Reconnect to Tervuren’s Celtic roots on Arboretum walk

This Halloween, reconnect with Tervuren’s ancient Celtic heritage on a free guided walk through the Tervuren Arboretum. On Sunday, November 2, 2025, from 13:30 to 16:30, the Sonian Forest Nature Group (NGZ) invites you to explore the Ogham Celtic tree alphabet .

The walk provides the perfect context to learn about the Ogham alphabet, a unique writing system based on trees and plants. Though its exact origins are debated, it is believed by many to have emerged in 4th-century settlements in West Wales. Here, it was influenced by Romanized Britons familiar with the Latin script, as evidenced by bilingual Ogham stones found in Wales that are inscribed in both Irish and British Latin.

This free Arboretum walk is a great opportunity to explore the connection between language, nature, and history in the heart of Tervuren.

While Tervuren’s name may be medieval Dutch, the area’s deeper Celtic history is still evident in its streams and villages. The brook known as the Voer, which gives its name to streets like Voerweg, almost certainly reflects the Gaulish root uer- or vor-, meaning “water, stream.” This is the same root found in the word for whiskey. Similarly, the hamlets of Moorsel (mori- “marsh” + selo- “dwelling”) and Duisburg (dubra “water”) also hint at our rich Celtic past.

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Event Details and Tickets

For more information and to get your free tickets for this unique guided walk, visit ngz.be.

Join Natuurgroepering Zoniënwoud to uncover the ancient stories written in the landscape and celebrate the Celtic legacy that continues to shape our region.

Read our exclusive interview with Arboretum’s forest ranger Kevin Knevels by Tervuren+’s Jasmin Kohl.