Royal African Museum

The museum in Tervuren, presenting unique collections, is a center of knowledge about Africa, in particular about Central Africa. It also presents the memory of Belgium's infamous colonial past. The origins of the museum date back to the international exhibition in Brussels in 1897. King Leopold II treated them as a propaganda tool for his colonial project. Since the area of the African Palace became too small to accommodate the huge number of exhibits, construction of a new seat began. 30 April 1910, the new king of Belgium, Albert I, inaugurated the opening of the museum in a building designed by Charles Girault.  

After years of existence, the museum, criticized for colonial propaganda, was called upon to clearly portray the violence and exploitation perpetrated by King Leopold II in his private colony of the Congo. Artists from Africa were invited to work on changing the profile of the museum. 8 December 2018 museum was reopened. The total exhibition space increased from 6000 to 11000 m². The museum has become a place of remembrance of the colonial past, a world center for research on the past and present societies and natural environments of Africa, in particular Central Africa. 

The collection of the Royal African Museum looks impressive: 
10 000 000 zoological specimens
6 000 000 insects
1 000 000 fish
200 000 rock samples
170 000 photos of Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo from the 19th and 20th centuries 
17 000 minerals
8000 musical instruments

Address:
Leuvensesteenweg 13
3080 Tervuren 

Opening hours:
Tuesday-Friday: 10.00-17.00
Saturday-Sunday: 10.00-18.00

Ticket price:
Adults: 12 Euros
Children up to 18 years: free