Since October 11, we have are occupying the Donderberg. By living in the trees, we protect this forest from turning into concrete that would destroy everything that lives here. The Donderberg will remain wild!
🌈 Welcome! Our gate is always open to nature lovers and concrete haters (entrance at 115 Rue des Horticulteurs).🌞
Donderberg Sauvage is a collective to prevent the concrete development of Donderberg, a 3.6-hectare wasteland that has been left undeveloped for over 50 years in the heart of Laeken in Brussels (10 minutes’ walk from Bockstael metro station).
For 10 years now, a neighbourhood committee and a group of local residents (Save Donderberg), who are not part of Donderberg Sauvage but whose commitment and determination we admire, have been working hard to block this project. They have been using political and legal leverage (contacts with political parties, appeals to the courts, etc.). After 5 revisions to the plans and the failure of the latest appeals, nothing stands in the way of the start of construction works. This involves the development of 70% of the site, the felling of more than 150 tall trees and the destruction of the natural habitat of species such as martens and foxes.
That’s why as activists from different backgrounds, we’re determined to preserve the site for both its environmental and social value (the Bockstael district is extremely dense, poor and almost devoid of green spaces). We want to prevent these works by using other means (demonstrations, raising the profile of this struggle within activist networks, organising events, taking direct action, etc.). In a spirit of solidarity, we hope that our efforts, in conjunction with those of the local residents involved in the struggle, will lead to the preservation of this unique area in the Brussels region.
To contact us: ddbsauvage@proton.me
For more technical information on the area, the project and the history of the neighbourhood’s efforts, please visit the Save Donderberg website or watch the episode of La Minute Sauvage devoted to it: