The large forested area to the southeast of Brussels’ city centre has a long history; thought to have had prehistoric beginnings, it was also here that the Gallic citizens suffered their defeat by the Romans. However, the forest really gained renown in the twelfth century when wild boar roamed the landscape, and local dukes enjoyed hunting trips in the woodland.

The density of the landscape has provided tranquillity over the ages. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries it became a favored location for monasteries and abbeys. Few have survived, but Abbaye de Rouge-Cloitre is a rare example from this era.

In a former eighteenth century priory is the Groenendaal Arboretum, in which more than 400 forest plants are housed, many of which are extinct elsewhere. The most common sight, however, is the locals enjoying a stroll.