Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kameren Bos

   The park that is to Brussels what the Bois de Boulogne and Central Park are to Paris and New York, the Bois de la Cambre constitutes the northernmost section of the Forêt de Soignes closest to the city. The Belgian government sold the 123 ha (304 acres) of parkland to the city in 1842 to provide the capital with a public park, and the grounds were named after the Abbaye de la Cambre. For 20 years, access was impeded because there was no direct road linking the park to the city. In 1864, the city annexed a strip of land along which the avenue Louise was built, and the park subsequently became a favorite promenade for city residents. An artificial lake and many varieties of shrubs and trees, including 200-year-old beech trees, are featured.

   The two neoclassical buildings that flank the entrance to the woods were erected in 1835 at the porte de Namur to serve as booths for tolls. The tax was abolished in 1860 and the structures were moved to the end of avenue Louise. The Hippodrome de Boitsfort (race track) is in the southern portion of the park.