Laeken Cemetery
The Laeken Cemetery is considered to be the oldest cemetery in Belgium, which is still functioning today. It is the resting place of the Belgian royal family. It is known as the Belgian Pere Lachaise, after the famous Paris cemetery, because it is the burial place of the rich and famous, as well as because of the abundance of its funerary heritage.
History of creation
The history of the Laken cemetery dates back to the 13th century, when the village of Laken developed. After the devastation of the village, serious changes took place in the region, as mass protests of local residents began to occur, who were dissatisfied with the standard of living. In turn, this greatly affected those most famous churches and cemeteries, all the churchyards of the city decided to move out of its borders due to sanitary reasons, but these changes did not affect the famous Laken cemetery. The cemetery remained in the same place only thanks to the wife of King Leopold the First, who asked to be buried in this place.
Features of the Laken cemetery
It looks very strict - there is a farewell hall at the entrance, where cemetery attendants prepare tombstones, as well as keep order on the territory. The tombstones look majestic - you can also see statues of people, large busts, as well as large stone slabs. There are beautiful alleys around it all, which are laid out in the form of paths throughout the cemetery. The Laeken cemetery is one of the main burial grounds in Belgium for rich and noble people, and it is here that rich and noble lords send their loved ones on their last journey. The place shows us what cemeteries looked like for queens and other members of the royal family.
Belgium has a lot of ancient historical areas that attract millions of tourists with their unsurpassed architecture and the atmosphere that has reigned here for many centuries. One of these old districts is Laeken, where many years ago there was a village famous for its European-style houses, as well as a church and the Laeken cemetery.
