After having stood vacant for six years, Tervuren’s iconic Bootjeshuis, located next to the city’s ponds, is to get a new lease of life. A 40-year leasehold has been assigned to three operators who will be renovating the building before reopening its doors to the public in 2026.
With its splendid location next to the ponds in the Parc de Tervuren, the Bootjeshuis has been part of the city’s landscape for decades, with many locals having fond memories of the place that once rented small boats to navigate the waters. However, the building has stood vacant for six years, as administrative hassles complicated the matter of finding a new operator for the site.
“The residents regret that such a beautiful location, with a terrace and a view of the ponds, remains unused. But assigning it to an operator must be done according to government regulations, which takes some time. So I don’t think there will be a terrace at the Bootjeshuis this summer”, Tervuren’s mayor Marc Charlier told the Belgian news site VRT Nws in 2024, when the city obtained a leasehold for the building from the Belgian Commission for Buildings.
Three professionals, one project
Following that transfer of responsibilities, Tervuren launched a competition at the beginning of 2025 in order to find new operators for the Bootjeshuis. The city has chosen the winning project on 18 November 2025, which will be led by culinary professionals Loïc Van Impe, Kevin Schietecatte, and Tom Cumps. In their turn, they have been assigned a 40-year leasehold for the building.
Once the leasehold goes into effect, which is scheduled to happen somewhere between the end of 2025 and the start of 2026, the three new operators will start by thoroughly renovating the location in order to make it fit for its new purpose. On the one hand, the Bootjeshuis will once again function as a restaurant; on the other hand, it will become a base for Tervuren’s tourism offer.
“Our menu will remain limited. We will be serving well-known dishes such as pancakes and croque monsieurs. We want to serve as many homemade dishes as possible, supplemented with the best from local producers. The fact that we can do this in the Bootjeshuis makes it extra special. I used to work here for years as a student. It’s wonderful that we can now turn it into a vibrant restaurant where everyone is welcome”, Van Impe told VRT Nws.
While large-scale renovations are needed to get the Bootjeshuis up-to-date, Loïc Van Impe, Kevin Schietecatte, and Tom Cumps hope to be welcoming their first guests in the spring of 2026. Boat rentals will no longer be provided, however, as this is not in keeping with the current environmental regulations.
The benefits of the new lease of life for the Bootjeshuis are twofold. Not only will the iconic location be revived, but the city also hopes to fund the restoration of the Warandepoort and the Chapel of St. Hubert with the income of the leasehold. Those works are scheduled to start in 2027.
