One of the most remarkable places in Brussels is the Dieweg cemetery in Uccle/Ukkel, a romantic silent place, where you can get lost in a wilderness of overgrown neogotic mausoleums, art nouveau tombs overrun by ivy and some beautiful funeral statues.

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This cemetery was created following a big cholera epidemic in 1866 and soon became quite overcrowded. In 1945 the city decided to built a new cemetery and in 1958 the gates for the death people were finally closed. Or not exactly, in 1983 they made one exception and allowed the famous cartoonist Hergé to be buried on the grounds of Dieweg. Hergé is not the only famous person that found his last resting place in this romantic setting. You can find the sepultures people such as Isabelle Gattie de Gamond, Lambert, the Errera family, Belgian Catholic politician Charles Woeste, the architects Paul Hankar and Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar.

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The cemetary gives you an overview from almost all architectural tendencies from the end of the 19th century to WWII. Can you find the art nouveau tomb created by Horta ? Also interesting is the large Jewish section in the back of the cemetery.

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Not into architecture, no problem, the whole place is covered in a wide variety of fauna and flora. With a little bit of imagination you might think you are exploring a jungle instead of visiting a cemetery. One downside is that the tombs are crumbling down and hardly get any maintenance. Hopefully they will find a good balance between cultural heritage and nature, without touching the unique atmosphere of this magic place.

 

You can find this wonderfull place at Dieweg 95,1180 Brussel (UCCLE) : Bus: 41, 42, 43, 60 / Tram: 18, 92.

Opening hours : Mon-Fri : 8.30 – 16.00  Weekend : 9.30 – 16.30