Brussels Park

Brussels Park (French: Parc de Bruxelles [paʁk də bʁysɛl]; Dutch: Warandepark [ʋaːˈrɑndəˌpɑr(ə)k] or Park van Brussel [ˈpɑr(ə)k fɑm ˈbrʏsəl]) is the largest urban public park in central Brussels, Belgium. The park was formerly known and is still sometimes colloquially referred to as the Royal Park (French: Parc royal [paʁk ʁwajal]; Dutch: Koninklijk Park [ˈkoːnɪŋklək ˈpɑr(ə)k]). It was the city's first public park, being originally laid out between 1776 and 1783 in a neoclassical style by the French architect Gilles-Barnabé Guimard and the Austrian landscape architect Joachim Zinner, as part of an urban project including the Place Royale/Koningsplein. The area of the rectangular park is 13.1 ha (32 acres). The park is surrounded by the Place des Palais/Paleizenplein to the south, the Rue Royale/Koningsstraat to the west, the Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat to the north and the Rue Ducale/Hertogstraat to the east. The main entrance is on the northern side, opposite the Belgian House of Parliament (Palace of the Nation). An avenue leads to the main pond, from which three other avenues offer views of three important places in Brussels: the Palace of Justice, the Royal Palace and the Place du Trône/Troonplein.