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Royal Museum of Central Africa
Address:
Leuvensesteenweg 13
3080 Tervuren
Phone: +32 / (0)2 / 769.52.11
Fax: +32 / (0)2 / 767.02.42 - +32 / (0)2 / 769.56.38
E-mail: info@africamuseum.be
Website: http://www.africamuseum.be
Open: daily from 10am to 5pm; Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 6pm
Closed: Monday, January 1, May 1, December 25; December 24 and 31: closed at 3pm
Price: of the permanent collection between 1,50 € and 4 € - free admission every first Wednesday of the month, as of 1pm
Visits: upon reservation at +32 / (0)2 / 769.52.00
Services: library - slide collection - shop
Facilities: cafeteria - accessible to disabled persons
Accessibility: Metro: Montgomery + Tram 44 - Bus (De Lijn) 317 410
Collection: This museum, situated in a superb building and beautifully designed park, presents all aspects of the African continent.
Description: Surrounded by a beautiful park, this stately edifice was built between 1904 and 1910 at the command of King Leopold II. In less than 100 years, the institution has managed to become one of the top-ranking museums in the world devoted to things African.
This museum is home to the largest collection of ethnographic objects from central Africa. Liberally sprinkled with pictures, masks, everyday objects, jewels, decorative elements and musical instruments, it showcases the richness and diversity of the African continent. The halls devoted to zoology include a wide range of exotic animals, from the tsetse fly to the elephant.
The fascinating history of the exploration of central Africa and the Belgian presence in the Congo is one of the museum's mainstays. Original geographical maps, Henry Morton Stanley's suitcase, a Portuguese commemorative column and African works of art with strong Christian and colonial influences all bring the past under the spotlight.
Now, a new impetus is driving this respectable institution. Going beyond the traditional museum concept, it intends to present an open window on the African continent, a change clearly reflected by the desire to understand Africa and its Belgian colonial past in a more critical and objective way.
As part of this trend towards a more objective view of Africa and its Belgian colonial past, a historical tour can serve as a common theme for visitors. A number of objects are placed in their historical context, and the way they are displayed refers to the state of mind at that time, or to the ideology that dictated the content of certain exhibition areas.
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