BELvue Museum

BELvue Museum

Musée BELvue  (French) BELvue Museum  (Dutch)
Hôtel Bellevue, home of the museum.
Location within Brussels
Location	Place des Palais / Paleizenplein 7, B-1000 City of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium
Coordinates	50°50′34″N 4°21′39″E / 50.84265°N 4.3607°E / 50.84265; 4.3607
Type	History museum
Owner	Fonds BELvue
Website	Official website

The BELvue Museum (French: Musée BELvue, Dutch: BELvue Museum) is a museum in Brussels, Belgium, that focuses on the history of Belgium. It is managed by the King Baudouin Foundation.

The museum is located in the Hôtel Bellevue, an 18th-century neoclassical hôtel (townhouse), next to the Royal Palace of Brussels. This site is served by Brussels Central Station, as well as by the metro stations Parc/Park and Trône/Troon.

History[]

In 1977, the Hôtel Bellevue was converted into a museum building, housing a collection from the nearby Royal Museums of Art and History. After 1992, two small museums opened in the building relating to the history of the Belgian monarchy: the Dynasty Museum (French: Musée de la Dynastie, Dutch: Museum van de Dynastie) and the King Baudouin Memorial (French: Mémorial Roi Baudouin, Dutch: Memorial Koning Boudewijn).

In 2005, the Hôtel Bellevue reopened as a museum devoted to the history of Belgium, presenting a chronological display about the nation's history since 1830.

Museum[]

Since its opening, the BELvue Museum, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation, has completely renewed its permanent exhibition. Employing a theme-based approach and with a modern, interactive exhibition layout, the museum offers visitors the keys to understanding Belgium and Belgian society.

Seven social themes are addressed in the rooms: democracy, prosperity, solidarity, pluralism, migration, language and Europe. Each theme is firstly presented from the perspective of the present day, then subsequently developed and explained through the history of Belgium. How did Belgium and the Belgians become what they are today? In the BELvue’s new exhibition, history is not an end in itself, but rather a means to explain and provide the keys to understanding and interpreting our society.

This overview of Belgiums past and present is complemented by a gallery of more than 200 objects. Presented chronologically from the 19th century to today, the pieces embody Belgium’s “physical memory”. Visitors will find everyday objects, works of art and design, well-known brands, scientific discoveries, references to great sporting achievements as well as objects that recall the richness of our popular culture.^[1]

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to BELvue Museum.

• Official English-language site of the BELvue Museum
• Official English-language site of the King Baudouin Foundation

Coordinates: 50°50′34″N 4°21′39″E / 50.84265°N 4.3607°E / 50.84265; 4.3607