Royal Museum for Central Africa

The Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren enchants with its neo-classical grandeur and vivid displays of Central African natural history and art. Its honest exploration of colonial history, dynamic contemporary exhibitions, and tranquil arboretum make every visit both enlightening and serene.

I was somewhat disappointed. The entrance area did not make a positive first impression; it seemed rather new. The building and interior felt large, cold, and empty, and the overall area felt somewhat wasted. However, the museum itself was quite nice and interesting, which compensated for these shortcomings. The museum was uncrowded, providing us more time to explore. The well-maintained park was a pleasant and relaxing place, with more young families with their dogs than museum-goers.

Royal Museum of Central Africa covers not only Central African Wild Life also mummies of the Northern Africa. Our visit became further exciting as the there was group of young children in the museum with whom we also mixed up and colorified our trip which now is almost a memoir since we visited Belgium during early 1990.

it was very nice experience! i came there as a Student and from the doorway i was greeted warmly and friendly, with a good discount! I love the history of Africa and such an opportunity to visit such a wonderful museum was really cool!!!

Excellent museum, building and park. You need enough time to read and get informed about all the exponants. The lake and walking around also amazing. No cafė in the museum at least during february. See the anonymous iron and headles statues at the side wall of the palace, the idea of this art is unique. Hope, history teaches the people.

Very well-stocked museums with very educational collections focusing on the culture, wild life and history of central Africa (mostly Congo).

I cannot recommend this highly enough. Take Tram 44 from Montgomery for a scenic ride. They are doing maintenance, but should soon be completed. It passes the Tram Museum, also well worth a stop. I have visited the Africa Museum twice, and still haven't absorbed it all. So educational, set in magnificent grounds in a former Royal Palace. Unfortunately the cafe was closed, but there is a restaurant nearby.

I went to this museum full of hope and big expectations… unfortunately the only part that lived up to it was the building itself : very grand and beautifully renovated . What I didn’t get was a fresh point of view where the past is seen for how it really was a horrific and unjust tirrany Congo and the other colonies had to endure . I really didn’t get that throughout the museum … not enough artefacts and too much “didactic” information , lots of stuffed animals, just slightly outdated in my opinion . The entrance is in another very modern block which is completely empty and unused which is a shame .

An enormous and architecturally impressive museum, set on the edge of Brussels, containing a vast array of natural and ethnographic artefacts reflecting Belgium's colonial rule in Central Africa, better known now as the Belgian Congo. History The story begins with the creation of the Congo Free State in 1885, covering what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire). Effectively, this was a colonial company controlled by King Leopold II of Belgium and ostensibly established to develop the resources and population of the area. However, it became infamous as an example of brutality towards native peoples and of economic exploitation, and was annexed by the Belgian Government as a colony in the traditional sense in 1909. An exhibition to publicise the economic opportunities presented by the 'Free State' was held in 1897 in parallel with the Expo in Brussels, on Royal Parkland at Tervuren. This displayed both wildlife and ethnographic objects as well as the main export products. This became a permanent museum after the Expo, but as the collection expanded, new premises were required, and plans for a huge Baroque palace were commissioned from French architect Charles Girault in 1904, which opened in 1910. This still forms the core of the museum. Today, the research elements of the museum cover anthropology, geology, natural history and history. Overall the museum now aims - in stark contrast to its origins - to contribute towards sustainable development in Africa. The museum The museum lies near the end of the tram route through Tervuren, a leafy suburb south east of Brussels. The main building is impressive in both scale and its elaborate architecture, and is set set off by attractive formal gardens as well as parkland. The collections are, for the most part, still very conservatively displayed, with lots of glass cases containing stuffed animals (although some are in more realistic dioramas) and items such as huge arrays of identical beetles. (Bear in mind that the huge displays still only show 1% of the total collection, most of which is stored in warehouses.) If that's not your thing, the ethnographic collections are more varied and interesting, comprising everything from clothing, armaments and ceremonial masks to everyday objects and even musical instruments. Of particular interest is the exhibition about the explorer (and finder of Livingstone) Henry Morton Stanley, who played a key role in the Congo's colonial development. There are also more modern video displays, as well as some covering Congolese independence: a major exhibition is planned next year covering 50 years of independence. It all makes for sober viewing, though, given that some of the tribal groups whose objects are displayed were effectively wiped out during the Free State period, and of course the complex and often violent history of the former colony since independence. The lack of open recognition of the atrocities carried out in the name of the Free State is still a controversial and sensitive subject, however, although the museum has made efforts in recent years to acknowledge this. Practicalities The easiest way to get to the museum from Brussels is by metro and tram: Brussels Central. Take metro line 1B (direction Stockel) as far as Montgomery station, and change onto tram 44 to Tervuren. The tram journey takes 22 minutes with 4 trams per hour on weekdays and 3 per hour at weekends. The Museum is 300m from the tram terminus. If you're driving, it's on the N3 main road, with plenty of parking and disabled parking on the road in front of the museum. The website gives access details for those with physical disabilities, and guide dogs are permitted inside.

First built to showcase King Leopold II's Congo Free State for the 1897 World Exhibition, this building stands impressive in Tervuren in Flemish Brabant, just outside of Brussels. There has been controversy surrounding the Museum. Some call it "a museum of a museum", as it shows how a museum looked like in the mid-twentieth century. For example, Expo '58 still showed a harmonious Belgian-Congolese relationship, while the country stood on the brink of independence. However, I still found it very useful to visit, not least for the architecture and the wast collections. From the end of November 2013, the Museum will be closed for renovation work which is expected to last until May 2016. The park is still worth a visit though.