Set on the grounds of the park of Tervuren, this museum occupies a palatial building designed by King Leopold II (1835-1909) specifically to house the booty and baggage from his imperial conquests in the Congo. It includes African masks, dwellings, canoes, costumes, and maps and mementoes of the Stanley and Livingstone expeditions, the most important ethnographical relics of a then-stone age civilization. The museum was recently renovated to present a more contemporary decolonized vision of Africa, with a new underground gallery that aims to put the collection into context and additional galleries that showcase African artists working today. Among them is Congolese artist Aimé Mpané whose large chiseled-wood sculpture of an African man in profile takes center stage in the building’s Great Rotunda.
Brussels
Travel Guide
Brussels› Attraction
Royal Museum for Central Africa
Leuvensesteenweg 13, Tervuren
Our Rating
Hours
Tues–Fri 11am–5pm, Sat–Sun 10am–6pm
Phone
02/769-5211
Prices
Admission 12€ adults, 8€ seniors, 4€ ages 18–26, free for children 17 and under
Web site
Royal Museum for Central Africa
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.