Ecolo Bids Farewell to Its Idyllic Kegeljan Headquarters
After nearly a quarter of a century, Belgium’s francophone Green party Ecolo is preparing to leave its historic headquarters at the Kegeljan estate in Salzinnes, on the outskirts of Namur. Party members describe the departure as a moment tinged with both nostalgia and melancholy, as the building has come to symbolize the party’s Walloon roots and its commitment to sustainable, community-driven spaces.
A Home with a Rich History
The Kegeljan estate, comprising a 5,700-square-metre building set within a 1.2-hectare park, has been Ecolo’s federal headquarters since June 2003. But the site’s history stretches back much further. According to La Libre Belgique, the estate is named after Franz Kegeljan (1847–1921), a notable Namur-born painter, pastellist, and engraver who built a private mansion on the site in 1878 with his wife Louise Godin.
As RTBF documented in 2021, the building later served as a hospice for children with tuberculosis before being acquired by Ecolo in February 2000. The party purchased the site to consolidate its federal services, which had previously been scattered across four separate locations in Namur.
A Cooperative Model Reflecting Green Values
From the outset, the Kegeljan site was intentionally oversized for Ecolo’s needs. The plan was always to share the space with other organizations — a vision that aligned with the party’s values of sustainability and community management. According to the Espace Kegeljan cooperative’s official history, the Centre de Santé de Namur became the first tenant in 2000, renovating part of the building even before Ecolo moved in.
In September 2004, Ecolo launched a call for partners to join in managing the property, leading to the creation of Espace Kegeljan SCRL in February 2005. Founded by six associations, the cooperative continues to manage the site, housing multiple tenants alongside the party’s offices.
The Dual Structure of Ecolo
The departure from Kegeljan touches on a defining feature of Ecolo’s identity: its dual geographic structure. The party’s statutes mandate two co-presidents — one Walloon and one Brussels-based — a balance reflected in its infrastructure. Ecolo maintains a Brussels headquarters shared with Groen, the Flemish Green party, near the Place des Barricades, alongside the Namur headquarters at Kegeljan.
As La Libre Belgique’s political journalist Frédéric Chardon writes in his article, part of the series “Ce que racontent les sièges des partis” (“What Party Headquarters Tell Us”), the Kegeljan estate has embodied Ecolo’s Walloon roots for a quarter of a century and played an important role in the party’s internal balances.
A Time of Renewal
The move comes at a pivotal moment for Ecolo. In March 2026, the party elected new co-presidents — Marie-Colline Leroy and Gilles Vanden Burre — with over 93% of member votes, as reported by RTBF and confirmed on the Ecolo official website. The new leadership took over after previous co-presidents Marie Lecocq and Samuel Cogolati stepped down following a challenging period for the party.
The departure from Kegeljan may be part of a broader strategic repositioning under the new leadership. While the exact reasons for the move and details of the new premises remain unclear, the timing suggests a party looking to turn the page and chart a new course.
A Broader Trend in Belgian Politics?
Ecolo’s departure from Kegeljan is not happening in isolation. Another article in La Libre Belgique’s series covers the Défi party putting its historic headquarters at “127” Rue du Commerce up for sale, suggesting that Belgian political parties may be rethinking their real estate strategies. Whether driven by financial considerations, changing work patterns, or a desire for fresh starts, these moves signal a moment of reflection across the political spectrum about the relationship between physical spaces and political identity.
What Lies Ahead
As Ecolo prepares to leave Kegeljan, questions remain about the future of the site. The Espace Kegeljan cooperative will likely continue to manage the property with its remaining tenants, but Ecolo’s departure marks the end of a significant chapter. For a party that has long championed sustainability and community, the building has been more than just office space — it has been a living embodiment of its values.
The bittersweet farewell to Kegeljan captures a moment of transition for Ecolo: a party saying goodbye to its past while looking toward an uncertain but hopeful future under new leadership.