Sonian Forest
The Sonian Forest (French: [Foret de Soignes] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), Dutch: [Zonienwoud] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) is a large forest in the south-eastern part of Brussels, Belgium.
The forest is in the Flemish parts of Sint-Genesius-Rode, Hoeilaart, Overijse and Tervuren, Uccle , Watermael-Boitsfort, Auderghem and Woluwe-Saint-Pierre in the Brussels-Capitale Region and in the Walloon towns of La Hulpe and Waterloo. Thus it stretches out over the three Belgian Regions. It used to be connected with Bois de la Cambre and Hallerbos (Blue Forest in Belgium) but they split up in 1900.
It is maintained by Flanders (56%), the Brussels-Capitale Region (38%) and Wallonia (6%). There are some parts of the forest privately held forest and the Kapucijnenbos, the "Capuchin Wood", which belongs to the Royal Trust.
Arts
Auguste Rodin went to the forest while living in Brussels in the 1870s. He made several paintings of the forest during this time.
Sonian Forest Media
Even, dense old-growth stand of beech trees (Fagus sylvatica) prepared to be regenerated by their saplings in the understorey, in the Brussels part of the Sonian Forest
- Ruysbroeck chapel.JPG
Small chapel in the Sonian Forest near the site of the monastery of John of Ruysbroeck at Groenendaal
- Battle of Waterloo 1815.PNG
- Château forestier des Trois Fontaines (DSCF7057).jpg
The only remaining building of the Château de Trois-Fontaines
- Mémorial en hommage aux victimes du 22 mars en pleine Forêt de Soignes.jpg
Memorial to the victims of the 2016 Brussels bombings
A path in the Sonian Forest
- Foret de Soignes, 2007-11-04-4.jpg
The Sonian Forest in the autumn
- Sentier en forêt de Soignes.jpg
Winter light in the Sonian Forest
Other websites
16x16px Media related to Forêt de Soignes/Zoniënwoud at Wikimedia Commons