Royal Trust (Belgium)

The Royal Trust Society Of Belgium (Koninklijke Schenking, Donation royale) was a donation to the state proposed in a letter by King Leopold II of Belgium on 9 April 1900. In addition some properties were added to the donation in a letter of 15 November 1900. The Belgian government accepted the donation by law on 31 December 1903 (Belgian Monitor of 1 January 1904). When the King handed the Congo Free State over to the Belgian government on 28 November 1907, additional properties were added to the Royal Trust (law of 18 October 1908, published in the Belgian Monitor of 18 October 1908).

The King donated his properties, such as his lands, castles and buildings, to the Belgian nation. Leopold did not want them to be divided amongst his three daughters, each of which was married to a foreign prince. The donation was made on three conditions: the properties would never be sold, they would have to retain their function and appearance, and they would remain at the disposal of the successors to the Belgian throne. Since 1930, the Royal Trust is an autonomous public institution which operates completely independently (Royal decree of 9 April 1930 - Belgian monitor of 29 May 1930).

Properties
The Royal Palace of Brussels and the Royal Palace of Laeken are the property of the Belgian State and are not part of the Royal Trust. However the park surrounding the Royal Castle of Laeken and the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken do belong to the Royal Trust.

The Royal Trust also owns woods and land that it rents to private persons and semi-public institutions.

Used by the royal family (in present or past)

 * Belvédère Castle (private residence of King Albert II)
 * Ciergnon Castle (royal summer retrea near Houyet, in the Ardennes)
 * Fenffe Castle (holiday retreat near Ciergnon Castle)
 * Park of the Royal Castle of Laeken (excluding the castle/palace itself)
 * Royal Greenhouses of Laeken (used for state receptions etc.)
 * Stuyvenberg Castle (former residence of Queen Fabiola, now rented out for private residency)
 * Villa Clémentine (currently the house of Prince Laurent and his family) in Tervuren
 * Villa Schonenberg (residence of Archduchess Astrid, on Stuyvenberg Castle grounds)
 * Villers-sur-Lesse Castle (near Houyet, occasionally used as a hunting lodge)

Open as public parks (total of 7000 ha)

 * Arboretum in Tervuren
 * Dudenpark / Parc Duden in Forest
 * Elisabethpark / Parc Elisabeth in Laeken
 * Koloniale Tuin / Jardin Colonial in Laeken
 * Leopold II-park in Nieuwpoort
 * Maria-Henriëttepark in Ostend

Open to the public

 * Chinese Pavilion in Laeken
 * Japanese Tower in Laeken
 * Memorial Chapel for Queen Astrid of Belgium, in Küssnacht, Switzerland

Rented to golf clubs

 * Golf course in Klemskerke near De Haan
 * Park of Ardenne Castle
 * Park and castle at Ravenstein in Tervuren

Other

 * Château Ferage / Feragekasteel
 * Château of Val-Duchesse in Auderghem
 * dunes in De Panne
 * Koninklijke Villa (Royal Villa) in Ostend
 * Offices in Brussels (Kunstberg / Mont des Arts)
 * Ponds of Boitsfort
 * Sports centre in Strombeek-Bever
 * Terrains of the British School in Tervuren
 * Vier-Armenkruispunt / Carrefour des Quatre-Bras
 * Villers-sur-Lesse
 * Wellington-renbaan (Wellington racecourse) and "Noorse Stallen" (Norwegian Stables) in Ostend
 * 5 km² woodland in Postel
 * 15.5 km² farmland
 * 48 km² woodland in Houyet