The Hanging Gardens of Leuven - Atlas Obscura

The Hanging Gardens of Leuven

A monumental toilet that is also host to rare plants.  

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The Netherlands has a strange knack for making toilets that become monuments, as one can be found in Amsterdam and Leiden. While the city of Leuven is now in Belgium, it used to be part of the Netherlands, which may explain this unusual place.

The hanging gardens of Leuven is a 19th-century urinal with three spots, and a simple wall for modesty. It is right next to a large church, and right on the edge of a protected monumental neighborhood, which makes it a monumental toilet. 

Unlike most public toilets however, this one is actually rather pleasant to visit, as it has constantly streaming water that washes over porous rocks that were attached to the walls of the structure a long time ago. Since then many different kinds of plants have made the place their home, some of which are so rare that the place got protected once more as a unique biome. 

Regardless of whether you like architecture, plants, or just need a place to go, this may be the stop for you.

Know Before You Go

The toilet is publicly available.

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