Along the Boulevard de la Woluwe-Woluwelaan in Brussels a river flows unseen. This isn’t just any boulevard. It’s a testament to urban planning evolution. Its story begins not with grand visions but with marshland.
Boulevard de la Woluwe-Woluwelaan follows the course of the Woluwe river. It stretches from Avenue de Tervueren to Chaussée de Louvain in Woluwe-Saint-Étienne. Only the beginning of the boulevard is in today’s municipality of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre. This area was empty on the municipal maps of 1808 and 1841. The marshland prevented construction.
The idea for a boulevard along the Woluwe dates back to the interwar period. The plan was twofold. It involved creating a new road. It also aimed to channel the Woluwe river underground. Work didn’t start until after the war. It was completed in the 1960s.
Boulevard de la Woluwe-Woluwelaan reflects the urban motorway style of its time. It’s a four-lane urban motorway with a central median strip. Buildings along this fast road are naturally large.
In Woluwe-Saint-Pierre few buildings stand along the Boulevard de la Woluwe-Woluwelaan. There is an office building. Architects I Türegün and Jacques Cuisinier designed it in 1974. The Jean XXIII college and the Sint-Jozefcollege school complex are there. Construction began in 1958. A Rob supermarket is also located there. It was built in 1971.
The eastern side of Boulevard de la Woluwe-Woluwelaan was undeveloped. It includes the large Blaton property and the Parc des Sources. A significant part of the park lies in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert.
King Albert I supposedly requested the preservation of green spaces. The municipal authorities have been protecting them since the 1930s.
Boulevard de la Woluwe-Woluwelaan’s transformation from marshland to urban motorway showcases Brussels’ development. The contrast between the imposing buildings and the preserved green spaces is striking. It’s a street that reveals a layered past. A past of ambitious plans and unexpected preservation. A journey along the Boulevard de la Woluwe-Woluwelaan unveils Brussels’ intriguing story. It speaks to adaptation ingenuity and the persistent presence of nature.