Castle and Gardens of Freÿr / Meuse (Belgium)
Orange trees wintering for six months
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Until 1976, the orangeries were heated with coke stoves,
which maintained from 6 to 7 degrees C.
During the war, the coke rations were used for the orange trees;
the inhabitants had to be content with green wood.
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Upon the departure of the last gardener, new solutions had to be found.
An automatic heating system fed through a gas tank had to be dropped
after the oil crisis which occurred little afterwards.
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The chief-gardener of Versailles was consulted:
"Here, we do not heat the orangeries".
A light solution was chosen in Freÿr: auxiliary electric radiators.
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Hardly installed, the temperature fell outside to -20 degrees C.
during 4 weeks while it remained inside the orangeries around 1 degree C.
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Such cold did not occur anymore due to the global warming.
Orange trees wintering in the 18th century orangeries
Photo : A. Locher