From time to time I like to visit a museum in Brussels. There are a lot and as the weather was beautiful, I choose a museum in Tervueren which is located in the suburbs of Brussels and has a very beautiful big parc. It's a nice place to walk around and afterwards visit the museum and have a little drink inside.
King Léopold II of Belgium made the Congo (Africa) to a belgian colony in 1885 and decided that he had to show the potential of the country in an exhibition. When in 1897 the World Fair was held in Brussels, a colonial section was built in Tervuren: the Palace of the Colonies. Would also have been a great place to store possessions !
It was built by the Belgian architect Georges Hobé in Art Nouveau style, using Bilinga wood, an African tree. It displayed ethnographic objects and stuffed animals. In 1898 the Palace of the Colonies became the Musée du Congo, and now the exhibits became permanent. Today it is called the Royal Museum for Central Africa. At present, it is struggling with modernisation. Some call it "a museum of a museum", as it shows how a museum looked like in the 1960s.
Today I only show you the in and outside of the museum. But in there you can see all wild African animals which had been killed and stuffed out.
View from the parc
Front view
You are greeted by this funny orchestra when you arrive near the museum.
A small part of the parc which is quite big
In front of the entrance are these wooden elephants in natural size
A very nice work. They are all out of small wooden pieces.
Inside it looks like a palace. When I was 15 I used to go there with my classmates and we played in this boat, made of one trunk.
and also around this stuffed elephant, which stood free in 1959. There was no entrance fee either. 
Left and right the vitrines with figures, sculptures and tools
The little café invites you for a drink
There are also beautiful bronze sculptures all around the entrance hall
pictures of the locals
and the stuffed animals behind glass. They must be very very old because they are still the same as I have seen them 50 years ago ! It was an event for people to see these animals because at that time you couldn't travel as a tourist all over the world and see them life !
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
AN AFRICAN MUSEUM IN BRUSSELS
Posted by Gattina at Wednesday, March 11, 2009
travel, vacation, Jordan, Egypt, Spain, Turkey, African artwork, Brussels, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervueren
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7 comments:
Hi Gattina!
Wow! Outside the building is gorgeous and the sky is awesome! Inside, the interiors are outstanding! Great job!!
Meanwhile my India 2008 is coming to its end at Blogtrotter. I know you’re getting a bit tired, but there are still some marvels to come ;). Look forward to reading your comments! Enjoy and have a great weekend!
What a lovely post Gattina. The building is delightful as are the exhibits.
These are beautiful shots. Love the elephant. Isn't it special when you go back after so many years and see all the things you saw before?
It's like coming home.The bronze statues are beautiful as is the building inside and out.If they have a fence on top, does it mean there is a roof top to sit/walk on?
Sometimes I wish I could make my walls inside the house like that but I'd be too afraid to try and then find out it won't look nice.
Oh I also loved the elephant made out of wood pieces and the animal band is a gas. lol
Very nice.!!:)
That museum looks very interesting. Maybe next time I'm in Brussels I'll pay it a visit :-)
Oh I love the animal musicians! This is going on my list of must-visits. Love your blog.
-Nancy/San Diego
Gattina, this is a magnificent place to visit! Thanks for showing it to us! :)
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