The name Laeken (Dutch: Laken) derives from the Germanic Lacha or Lache ("water", "lake"),[1] because the Molenbeek brook at the time formed a network of ponds at this height.

[5] In February each year, a memorial mass for deceased members of the royal family is held at the church.

It harbours the graves of, among others, the symbolist painter Fernand Khnopff and the opera singer Maria Malibran, and also features an original cast of The Thinker (Le Penseur), by Auguste Rodin.

The Japanese Tower is a pagoda (known as a Tō), inspired by a construction Leopold II saw at the Paris Exposition of 1900.

The impressive buildings of the former goods station of Tour & Taxis and the surrounding area border the neighbourhood, and will be turned into residences, as well as commercial enterprises.