Town council turned briefly to language policy at a recent meeting. This followed a complaint regarding a menu presented in Dutch, but also with separate French and English versions. The issue sparked a discussion on maintaining the town’s Dutch-speaking identity while embracing multilingualism.
No Tervuren ice-skating this winter. What to know…
In Belgium, mayoral duties can involve dispatching police in freezing conditions to enforce the ban on walking, skating, or playing on ice surfaces. Despite the rule, when ice last graced Tervuren’s lakes, numerous prominent locals were seen flouting the mayor’s directives, turning the lakes into a clandestine playground.
Tervuren rejects label ‘child-friendly town’
Tervuren’s town council has rejected a proposal to have the commune recognized as ‘child-friendly’. The label, designed to encourage policies that promote a child-friendly environment, failed to gain majority support. According to the responsible alderwoman, achieving the label would require excessive time, resources, and manpower.
Arboretum Tervuren: preserving the world’s tree diversity
The Arboretum was created by the Belgian forestry specialist Charles Bommer in 1902 at the request of Leopold II. Spanning approximately 120 hectares, it contains around 700 exotic tree species organised in 40 geographic tree groups. Tervuren+’s Jasmin Kohl spoke to forest ranger Kevin Knevels about the state of the tree collection, strong ties with the American Chestnut Association, and wild boars.
Tervuren associations’ New Year’s reception
There are still a few free tickets available for the spectacular New Year’s reception organised by Tervuren associations on Friday, 17 January from 7:00 PM. The Tervuren associations organizing this year’s New Year’s reception are Fietsersbond, Fietsbieb, Transitie, Ubuntu Intercultureel, and Wereldwinkel.
Soup at official opening of Tervuren’s cycle bridge
Tervurenaars, too, are invited to the inauguration of the 77.5-meter-long bridge over the Vier-Armen crossroad. The inauguration takes place on Thursday, December 19, from 14:30 to 18:00. There’s free soup, non-alcoholic mulled wine for cyclists, and a “surprise” gadget to make you stand out on the bridge and during the dark winter months.
Tervuren is great inspiration for writer Jon Echanove
Since taking up residence here in the autumn of 2016, author Jon Echanove has found Tervuren to be an invaluable source of inspiration for his work. “My novels tend to confront characters with unfamiliar cultures and adapt to other languages and codes. From that point of view, my life in Tervuren is a great resource,” says Echanove. Tervuren+ spoke with Jon Echanove about his life in Tervuren, writings and his latest novel, El Aprendiz.
Moorsel tops Tervuren for Halloween fun
Some 50 Halloween fans have already emailed halloween2024.tervuren@gmail.com to share their location for tonight’s trick-or-treating on Thursday, 31 October. Per capita, Moorsel definitely beats Tervuren as the go-to place for Halloween festivities.
If you’re participating, send an email to halloween2024.tervuren@gmail.com to share your location for the trick-or-treaters.
Repair Café Returns to Tervuren on 2 November
The original aim of the Repair Café movement was to revive repair skills that were once commonplace. “Unfortunately, we’ve all kind of forgotten that,” says Mylène De Scheemaecker, one of the driving forces behind Repair Café in Tervuren. “Through the Repair Café, you can teach some people to repair certain things—think of a flat bicycle tyre or sewing on a button.”
Procession, mass and riders: St. Hubertus
On Sunday, Oct. 27, the Brotherhood of Saint Hubert commemorated its patron saint in Tervuren. One of the legends holds that he died in Tervuren. And that during his lifetime he owned a piece of land in Tervuren. Obviously the 17th-century Saint Hubert Chapel in the Warande Park and the foundation of the Brotherhood of Saint Hubert in 1605 point to a long history of connection with Tervuren, says the Brotherhood of Saint Hubert.