The Royal Trust Society of Belgium (; ; {{langx, de, Königliche Schenkung) was a donation to the state proposed in a letter by

King Leopold II of Belgium Leopold II (9 April 1835 – 17 December 1909) was the second king of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909, and the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908. Born in Brussels as the second but eldest-surviving son of King Le ...

on 9 April 1900. In addition some properties were added to the donation in a letter of 15 November 1900. The Belgian government accepted the donation by law on 31 December 1903 (Belgian Monitor of 1 January 1904). When the King handed the

Congo Free State The Congo Free State, also known as the Independent State of the Congo (), was a large Sovereign state, state and absolute monarchy in Central Africa from 1885 to 1908. It was privately owned by Leopold II of Belgium, King Leopold II, the const ...

over to the Belgian government on 28 November 1907, additional properties were added to the Royal Trust (law of 18 October 1908, published in the Belgian Monitor of 18 October 1908). The King donated his properties, such as his lands, castles and buildings, to the Belgian nation. Leopold did not want them to be divided amongst his three daughters, each of whom was married to a foreign prince. The donation was made on three conditions: the properties would never be sold, they would have to retain their function and appearance, and they would remain at the disposal of the successors to the Belgian throne. In 1930, the Royal Trust became an autonomous public institution which operates completely independently (Royal decree of 9 April 1930 - Belgian monitor of 29 May 1930).

Properties

The

Royal Palace of Brussels The Royal Palace of Brussels ( ; ; ) is the official palace of the Monarchy of Belgium, King and Queen of the Belgians in the centre of the nation's capital, Brussels. However, it is not used as a royal residence, as the king and his family l ...

and the Royal Palace of Laeken are the property of the Belgian State and are not part of the Royal Trust. However the park surrounding the Royal Palace of Laeken and the

Royal Greenhouses of Laeken The Royal Greenhouses of Laeken (, ) are a vast complex of monumental heated greenhouses in the park of the Palace of Laeken, Royal Palace of Laeken (northern part of the City of Brussels), Belgium. The historic complex contains Tropics, tropic ...

do belong to the Royal Trust. The Royal Trust also owns woods and land that it rents to private persons and semi-public institutions.

Used by the royal family (in present or past)

* Belvédère Château (private residence of King Albert II) * Royal Castle of Ciergnon (royal summer retreat near

Houyet Houyet () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia in the Namur Province, province of Namur, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 4,485 inhabitants. The total area is 122.31 km², giving a population density of 37 ...

, in the

Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

) * Fenffe Castle (holiday retreat near Ciergnon Castle) * Park of the Royal Palace of Laeken (excluding the castle/palace itself) *

(used for state receptions, etc.) * Château of Stuyvenberg (former residence of Queen Fabiola, now rented out for private residency) * Villa Clémentine (currently the house of Prince Laurent and his family) in

Tervuren Tervuren (; ) is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in the Flemish region of Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Duisburg, Tervuren proper, Vossem and Moorsel. On 1 January 2006, Tervuren had a total population o ...

* Villa Schonenberg (residence of Archduchess Astrid, on the Stuyvenberg Château grounds) * Villers-sur-Lesse Castle (near

, occasionally used as a hunting lodge)

Open as public parks (total of 7000 ha)

* Arboretum in

* Duden Park in

Forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

* Elisabeth Park in

Koekelberg Koekelberg (; ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-western part of the region, it is bordered by Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Ganshoren, Jette, and Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. In common with al ...

* Colonial Garden in

Laeken (French language, French, ) or (Dutch language, Dutch, ) is a residential suburb in the north-western part of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. It belongs to the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, municipality of the ...

* Leopold II-park in Nieuwpoort * Maria-Henriëttepark in

Ostend Ostend ( ; ; ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke, Raversijde, Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the la ...

Open to the public

* Chinese Pavilion in

* Japanese Tower in

* Memorial Chapel for Queen Astrid, in Küssnacht, Switzerland

Rented to golf clubs

* Golf course in Klemskerke near De Haan * Park of the Royal Château of Ardenne * Park and castle at Ravenstein in

Other

* Château Ferage/Feragekasteel *

Château of Val-Duchesse The Château of Val-Duchesse ( ; ) is a château and estate in the municipality of Auderghem in Brussels, Belgium. The château, which occupies the site of a former priory, is owned by the Belgian Royal Trust. History The priory for women ...

Auderghem Auderghem ( French, ; former Dutch spelling) or Oudergem ( Dutch, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-eastern part of the region, along the Woluwe valley and at the entrance to the ...

* Dunes in

De Panne De Panne (; ) is a town and a municipality located on the North Sea coast of the Belgian province of West Flanders. There it borders France, making it the westernmost town in Belgium. It is one of the most popular resort town destinations within ...

* Koninklijke Villa (Royal Villa) in

* Offices in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

( Mont des Arts/Kunstberg) * Ponds of Boitsfort * Sports centre in Strombeek-Bever * Terrains of the British School in

* Carrefour des Quatre-Bras/Vier-Armenkruispunt * Villers-sur-Lesse * Wellington-renbaan (Wellington racecourse) and "Noorse Stallen" (Norwegian Stables) in

* 5 km² woodland in Postel * 15.5 km² farmland * 48 km² woodland in

Sources

Royal Trust
(Dutch)

External links

Royal Trust on the website of the Belgian Royal Family
Monarchy of Belgium 1900s in Belgium 1903 establishments in Belgium Organisations based in Belgium with royal patronage Leopold II of Belgium