wheninbelgium   Must see places in Belgium

The Arboretum in Kalmthout, near Antwerp, was not exactly what I had expected. I must admit, I hadn’t been to too many arboretums before and the ones I had visited were not much more than a bunch of trees. Not unpleasant to walk around it, but not much different from an ordinary forest. This one, however, was more than just a collection of trees. It’s a beautifully landscaped park, divided into themed gardens i.e. the rose garden, the bluegarden, white garden… Even when visiting late October, as I did, you could  clearly tell when you were in which part.

October, or any Autumn month I guess, is a great time to visit the Arboretum. Plenty of vibrant reds and yellows contrast beautifully with the evergreens. Of course if you prefer oceans of blooming flowers and blossoming trees Spring would be your first choice.

When walking into the Kalmthout Arboretum, you also take a step into history. It got its start in the 1850′s. Europe was exploring the rest of the world extensively and unseen flowers and trees came flooding in, allowing gardeners all over Europe to create their own Garden of Eden.

Charles Van Geert, a tree cultivator from Antwerp, was one of them. Running a shop in the centre of Antwerp, he soon realized  he’d need a better place. In Kalmthout he found all the space he needed and over time he brought together one of the richest collections of trees and plants in Europe. After his death in 1897 the Société Anonyme Horticole de Calmthout took over and continued the work of Van Geert. Both world wars though, caused extensive  damage. All commercial activities, which provided  the money to maintain the park were ceased and  slowly the area deteriorated.

Early 1950′s parts of  the grounds were sold. Antoine Kort, chairman of  the Société Anonyme, managed to prevent the most  valuable part getting sold though and in 1952 two retired diamond dealers and keen botanics from  Antwerp obtained over 20 acres of the grounds and  called in the help of a Slovenian agricultural  engineer to help restore the derelict garden back  into its former glory. They also invested in giving the Arboretum a more  scientific and educational aspect and founded the  International Dendrology Society .

In the 1980′s the Arboretum once again headed  towards difficult times. Realizing its importance  and uniqueness, the province of Antwerp decided to  buy the domain, making the park more accessible to a wider audience.

For more information, please visit the Arboretum’s website

To see some more of my photos, click here