Boekenbergpark

Boekenbergpark spreads across ten hectares in Deurne, Antwerp, combining wooded paths with historic gardens and water. A ruined tower and serpentine pond give the landscape visible traces of its rococo beginnings. Kasteel Boekenberg, an eighteenth-century country house, stands among artificial hills, bridges, and remnants of a Chinese pagoda.

The preserved grotto complex contains an underground boathouse, an ice cellar, and the Natuurhistorisch Museum Boekenberg. Opened officially in 1963, the museum explores paleontology, archaeology, mineralogy, and prehistory through underground research and exhibitions. A speleological foundation also works within those caves and cellars. The ecological swimming pond has two pools, with natural filtration using a helophyte filter and over 22,000 plants. Its larger pool reaches depths between 1.8 and 2.5 metres, while the smaller one measures about half a metre.

The municipality opened the central ten hectares to the public in 1926, after acquiring them in 1913. Limited maintenance lets the landscape develop like a small forest beside a renovated four-part playground. Paths connect with Te Boelaerpark and Rivierenhof, making the pond, grotto, and castle part of longer walks.