Tour & Taxis Park

Tour & Taxis Park
  • Parc Tour et Taxis (French)
  • Thurn en Taxispark (Dutch)
Tour & Taxis Park seen from the Demeer Bridge
Interactive map of Tour & Taxis Park
TypePublic park
LocationTour & Taxis, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium
Coordinates50°52′04″N 4°20′40″E / 50.86778°N 4.34444°E / 50.86778; 4.34444
Created8 May 2014 (2014-05-08)
DesignerBureau Bas Smets
EtymologyTour & Taxis

Tour & Taxis Park (French: Parc Tour et Taxis, pronounced [paʁk tuʁ e taksi]; Dutch: Thurn en Taxispark, pronounced [ˈtʏr(ə)n ɛn ˈtɑksɪsˌpɑr(ə)k]) is an urban public park located in and named after the neighbourhood of Tour & Taxis in Brussels, Belgium. It was designed by Bureau Bas Smets.[1] The park forms part of the redevelopment of the former Tour & Taxis industrial and railway site and is one of the largest new green spaces created in Brussels in more than a century.[2]

History

Plans for a park on the former railway lands of Tour & Taxis emerged during the industrial site's redevelopment in the early 21st century. The project focused on reusing the disused railway that once connected Tour & Taxis to the Place Émile Bockstael/Emile Bockstaelplein. Early planning envisioned transforming this railway bed into a linear park linking several neighbourhoods in north-western Brussels.[3]

The first phase of Tour & Taxis Park opened on 8 May 2014 in the site's western part.[1] This phase involved the redevelopment of part of the former railway track alignment between the Tour & Taxis site and the Bockstael area. A second phase, initially planned for 2015, aimed to continue the redevelopment along the same railway corridor. Plans also included the possible construction of a bridge linking the park more directly to the Place Émile Bockstael, a project that was studied by the federal development agency Beliris, although its timetable remained uncertain.[2]

During the same period, several access points to the future park were planned within the framework of the Bockstael neighbourhood contract, reflecting efforts to integrate the new green space with surrounding residential districts.[4]

The park's development was closely linked to the broader planning of the Tour & Taxis site. For many years, the City of Brussels worked on a Plan particulier d'affectation du sol (PPAS) to define the area's future urban development. At the same time, discussions took place between the regional authorities and the site's private owner regarding the park's extension further into the Tour & Taxis property and its long-term management.[4]

The park was later extended along the former railway corridor to connect to Line 28 Park, which had been established the same year in the neighbouring municipality of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. Together, these projects created a continuous green corridor along the historic railway alignment.[4]

Buildings and monuments

Tour & Taxis Park is home to several public buildings and monuments:

  • The Jubilee Bridge, designed in 1904 by the engineer Frédéric Bruneel, which connects the Boulevard du Jubilé/Jubelfeestlaan to the Boulevard Émile Bockstael/Emile Bockstaellaan over Tour & Taxis Park.[5]
  • The Clesse Bridge and Demeer Bridge, two smaller edifices, dating from 1903, at the park's northern end.[6][7]
  • The Human Rights Monument, a 12-metre-high (39 ft) obelisk designed in 2018 by the landscape architect Bas Smets to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).[8][9]

In addition, the non-profit organisation Parckfarm T&T operates on the grounds of Tour & Taxis Park. The volunteer-run "edible park" focuses on environmental and social projects, and offers classes on gardening, cooking, and nutrition.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Thurn en Taxis – Inventaris van het bouwkundig erfgoed". monument.heritage.brussels (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b Moors, Marie. "Tour & Taxis Park". VAi (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 March 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "Thurn & Taxis-park zonder Thurn & Taxis". bral.brussels (in Dutch). 23 December 2013. Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  4. ^ a b c Van Assche, Steyn (23 December 2013). "Thurn & Taxis-park zonder Thurn & Taxis". bral.brussels (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  5. ^ "Pont du Jubilé – Inventaire du patrimoine architectural". monument.heritage.brussels (in French). Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  6. ^ "Ponts Clesse et Demeer : restauration structurelle". Beliris (in French). Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  7. ^ "Début de l'enquête publique pour la rénovation des ponts Clesse et Demeer". Beliris (in French). Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  8. ^ "Thurn & Taxis krijgt obelisk voor mensenrechten" [Tour & Taxis receives obelisk for human rights]. www.bruzz.be (in Dutch). Brussels. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  9. ^ "Un obélisque célébrant les 70 ans de la Déclaration universelle des Droits de l'Homme inauguré à Tour & Taxis" [An obelisk celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights inaugurated at Tour & Taxis]. RTBF (in French). Brussels. 10 December 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  10. ^ "Parckfarm - Valeurs" [Parckfarm - Values]. Parckfarm. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Au cœur de la ville, la serre des femmes" [In the heart of the city, the women's greenhouse]. Le Soir (in French). Brussels. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  • Media related to Tour & Taxis Park at Wikimedia Commons
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