Museums, Brussels

The Horta Museum, located in the house that Victor Horta built for himself in 1898, is not a museum in the traditional sense of the word. There are no displays explaining the foundation of art nouveau architecture or even the architect, Victor Horta, instead the house itself serves as the museum.

The Horta Museum is located at Amerikaanse straat / Rue Américaine, 23-25. We walked there from central Brussels but I wouldn't recommend this, it was very far outside the center. Instead take public transportation there and on the way back you can wander through the neighborhood and look at some other examples of Art Nouveau, the museum ticket has several impressive examples listed and the Lonely Planet guide I was using also had an Art Nouveau walk in it.

No pictures are allowed in the interior.

In the centre of Anderlecht is the house where the famous scholar and humanist Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466/69-1536) lived for a while in between all other cities he resided in. He came from Rotterdam where he spent only a short time before being educated and attending universities in Steyn, Leuven, Paris and elsewhere. No wonder his is the perfect name for a European student exchange programme. Here in Anderlecht (then a village outside Brussels and now one of its communes), he stayed in 1521 and this is why the museum part hosts plenty of books that people still come to study and also let you listen to regular lectures. There is also a collection of great Flemish art and my own favourite things; old furniture. It is a cosy house where it feels like people still live and sit and discuss world events at night.

A beguinage is a sort of Belgian monastery but where the nuns were allowed to take up work in their society during daytime. The one at Anderlecth is the smallest in Belgium, only eight nuns lived here. Together, the museum and the beguinage make up the historical core of Anderlecht - a very peaceful place if you have visited the bustling immigrant market before coming here. The gardens are also fascinating and in summertime made up of herbs and other plants which Erasmus encountered during his travels. A real hidden gem of a quarter. You find it by the Rue du Chapitre, 31 (metro stop St Guidon).

A little museum, quite unknown - I bet even not all locals know it. It's Ixelles municipality museum, in Ixelles area obviously. For this reason, I am listing it in Off the beaten path tips too.

The setting is not impressive at all, the interesting permanent collection is: mostly Belgian works and posters.. lots of that. Even think the posters are the highlight of the permanent collection.

The most interesting part was, for me, the great collection of all-eras' bills and posters too. In paintings, not to look over: Rik Wouters (probably my favourite Belgian painter), Permeke and De Smet.

Posters in permanent gatherings:
*Exemples of French posters:
http://www.musee-ixelles.be/ABQ1BR3R/FILE/XLnewsite/collections/0511.htm

*Exemples of Belgian posters:
http://www.musee-ixelles.be/ABQ1BR3R/FILE/XLnewsite/collections/0512.htm

Also, the museum uses to host temporary exhibitions. My first visit in 2001 was to see a Sotheby's paintings collection. I learnt about the exhibition by chance and saw the museum for first time. Happy to have discovered it.

Returned again in May 2005... to attend another exhibition of La Collection Planque. It's always a nice surprise and a refreshing experience to go to this small museum. Still, I enjoyed my two hours (and a bit more) spent in there. I was surprised by the number of attendants as well. Little I knew so many people could have noticed it. Oh! talk Cézanne, Dubuffet, Klee, Picasso.. and the "cultured" people would flock in. Though very little dare to check the interesting permanent collection.

Opening Hours:
*Tuesday-Friday: 1pm - 6.30 pm
*Saturday & Sunday: 10 am - 5 pm

Address: 71 rue Jean Van Volsem - 1050 BXL

This museum is very well done and interesting. Dedicated to the Belgian comic strip and the artists that produce them, this museum is quite extensive, on 3 floors in a art nouveau building designed by Victor Horta and adapted to exhibit the collection. Great bookstore with loads of posters. Quite fun and colorful.

Location
Zandstraat / Rue des Sables, 20
1000 Brussels
02/219.19.80

Opening hours
From 10am to 6pm

Admission
Adults : 6,20 € (Euro) per person.
Seniors : 5 € (Euro) per person
Children under 12 : 2,50 € (Euro) per person

This great museum is located about 10 km outside Brussels. Surrounded by a lot of parks and walking areas, it is ideal place to spend a sunny dan. In case of rain go inside and discover interesting sculptures, maps, animals, plants etc. from Central Africa. Friend of mine who lives in Brussels told me that Tervuren was opened for World Fair (cannot recall the year) and that people from colonies were exposed for visitors in simulation of their natural habitat (how inhumane!). We have tried to find out more but museum guide was reluctant to give us straight answer!

So far, my fave !

I think that if you have a few time in Brussels with MIM, Musee des Instruments de Musique, it is a great deal as far as museums are concerned. For an extra reason : even Brussels people don't know it that much.

I discovered it by chance in 1997, while wandering in Brussels office district. In fact, this used to be an old art district but offices took over art.

The first exhibition I assisted there was "Emile Verhaeren, un mus?e imaginaire". Focus on Emile Verhaeren, Belgian poet, as a link between Belgian and French artists in 1848- 1914 era. Manet, Seurat, Monet, Toulouse- Lautrec paintings adjoined with Rodin woodcarving pieces, Ensor and Meunier drawings. Visitors could even have a glance at epistolary contents that tied those artistes and "passeurs" (a kind of art smugglers) ...

The whole was displayed in a jewel case that is this building that used to be Henri Van Cutsem town house. He had it restaured by Victor Horta so as to settle his private collection (refurbished in 2003). I appreciated the sensible choice as for the place: a feeling of intimacy that bigger exhibition rooms do not deliver. The exhibition led me in the past, when those now famous artists struggled for the then recognition of their art.

Nowadays, Mus?e Charlier' s permanent collection gathers paintings, tapestry, sculpture, furniture and plate items.

Most of artists whose works, of high quality, are exhibited in Mus?e Charlier are Belgian. Painters, for instance, are those of late XIX -early XX centuries. As for pieces of furniture, they just give to the house a cosy atmosphere with their varied style: China, Renaissance, Empire... The history of the collection' s building up is quite interesting to read. First, take a glance at its website (only French and Dutch) and read about history. Then come to Brussels to see it.

Avenue des Arts- Kunstlaan 16 - 1210
Metro M stations: Arts-Loi or Madou
See map at: http://www.musee-charlier-museum.be/fr/contact.phpBrussels

A museum that is dedicated to the Art of bending books. Quite interesting. It has some international collection in bended books; displays histories of bending techniques and uses of materials. Lately, the gathering efforts have been stressed on Belgian works.

A discovery of forgotten discipline. Amazing use of materials, that, unexpectedly, gives room to innovation.

The picture will come but this one is a picture of nearby park: Parc de Woluwe (5 minutes walk to reach the park).

Address:
21 rue du Bemel - 1150 Bruxelles
Rue du Bemel passes through the park

Directions:
From center, take a tub (Stockel direction), step down at Montgomery station. Take tram 39 or 44. Step down at 4th station "Chien vert". OR, by bus 36 if you take it at Schuman station area.

Phone: 02 - 770 53 33

My commune has two quite OTBP museums. This Musée du tram (Tram Museum of Brussels) is the second I wanted to talk about, the first being the Book Binding museum in Bibliotheca Wittockiana.

The tram museum is a working museum with not only old trams but also old busses.
Open from 1.30pm to 7pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from the first weekend of April until the first weekend of October.
For more, see hereafter website http://www.mtub.be/
When in, choose your language (English included).

Also, check hereafter website to see images of those old models of trams and busses. When in, you can see other pics (click on thumbnails on the left). http://users.skynet.be/mtub/Fr/GalerietramshistoFr.html

It's a shame that I live 5 minutes from the museums (both Wittockiana and Musée du tram) but never vitied them. The museums in the center appealed me more. One day.. one day, maybe :) However, those museums are more OTBP ones. A real running off for both kids and lesser kids :)

Address:
364 Avenue de Tervuren, near Mellaerts pond.
Directions:
Take Metroline 1B (dir. Stockel). Step down at Metro M station Montgomery. There, take Tram 39 (dir. Ban Eik) or 44 (dir. Tervuren) from their terminus. Step down at 6th stop “Depot de Woluwe/Woluwe Remise”. Tram museum is just at your left.

Phone:
02.515.31.08

Website:
http://www.mtub.be/

Other Contact:
info@mtub.be ; mtub@infonie.be