Meze & Moules
Place · 3 Oct 2026 · 41 photographs

Leuven Kruidtuin

Kruidtuin means herb garden, and that is how it began: in 1738 the university laid it out for its medical students, which makes it the oldest botanical garden in Belgium. An hour on the first Saturday of October, between the glasshouses, the koi pond and the pumpkins.

On the map: Leuven

A red-brick pavilion with an arched glass doorway in the Kruidtuin, potted plants lining its steps
A moss-covered stone fountain under a towering red-barked tree, white flowers in the foreground
Water dripping from the rim of the mossy fountain, a small carved figure on top
A brick path between tall cone-shaped hedges leading to an arched red-brick entrance
A wide sandy path between red flower beds and clipped conical shrubs, long shadows across it
White flowers with yellow centres on tall slender stems, a great tree trunk blurred behind
Tall feathery plumes of ornamental grass lit from behind, plant labels at their feet
Small red and orange flowers with yellow centres among fine grasses in low sun
A glass-roofed brick entrance at the end of a hedged path, the street glimpsed through it
Arched fanlights and a tall glass door in a red-brick wall, half hidden by conifers
Broad banana-like leaves catching the sun in front of a red-brick wall
A small conifer with twisting pale trunks in front of the glasshouse windows
A blue-green sculpture of a woman seated on a garden chair, a red-brick building behind
A carved kneeling figure with a ponytail among ferns and rocks
Giant rough-edged leaves lit by the sun above bronze ferns, a bench in the shade beyond
Spiky green seed pods on a dark red stem, star-shaped leaves against the sky
Ipek in a cream jumper leaning on a wooden footbridge railing, palm fronds above
A domed glasshouse and red-brick pavilion seen across a pond under a blue sky
Four koi seen from above in dark water, one pale silver among darker fish
An orange, white and black koi surfacing, ripples spreading around its mouth
Looking up into a tree canopy, sunlight shining through layers of green leaves
A broad old tree on a sunlit lawn, a small sculpture of a stooping figure below
A small statue of a child reading, on a tall stone column among clipped shrubs
A tall wooden carving curling into a spiral like an unfurling fern, trees behind
A wooden nest box strapped to a tall red-barked trunk among dark conifer branches
A large orange pumpkin resting on a stone slab among its leaves, behind chicken wire
A rooster with a red comb and dark green tail feathers striding across bare earth
A lily pond and fountain before a brick building and glasshouse, two people on a bench
A stone fountain of three entwined fish spouting water, potted trees and glasshouse behind
The stone fish fountain up close, thin jets falling into dark water, lily pads behind
Creamy white roses, some flecked with pink, on a sunlit climbing stem
A stone relief of a figure holding a spade, beside a plaque reading “De Verzonken Tuin”
A dark sculpture of a figure in a long skirt stooping towards the lawn
Glossy green and yellow variegated leaves with round clusters of green buds
A border of feathery purple grass plumes and orange flowers, brick houses and rooftops behind
A yellow orchid in a white pot on a weathered wooden table against a brick wall
A spiky rosette plant on a slender trunk against dark-framed glasshouse windows
Inside the glasshouse, palms in wooden planters under a glass roof, sunlight striping the floor
An arched fanlight over a tall glass door between stone columns, potted plants on the cobbles
Looking through an arched doorway with white columns into a bright glasshouse full of palms
Ipek and Robbe close together on a wooden bench beside tall glasshouse windows, in low sun