Jardins du Carré Tillens - Tillensbloktuinen

Jardins du Carré Tillens – Tillensbloktuinen is a community garden tucked away inside a residential city block, straddling the border between the Uccle and Forest municipalities in Brussels. Unlike a typical park with an obvious street-facing entrance, this garden hides behind narrow passageways, with access points on three separate streets: Rue Joseph Bens, Rue du Fossé, and Rue de Roosendael. Only once you step through one of these gaps does the green interior of the block reveal itself.

How did this place come to exist?

The story behind Carré Tillens is unusual for an urban green space. For decades the plot sat undeveloped, alternating between a neglected dumping ground and informal vegetable patches cultivated by nearby residents, especially during the hardships of both world wars and in the years right after the second one ended. In 1995, the municipality of Forest sold the land to a property developer with plans to build on it. Those plans collapsed over an unexpected technicality: the proposed access route didn't meet fire department safety requirements, so the building permit was refused. The developer subsequently went bankrupt, and the land remained undeveloped — eventually opening the door for its transformation into a shared garden run by the community itself.

What you'll find inside

Today, Carré Tillens operates as an allotment-style garden maintained collectively by local residents. Rows of vegetable beds tended by neighbors fill much of the space, alongside a composting area for organic waste and a beehive that supports local pollinators. A dedicated off-leash zone lets dogs run freely, while benches scattered in the shade of trees offer a quiet spot to sit. Birdhouses are mounted throughout the garden, reflecting a broader philosophy behind the site: combining small-scale food growing with active support for urban biodiversity.

A garden built on community effort

What sets Carré Tillens apart from a conventional city park is how it's run. Rather than being maintained solely by municipal park services, it's a space shaped and cared for by the residents who use it. That model gives the garden its own rhythm — the vegetable beds, the beehive, the compost heap all depend on people who keep coming back to tend them. For a visitor, this translates into an atmosphere quite different from a manicured public park: more intimate, pleasantly informal, with visible traces of hands-on work in every plot.

Who should visit

Carré Tillens is worth seeking out for travelers who want to see a side of Brussels beyond its grand parks and avenues. Urban gardening enthusiasts, anyone curious about city beekeeping or birdlife, and dog owners looking for an off-leash spot will all find something here. Because the garden sits hidden inside a residential block, it's worth checking beforehand which of the three entrances is closest — the walk through the quiet streets of Uccle and Forest to reach it is itself a pleasant part of the visit.

Frequently asked questions

Is the garden open to the public? Yes, it functions as an open green space that visitors can walk through, although the individual vegetable beds are cultivated by specific resident gardeners.

Can I bring my dog? Yes, there is a designated area within the garden where dogs can be off-leash.

Where exactly are the entrances? Access points are located on Rue Joseph Bens, Rue du Fossé, and Rue de Roosendael, at the border between Uccle and Forest.

What can I see besides the vegetable plots? A composting area, a beehive, birdhouses, and shaded benches for resting.