This typical « serrist »* house from the last century is situated in the « Kern » of the village, on top of a hill, overlooking the village centre. From there the address "Panoramalaan » (Panorama Avenue)
The garden is oriented southeast surrounded by gardens and open green spaces on which there used to be dozens of greenhouses that were owned by the former villa owner, in which the famous local grapes were grown that used to be exported to USA and UK, and still are, although few left, exceptional grapes to make a health diet on each year.
The present street (Panoramalaan) was the access path to the Villa Hortensia in former times. There were 27 greenhouses on the grounds surrounding the house (see picture).
They were demolished and the ground was cut into a small estate of 7 lots in the sixties, when the cost of energy became too high for the grapes to be competitive to the foreign southern imports.
The Hoeilaart « House of Light » in the « glass village » had become a famous tourist site, where groups would pass by a path along the back of the house to see it. Now the hedges have grown higher and do not allow this any more. TV made several shows on it and the press also keeps printing articles and photographs of the house.
A famous band started its jam sessions in this house some 15 years ago. The band is called "les Lundis d’Hortense" ("The Mondays of Hortense", because they had their rehearsals every Monday in this House).
