Peter the Great

You descend along a mysterious path into a hidden valley, seemingly created for either clandestine contacts or not. The little valley recalls the original topography of the Warande: here sprang the Coperbeek, which flowed alongside the current Ravensteingalerij and Grasmarkt into the Zenne and separated the Treurenberg (towards the Federal Parliament) from the Coudenberg (towards the Royal Square).

Down here, a statue of Tsar Peter the Great commemorates his visit to Brussels, where, according to tradition, he turned the pond here red after a lavishly served meal... Half of the valley was lost when Leopold II significantly expanded the square in front of his palace at the beginning of the 20th century to allow for grand military parades. Hence the straight wall against which mysterious letters are inscribed, forming the abbreviation V.I.T.R.I.O.L. They refer to the Masonic symbolism that, according to some, determines the layout of the park.

UiTinBrussel