Laeken Cemetery

Laeken Cemetery is considered the oldest cemetery in Belgium that functions today. This is the resting place of the Belgian royal family. It is known as Belgium's Père Lachaise, after the famous Parisian cemetery, because it is the burial place of the rich and famous, and because of the abundance of its funerary heritage.

History of creation

The history of the Laeken cemetery begins in the 13th century, when the village of Laeken developed. After the destruction of the village, serious changes took place in the region, and mass protests began to take place among local residents who were dissatisfied with the standard of living. In turn, this greatly affected those very famous churches and cemeteries; they decided to move all the city’s graveyards outside of it due to sanitary reasons, but these changes did not affect the famous Laeken cemetery. The cemetery remained in its original location only thanks to the wife of King Leopold the First, who asked to be buried in this very place.

Features of Laeken Cemetery

It looks very strict - at the entrance there is a farewell hall, where cemetery workers prepare tombstones and also keep order on the territory. The tombstones look majestic - you can also see statues of people, large busts, as well as large stone slabs. Around all this there are beautiful alleys, which are laid out in the form of paths throughout the cemetery. Laeken Cemetery is one of the main burial places in Belgium for rich and noble people; it is here that rich and noble lords send their loved ones on their last journey. The site shows us what cemeteries looked like for queens and other royals.

Belgium has a lot of ancient historical areas that attract millions of tourists with their unsurpassed architecture and atmosphere that has reigned here for many centuries. One of these old areas is Laeken, where many years ago there was a village famous for its European-style houses, as well as the church and Laeken cemetery.