Parc de Laeken. Parc de Laeken. <M> Heysel. Southeast of the Atomium, this park is 160 acres, which houses inside the Chinese Pavilion, the Japanese Tower, the monument to Lepold, real greenhouses, the residential real and extensive woodland where you can even get lost. This park was created and designed primarily in the time of King Leopold II. In 1873 he joined the royal palace greenhouses, including a collection of exotic trees, palms and camellias, among many other plants. The palace is closed to the public, but the greenhouses are open two weeks a year, between the months of April and May. The royal residence, or Château Royal, is the official residence of the Belgian royal family and one of the most beautiful buildings in Brussels. It was built between 1782-1784 by Charles de Wailly, but was almost destroyed by fire in 1890, so it was later rebuilt by Alphonse Balat. Near the entrance to the royal domain, there is a monument to Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians, and a little further north, a Japanese pagoda. They say that Leopold II was fascinated to see a temple similar in the Universal Exhibition of Paris of 1900, and commissioned the same architect one for himself. Right in front of the tower can be visited Japanese Chinese pavilion, designed by Alexandre Marcel between 1901 and 1909, which houses a large collection of oriental porcelain. Following the Avenue Jean Sobieski to cross La Ville du Heysel, is the Colonial Garden. It was bought in 1905 by King Leopold II to take there his collections of exotic plants brought from the Belgian Congo in 1964 and transformed into a public park. The garden is made up of a large lawn area, a colonial house and a lake where ducks swim. Further south are the Gardens Jean Sobieski, in which children can enjoy a large playground. Gardener's house