The Brussels museums

Museums in Brussels In the Brussels-Capital region, some 80 museums exhibit their collections in fields as diverse as art, folklore, and the sciences. A.Lorgnier ©

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In Brussels, the royal fine arts museums of Belgium include the Museum of Ancient Art and the Museum of Modern Art. The former is famous world-wide for its collections of Flemish early masters: Van der Weyden, Petrus Christus, and Hans Memling, plus the works of Bruegel and Rubens. The latter shows paintings and sculptures from the 19th century and statues and paintings from the 20th century, including those of Magritte. The town is also distinguished by its Art Nouveau buildings. Amongst the most beautiful is the Horta Museum. This former residence, built by the architect of the same name, dates from the beginning of the 20th century. The interior is full of curves, iron, and glass. Do not miss its staircase. Then there are the Vaucquez warehouses. Today, they hold the comic strip centre. This has more than 3,000 original boards by the most famous authors. Its Museum of the Imaginary penetrates the universe of the heroes: Blake and Mortimer, Gaston Lagaffe, Lucky Luke, Spirou, and Tintin, etc. A final part shows the modern comic strip. The museum of musical instruments has its domicile in the old Old Ingland warehouses, which have recently been restored. This building, in metallic arabesques, contains 7,000 musical instruments from all over the world. The Hannon hotel has a photographic area. If you like Art Nouveau, prolong your visit with the Tassel hotel, the Paul Hankar house, and the Van Eetvelde hotel, then visit the facades of the hotels Solvay, Hallet, and the Maison Cauche. In the Cinquantenaire Park, the museum of the same name has rich collections of antiques and decorative arts. The Toone theatre royal gives puppet shows, a great tradition in Belgium.