The Val d’Or plateau in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert/Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe has had many incarnations. Initially used as a sand and clay quarry, it contributed to the urban development of the Brussels-Capital Region by providing essential raw materials for construction. After the Second World War, the quarries were filled with various types of waste, and then covered with earth in the 1970s. Nature soon began to reassert itself by colonising these abandoned areas, much to the delight of naturalists and local residents. Unfortunately, this wasteland will now have to contend with plans to further develop the outer ring of the Brussels-Capital Region.

During this walk, we’ll look at the history of the Val d’Or plateau and its future, focusing on the struggle by local residents, associations and naturalists to preserve this unused land, which was home to a wealth of ecological and biological diversity.