A cemetery with the look of a park

"Our cemetery must have the appearance of a large park," asserted Jules Anspach, mayor of Brussels. It was actually the landscape architect Fuchs, rather than an architect, who was tasked with its layout. The 38 hectares house graves, but also a body of water with a meditation garden, beehives, an orchard, and overgrown lawns to promote biodiversity. The paths meander around the plots, and the enclosures are demarcated by hedges. The cemetery map speaks of avenues and roundabouts, just like in an urban centre, which draw beautiful perspectives. Everything was designed to give this cemetery — the largest in the Brussels-Ecosystem — the feel of a park and a place for strolling. Even though it is surrounded by heavily trafficked urban arteries, a special and soothing atmosphere emanates from it. Stroll through this place of reflection, with its graves recounting small and great history, but also a space conducive to wandering.