitions;
the botanical area with vegetable groupings like the ash - alder trees, with ivy and ficaire and a marshy alder plantation with nettle and Reine of the meadows
a playground to the east of the château featuring a pirate boat.

[edit] Prominent sights

The Château Malou today

One of the most prominent features of the park is the Château Malou, a neoclassic castle built in 1776. In 1853 the building was occupied by the Belgian politician and statesmen Jules Malou and both the château and the surrounding parkland bears his name.

On the northern side of the parc stands an enormous statue of a lion.

The Lindekemale watermill (French: Le moulin de Lindekemale, Dutch: De Lindekemalemolen) is a XIIth century structure at the north side of the park, currently operating as a restaurant.