Enghien: Parks, Gardens and Cultural Heritage

Enghien invites you to combine park landscapes, garden art and historic buildings. Anyone planning a trip with cultural discoveries and varied walking ideas will find several distinct starting points here: Parc d’Enghien with its exceptional Walloon heritage, the Jardin des Dahlias, historic pavilions and the Maison Jonathas – musée de la Tapisserie. When choosing your holiday apartment, you can therefore consider whether you would prefer to focus your days on gardens and landscapes, architectural history or craftsmanship.

Gardens and Park Landscapes in Enghien

The Parc du Château d’Enghien combines a variety of bodies of water, woodlands, historic buildings and themed gardens. These different elements give your stay several facets: you can explore garden design, admire historic architecture or use the landscape as a setting for a relaxing outing. The park is recognised as exceptional heritage of Wallonia. The Jardin des Dahlias in Parc d’Enghien serves as a European dahlia conservatory. For visitors who appreciate unusual plants and designed landscapes, this garden offers a distinct attraction of its own.

Individual buildings also make Enghien’s park landscape distinctive. The Pavillon Chinois is recognised as exceptional heritage of Wallonia and is also a listed building at the entrance to Parc d’Arenberg in Enghien. The Pavillon des Sept Etoiles was built in the 17th century as a heptagonal pavilion at the highest point of Parc d’Enghien. It was formerly known as the Temple d’Hercule. Its historic function was that of an astronomical observatory, from which the sky and horizon could be viewed through 360°.

Church, Tapestries and Urban History

The Église Saint-Nicolas d’Enghien is a Gothic building dating from the 14th and 16th centuries. It includes a 15th-century chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame de Messines. This opens up another way of exploring the history of the town: while the parks illustrate garden and château culture, the church represents Enghien’s sacred architectural history.

At the Maison Jonathas – musée de la Tapisserie, the past also becomes tangible through textile art. The building was constructed on the foundations of the former keep of the lords of Enghien. On display are eight 16th-century tapestries from Enghien and two 17th-century tapestries from Brussels. This combination of historic foundations and tapestries makes the site particularly interesting if, during your trip, you want to discover not only rooms and façades but also examples of craftsmanship.

Planning a Trip with Different Paces

The Circuit du parc d’Enghien offers audio capsules with historical information and anecdotes at every stop. This can give your day a narrative structure without requiring you to commit to a single theme. You can also focus on individual park features, the church or the tapestries. Accommodation in Enghien is therefore an especially suitable base if you want to divide your trip between landscapes, architecture and culture while valuing days planned at your own pace.

You can also visit the following destinations: Ham-Sur-Heure-Nalinnes, Merbes-Le-Château, Beaumont, Ellezelles, Chapelle-lez-Herlaimont, Robechies, Aiseau-Presles and Manage.

For the higher-level travel overview: Hainaut.