The River Senne, at least a portion of it, will be returned to the surface in a Brussels park after 150 years buried below the city. The plan is part of a move to offer “a corner of the city where nature once again has an essential role.”
Permits for the work have been granted, and work will start next year, according to the Brussels secretary for urban planning. It was originally meant to start last year, but was delayed by incomplete plan files. The area where the river will be opened is part of Maximillian Park.
The current aim is to uncover 650 metres of the river and to improve its water quality, partly by naturalising its banks with the hopes of improving water oxygenation. The river will be 4 to 16 metres wide depending on water level and the location. It will increase collection of rainwater and help cool the area.
Above, a portion of the river near the old Fish Market, and a view of the work covering it up in 1867-71, when the aim was to protect the city from disease and foul smells in the then-polluted river.
