Mellaerts Ponds, Recreational park with ponds in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Brussels, Belgium

Parc des Étangs Mellaerts is a recreational park in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre and Auderghem, Brussels, formed from two ponds fed by hillside springs. Its banks were regraded into gentle slopes, and the surrounding wet meadows are mown by rabbits. The larger pond once hosted boating; today the restored former dairy serves as a brasserie with a covered terrace.

A merchant named François Mellaerts purchased the land in 1883 and secured an agreement in 1898 to protect the ponds during construction of Tervueren Avenue. This agreement ensured the water bodies remained preserved as green space in the developing city.

The park takes its name from François Mellaerts, the merchant who bought the meadows by the Woluwe in 1883. He and his wife ran a restaurant here and rented boats on the larger pond; the former dairy was later restored and enlarged as the brasserie des étangs, with a covered terrace.

The park lies at the corner of Avenue de Tervueren and Boulevard du Souverain, on the Woluwe-Saint-Pierre and Auderghem border. The banks were rebuilt as gentle slopes, which makes the water's edge easier to approach. The former dairy now houses the brasserie des étangs, with a covered terrace; boat rental, a mini-golf course and a refreshment kiosk operate in fine weather.

The ponds were dug from the marshes of the Woluwe and fed by springs seeping from the hillside. Their banks were reshaped into gentle slopes so plants could root and animals could reach the water. Among the trees, several appear on the Brussels list of remarkable trees: bald cypresses below Tervueren Avenue, four ginkgos near Boulevard du Souverain, and two weeping beeches at the corner of Avenue Marquis de Villalobar.