Page 3 - Sonian Forest News Today

Culture 09:35 A newly colourised and digitised film of Brussels from 1908 provides an enhanced glimpse into a time when horses, carriages and electric trams dominated the streets of the Belgian capital, a city which now swarms with cars and other vehicles. The video, created by a Dutch YouTube channel which specialises in the digital restoration and colourisation of archival footage, shows Brussels in the final year of King Leopold II’s reign and takes in many of the city’s landmarks such a...

Culture 13:30 06/05/2021 After being forced to skip a year, the Royal Greenhouses in Laeken are back open to the public. The historical gardens and greenhouses of the royal domain are open for a few short weeks every year. While not every greenhouse can be open as social distancing cannot be guaranteed, the royal family is making up for it by increasing the outdoor space open to visitors. See the circular rose garden and temple ruins on the shore of one of the domain’s lakes. The tour continu...

Belgium 06:06 After the tensions which led to a violent police intervention at the first La Boum event on 1 April, it was no surprise that the second mass gathering at Bois de la Cambre on Saturday would descend into chaos.   The May Day event started, much like the first, in a festive atmosphere. Around 1,000 people gathered in the park on the edge of the Sonian Forest in Brussels after responding to a Facebook invitation from the organisers, the Abîme collective. Numbers swelled to around 2...

Living 17:16 30/04/2021 Some 30 street lamps are being equipped with wildlife-friendly orange LED lights along Avenue du Sacré-Coeur in Jette, announced the municipality in a statement on Friday. The Bat Light District conservation project will help safeguard the nocturnal animals in the urban neighbourhood. Up to 20 of the protected species have been recorded in Brussels. Traditional white lighting is too bright and puts the flying mammals at risk of becoming easy prey for raptors. Artificial...

Living 15:08 02/03/2021 A video from a home security camera has just been released of a badger knocking around on a front stoop in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre. It is the first time the animal has ever been seen in a residential neighbourhood of the Capital-Region, as they normally avoid urban areas. Badgers also usually hibernate, and this one was filmed at the end of January. According to Brussels’ league for the protection of birds, whose services also encompass small mammals, the badger came back ...

Leisure 09:42 23/02/2021 The significant increase in the number of visitors to the Sonian Forest since the first coronavirus restrictions came into force in March 2020 has resulted in an equally substantial rise in fines and warnings issued by forestry officials. The rangers and supervisors of the Sonian Forest issued 175 warnings and fines last year compared to 135 in 2019. Thats an increase of almost 30% in one year. The number of fines increased by 12% and went from 99 in 2019 to 112 in 2020...