AfricaMuseum
Belgium'S Museum Of Central Africa, In A Palace Built For Leopold II'S Colonial Propaganda And Reopened In 2018 After A Renovation That Set Out To Confront That Colonial Past · Tervuren, Flemish Brabant Province
The AfricaMuseum, formally the Royal Museum for Central Africa, stands in a grand park at Tervuren, on the edge of Brussels. Its story begins with King Leopold II, who ran the Congo Free State as his personal possession from 1885 to 1908. For the 1897 world exhibition he staged a colonial show here, including a so-called human zoo of Congolese people, some of whom died; the palace that followed, built around 1910, was meant to promote colonisation. The Congo Free State's rule rested on forced labour and brutal violence, and millions of lives were lost - figures are disputed, but the atrocities are well documented. After a long renovation, the museum reopened in December 2018 with a new permanent exhibition that set out to confront this past, reportedly working with Congolese and African diaspora advisers. Visitors come for its vast collections of art, objects and natural history, and for the debate itself. The honest caveat: critics say it still does not go far enough, and the old palace sometimes overpowers the new message.
Leuvensesteenweg 13, Tervuren, at the end of the tram line from Brussels, Tervuren, Flemish Brabant Province, Belgium
The museum is typically open Tuesday to Sunday, roughly 10:00-17:00 on weekdays and a little later at weekends, and closed on Mondays and on some public holidays such as 1 January and 25 December - check the current schedule. The park and French gardens around the palace are open daily and free, from early morning until dusk. Getting there: tram 44 from Montgomery in Brussels runs out to Tervuren along the Avenue de Tervuren and through the Sonian Forest, a lovely ride of about 20-25 minutes - confirm the route number and times with STIB/MIVB, as tram routes are sometimes renumbered or replaced during works. From the terminus at Tervuren it is a short walk to the museum. By car, there is a paid car park; the drive from central Brussels crosses the Brussels low emission zone. Booking online ahead is sensible at weekends and in school holidays; guided tours must be booked.