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Photo: ArticCynda, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The monument consists of three giant splinters, one wooden and two aluminum, commemorating the rich industrial legacy of Kraainem in the 19th and 20th century. Paper mills in particular have been historically important for employment in Low Kraainem, which was ideally located because of the water supply from the Woluwe and Kleine Maalbeek, and the supply of wood from the nearby Sonian Forest. From the extensive industrial complexes with paper mills, grain mills and brewery, nothing remains. The monument was designed by Rainer Gross and inaugurated in 2000. Easily reachable from either High and Low Kraainem with a 15- to 20-min walk up the hill towards Stokkel. Alternatively, take bus 352 and get off at Koningin Astrid.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Watching landing aircraft is a popular hobby in Kraainem due to its location in the vicinity of the Brussels Airport. Areas east of Kraainem are under a runway flight route, enabling viewers to spot landing aircraft if wind direction and weather permits it.
A small park near the geographic centre of Kraainem, hence its name. Adjacent to the famous Bouvier-Washer Cité, it offers visitors benches to rest and a calm environment to enjoy the surroundings. The park is maintained as a natural habitat for local fauna, by keeping grass mowing to a strict minimum. In the early morning or late evening, encounters with wildlife are likely, and visitors can enjoy observing rabbits, weasels and even foxes in the wild. It is formally prohibited to feed wildlife, and visitors should refrain from taking out food around animals, foxes in particular.
Bouvier-Washerwijk
The Cité, built between 1920 and 1923, was envisioned as a social residential complex for veterans from the First World War who returned from the front line with disabilities. The chlorine gas used as chemical weapon in the early stages of the war in particular turned out to be rarely deadly because it was dispersed in the air, but caused irreversible damage to the lungs of many unprepared soldiers. For the first time in history, large numbers of veterans thus returned home with permanent breathing problems, a disability preventing reintegration in the labour market. At the end of the First World War in 1918, Belgian social security was unprepared to cope with this new phenomenon, and the Association sans but lucratif au profit des mutiléls de guerre (Association for the benevolence of war mutilated individuals) was founded to construct cheap social housing for the victims. Many such social cités were constructed in Kraainem, the Bouvier-Washer Cité was among the first. The architecture is typically regional: red brick facades alternating with brightly painted surfaces, abutments to the corners of walls, anchors and plaits, etc. The neighbouring Korenbloemstraat served the same purpose but was added 10 years later between 1930 and 1932. Many buildings have been modified, but the authentic looks were preserved in Korenbloemstraat no. 28. The Cité is still used as a residential area, as houses were sold or passed on to heirs after the original veteran inhabitants died. A 20- to 25-min walk from High Kraainem, follow Koningin Astridlaan direction Stokkel until the crossing with the Wezembeeklaan, then take left. Alternatively, take bus 352 direction Kraainem Metro and get off at stop Koningin Astrid.
Kraainem Football
The football club of Kraainem is known for its multiculturalism, uniting over 300 players from 40 countries in sports. Aside from 2 senior teams, the club is carried by youngsters between 6 and 21 years old. Football courses are available to children in that age range in Dutch, English and French. Matches are played in the stadium at the Bosstraat, which has a rich history on its own. Entering the stadium is free, even during matches, only seats must be paid for. The cantina serves drinks and snacks, and hosts occasional cultural events.
Klooster van de Visitatie
The order of the Salesians was founded in 1610 close to Annecy in France by Jeanne de Chantal and Francis of Sales, who gave his name to the order. On 12 February 1667, a monastery was founded in Brussels -- then part of the Southern Netherlands -- but the success of the order was strongly variable in time and by the first half of the 19th century it was nearly extinct in Brussels. A second start on 21 November 1845 had more success, and not even a century later the original location was too small to house the order. Architect Paul Bellot, born in 1876 and specialised in religious architecture, was tasked with the design of a new monastery located outside Brussels. Then still rural Kraainem was chosen because of its remote location, at the time there were no other buildings on the hill, and the closest settlement was Low Kraainem which was only accessible by a narrow unpaved road (now the Kapellelaan). Construction started in 1928, and by the end of 1930 when it was finished, the monastery had become a popular pilgrim destination. Unlike similar monasteries in Belgium, which started out small and were gradually expanded, the availability of sufficient space and budget allowed the entire site to be built at once between 1928 and 1930. All buildings thus show the same style elements, many of which were typical for the designs of Paul Bellot: polychrome bricks from Zandvoorde (a municipality close to Oostende near the Belgian coast) and extensive use of concrete for structural and decorative purposes. Art deco and brick modernism influences can be observed in all aspects of construction. Only the building sides facing the streets (Kapellelaan and Hebronlaan) are decorated (for example, a Madonna sculpture above the entrance), the sides facing the inner sanctum, gardens and orchards do not have any decoration. The architecture and degree of decoration reveals the originally intended purpose of the rooms in the buildings, a feature called architecture parlante. The facades are also hierarchically decorated, with the chapel as most important and thus most extensively decorated part of the structure. The interior resembles a Medieval monastery, with style elements of the Arabic and Mozarabic arts. Illumination was considered paramount by Paul Bellot, and windows are consequently large enough to illuminate the rooms they are intended for, without penalizing decoration. Much of the original woodworking, both indoor and outdoor, has been preserved, as evidenced by the oak inner doors and staircases. The monastery is still in use, and remains the only Salesian monastery in Belgium. It is not normally opened to visitors, reservations are mandatory. The monastery can be reached from Low Kraainem by following the Jozef van Hovestraat and afterwards the Kappellelaan up the hill.
Oud tramspoortje
Trajectory of a historic tram track connecting the royal palace in Laken with the king's summer residence in Tervuren (now it's the Africa museum). Only a fraction of the historic track is in use, the remainder converted into a long stretched park reaching from Kraainem to Oudergem. Used by students of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel as bicycle highway to reach the Etterbeek campus. Beautiful trajectory, crossing the border between Flanders and Brussels. Approximate length is 8 km. To return by metro, take line 5 in Oudergem towards Erasmus/Erasme and change for line 1 towards Stokkel/Stockel at Merode. Not recommendable in rainy weather.