Plaine des Loisirs - Lustplein

Plaine des Loisirs – Lustplein is a modest but historically meaningful square in the municipality of Anderlecht, part of the Brussels-Capital Region. The square carries two official names — French "Plaine des Loisirs" (literally "leisure ground") and Dutch "Lustplein" (literally "pleasure square") — a reflection of Belgium's bilingual capital, where French and Dutch hold equal official status.

Where exactly is this square located?

The square sits at the heart of La Roue (Dutch: Het Rad), one of Anderlecht's distinctive garden-city neighbourhoods, whose houses were mostly built during the 1920s. Its geographic coordinates are 50.821541 N, 4.299002 E. The La Roue district is valued today for its coherent, small-scale character — modest, picturesque single-family houses that together offer a vivid picture of an early 20th-century working-class neighbourhood, designed around the garden-city ideal of combining housing with green, communal space.

What role has this square played in the neighbourhood's history?

Lustplein/Plaine des Loisirs holds a special place in the story of La Roue: it was the very first public space laid out during the first construction phase of the garden city, back in 1921. That means the square came into being almost simultaneously with the district's earliest houses, and it has served as a central gathering point ever since. Over the following decades, the space was gradually enriched with facilities aimed at serving the local community — a primary school was built right next to the square in 1938, and a playground for children was added to the grounds at a later stage.

What does the square look like today?

The layout of Lustplein centers on an open, central clearing, flanked on its sides by long rows of trees. This composition — a green, empty core framed by tree lines — gives the square a calm, intimate recreational character, quite different from the busier commercial or transit squares found in central Brussels. The trees act as a natural buffer separating the open core of the square from the surrounding residential buildings, which makes it especially well suited to quiet rest and neighbourly interaction.

What purpose does the square serve for residents?

For nearly a century now, Lustplein has remained an important meeting point and a venue for the local community's various activities. The presence of a primary school right nearby naturally ties the square into the daily rhythm of families with children living in La Roue, while the playground makes it a particularly attractive spot for the youngest residents. At the same time, the square's open layout allows for larger neighbourhood gatherings and events, making it something of a true heart for this part of Anderlecht.

Frequently asked questions

Is Lustplein a large square? Plaine des Loisirs – Lustplein occupies a relatively small area, matching the intimate scale of the La Roue garden-city district in which it sits.

How do you get there? The square is located in the municipality of Anderlecht, within the La Roue district, in an easily reachable part of the Brussels-Capital Region.

What else is worth seeing nearby? The square is directly surrounded by the 1920s housing of La Roue — modest, picturesque single-family homes built in the garden-city spirit — as well as the nearby primary school dating from 1938.

Is there a playground for children? Yes, a playground was added to the square's grounds in the years following its original creation in 1921.

Why does the square have two names? This reflects Brussels' official bilingualism — the French "Plaine des Loisirs" and the Dutch "Lustplein" are two equally valid names for the same place, used by the region's French- and Dutch-speaking residents respectively.