The Sauvagère Park: historical study prior to redevelopment

The land of La Sauvagère was once part of the Forêt de Soignes. It was sold to the Société Générale at the same time as the Forest, it was sold and then cleared from 1831-33. At the beginning of the 20th century, Albert Blieck, an industrialist in Molenbeek, had a villa built there designed by the architect Fritz Seeldrayers, in the middle of a park laid out by the landscape architect Jules Buyssens and the rock cutter François Dumilieu, two figures of the Jardin picturesque movement. Two successive owners have subsequently changed the contours and character of this private estate, which was relatively neglected for twenty years after the Second World War. Bought by the Commune of Uccle in 1964, it became a public green space public green space a few years later and is home to various sports facilities and domestic animals. Its proximity to other preserved natural areas (Kauwberg, Geleytsbeek valley, Engeland plateau, Verrewinkel wood, Fond Roy...) justifies its inclusion in the in the Natura 2000 network in 2016.