Tervuren’s Open Monument Day 2025

During Tervuren’s Open Monument Day 2025, the spotlight will be on the cottage district north of Tervurenlaan, as well as the surroundings of the AfricaMuseum.

The event also stops at the Chapel of the Sacred Heart College in Wezembeek-Oppem, and at the nearby Villa Tilleul, which is occasionally linked to Mobutu Sese Seko, the second president of Congo.

On Sunday 14 September, visitors can join guided tours and walks that showcase a wide variety of architectural styles. Highlights of Open Monument Day Tervuren 2025 include the “Little Castle” (also known as Villa Alice) and the former Chapel of the Merciful Christ in Wezembeek-Oppem. For more insights into Tervuren’s architectural gems, see our feature on Tervuren’s Architectural Heritage.

Other tours feature an art deco cottage, a traditional cottage on Hertogenweg designed by architect Albert Van Huffel, and the façade of a former hotel and solarium on Elisabethlaan. A guided walk through the entire cottage district is also on the programme. Each tour lasts around 45 minutes, with multiple sessions running between 10:00 and 17:00.

Colonial past

The guided walk past the exterior of Villa Le Tilleul, an eclectic villa built in 1893, also touches on Tervuren’s complex colonial history. In 1997, the weekly magazine Knack reported that former Zairian president Mobutu Sese Seko may have owned property near the AfricaMuseum, though no official ownership papers were ever found. He may have purchased it through intermediaries, as he did with many of his luxury residences. Learn more about the AfricaMuseum’s colonial history.

The guided tours do not include the graves of the seven Congolese who died in 1897 after being displayed in a “Congolese village” in Tervuren Park during the Brussels World Exhibition. They were initially buried in unconsecrated ground, but were reburied in 1953 at the cemetery of the Sint-Jan Evangelist Church. This remains a sombre chapter in local history and a painful reminder of Belgium’s colonial past. Related reading: How Tervuren commemorates its colonial memory.

The festivities open on Saturday evening, 13 September, with a concert at the Sint-Jan Evangelist Church. At the “Opening Concert in Style”, Ensemble Oxalys and lutenist Alon Sariel will perform music bridging the baroque and the 20th century. You may also enjoy our coverage of musical events in Tervuren.

Advance booking is required for all tours, walks, and the concert of Open Monument Day Tervuren 2025. Reservations opened on Tuesday 19 August at 09:00 via reservaties.tervuren.be/tickets. Capacity is limited.