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Some 5km southeast of the city, the leafy suburbs are left behind for the dense beech woodland of the Foret de Soignes , one of Belgium's most beautiful national parks. Originally a royal domain used for hunting, it once covered over 27,000 acres; sadly, more than a century and a half of development has taken its toll. In the 1820s the king of the Netherlands gave the forest to the "General Society for promoting National Industry" and large parts of the forest were subsequently sold off, before it was turned over to the government in 1843. Further depletion followed when sections of the forest were cleared to make way for country estates, agricultural complexes and country houses, and in 1861 a huge slice was carved off to create a large urban park, now known as Bois de la Cambre. Today just over one-third of the original forest remains. What is left stretches from Bois de la Cambe in its most northerly reaches, 10km southeast to La Hulpe, and from Uccle in the west, some 9km east to the Arboretum Geographique which lies less than a kilometre south of Parc de Nervure. Despite the piecemeal development, it still remains one of the region's most attractive spaces, and is a popular escape for walkers and cyclists, as well as horse riders, golfers and anglers. To get there, take tram #44 from Metro Montgomery, a lovely trip, which takes you down the chestnut tree-lined avenue de Tervuren and into the forest, before reaching the terminus at Tervuren town. The forest is also accessible from Bois de la Cambe, although you have to cross the unpleasant chaussee de la Hulpe before you reach the forest's peaceful, winding footpaths
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