The museums of Brussels are very interesting sights of the Belgian capital. Every tourist should visit them. Here you will find fascinating masterpieces for every taste: from classical art to modern art, from unique musical instruments to all kinds of chocolate. In this article we will talk about the most interesting places in the city.
A unique collection of paintings and sculptures
The first must-see museum in Brussels is located in Ixelles. This is a suburb of the Belgian capital. Here you will find an impressive collection of sculptures and paintings, which is owned by the government of the country. This is a whole complex of museums in Brussels, which includes several sites. They contain collections of ancient and modern art.
The Royal Museum of Art in Brussels was founded by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1801. A few years earlier, art was confiscated in the Belgian capital when the Austrian Netherlands was occupied by revolutionarytroops of France. Some of the canvases and sculptures were transported to Paris. The rest became the basis of this collection.
After the overthrow of Napoleon, all confiscated valuables were returned to their owners and the state. Today, the Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels has the opportunity to get acquainted with the complete collection. The funds expanded considerably during the reign of King William I. In 1835, Leopold I decided to create a Museum of Belgian Artists. Later, both collections (royal and city) were merged. This is how the Museum of Art in Brussels appeared in its current form.
Today, a collection of works from the 19th century is kept in the Habsburg Palace. A building was added to the museum relatively recently. This is due to the fact that the collection has gathered a huge number of works by contemporary masters.
Masterpieces of Flemish painting
In the next museum in Brussels on our list, you have the opportunity to get acquainted with several unique collections at once. For example, Flemish.
More than one thousand works of European art from the 14th to the 18th centuries are collected here. The basis of the collection is Flemish painting. Almost all the artists of this region are represented by their most significant works.
The Royal Museum in Brussels has in its collections the famous Pieta by Rogier van der Weyden. Also here are the famous painting "The Annunciation" by Robert Campin, paintings by Petrus Christus, Dirk Bouts, Hugo van der Goes.
The museum has seven portraits by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, including the Adoration of the Magi,"The Fall of the Risen Angels", "Census in Bethlehem".
Rubens is represented by a large number of paintings. In addition, in this collection you will find paintings "Deer Hunting" and "Pantry" by Frans Snyders, "Wedding" by Pieter Brueghel (the younger), "Drinkers in the courtyard" by Adrian Brouwer.
Dutch, Italian and French painting
It is worth mentioning the works of these countries separately. It must be admitted that the Dutch collection as a whole looks quite modest, but it is distinguished by the uniqueness of the exhibits presented. Here visitors will see several portraits of Frans Hals, Pieter de Hooch's The Common Glass, Rembrandt's work, Gabriel Metsu's Meal.
The most popular exhibit in these halls is the famous triptych by Hieronymus Bosch "The Temptation of St. Anthony".
French painters are represented by the works of Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Hubert Robert, Claude Lorrain. The Venetian school predominates in the Italian halls. Here you will find Jacopo Tintoretto, Carlo Crivelli, Giambattista Tiepolo.
Also among the samples of ancient art are the magnificent works of Lucas Cranach (senior).
Modern Art
The basis of the museum was the work of local Belgian artists. Next to the novelist Antoine Josef Wirtz, the sculptures of Constantin Meunier look interesting, the heroes of which are non-standard characters. These are miners, coal miners and other workers.
Pride of the collection - "Salome"Alfred Stevens, who is considered the most famous representative of Belgian impressionism. The museum also presents the works of Fernand Knopf, James Ensor.
Here you will find a large collection of works by Belgian surrealists. You will be especially impressed by the paintings of Paul Delvaux with typical railroad scenes.
Rene Magritte
In a separate majestic building (its area is two and a half thousand square meters) there are works by Rene Magritte. It is located on the Royal Square in the Belgian capital. This is part of a large-scale architectural complex built in neoclassical style.
Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist. He left behind a huge number of mysterious and mysterious works. The Magritte Museum in Brussels has several dozen paintings. The ticket price is ten euros. Discounted entry for pensioners - 8 euros, for young people - three euros.
Museum of Musical Instruments
It is one of the world's largest collections of musical instruments. More than eight thousand traditional, academic and folk musical instruments have been collected here. The museum in Brussels was founded in 1877. Most of it is made up of exhibits donated to King Leopold II. This is a collection of 19th-century Belgian musicologist François-Joseph Fethi and Indian folk instruments.
At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, a curatorMuseum was the organologist Charles Mayon, who compiled a five-volume catalog of all exhibits and donated his unique instruments to the collection. The Belgian composer and teacher François Auguste Gevaert also contributed to its development. In particular, he organized a series of early music concerts on historical instruments no longer in use.
After the Second World War, medievalist Roger Bragard and musicologist Nicolas Meyus worked to replenish the collection.
Initially, the museum itself was located in the Brussels Conservatory. But since 2000, the permanent exhibition has moved to a historic building built in 1899 in the Art Nouveau style.
Traveling exhibitions are organized from time to time, contemporary masters such as Bernard and Francois Bachet give concerts.
Chocolate Museum
It is one of the most interesting places in the city. This is a two-story house located in an alley near the Grand Place. It is very easy to find it for its delicious aromas. It is worth recognizing that chocolate appeared in Belgium only in the second half of the 18th century. At first, it was used exclusively as a medicine. However, for the last century the country has been one of the world's leading countries in the production of chocolate. It was here that pralines were invented, chocolates were invented, and fillings were added to them.
The Chocolate Museum in Brussels is also a shop. As soon as you step into it, the aroma of melted chocolate immediately envelops you.
The exhibition presents the whole history of thisproduct, since the time of the Mayans and the Aztecs, who were the first to cultivate cocoa trees and prepare this drink of the gods. You will then be told how chocolate came to Europe.
Of course, the most interesting thing is the process of making real Belgian sweets. Visitors will be able to visually see all stages of production, learn how chocolate figurines are made, and, if they wish, take part in this exciting process themselves.
Horta Museum
When in Brussels, be sure to visit the exposition dedicated to the work of the architect Victor Horta, who became one of the founders of the Art Nouveau style. The museum is located in the house where the master himself once lived and worked. Since 2000, this building, along with three other mansions made according to his design, has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Horta project was completed in 1901. But even after that, the architect constantly made some changes and improvements. In 1906, a garden appeared near the house. Horta later enlarged the studio, adding a winter garden and outdoor terrace. After the construction of the garage in 1911, the appearance of the space in front of the house has changed beyond recognition.
In 1919, the building was acquired by Major Pinte, and later the two parts of it were completely separated from each other.
The residential part of the house was purchased by the commune of Saint Gilles in 1961. Then a museum was set up in it. A few years later, a reconstruction was carried out, after which the building fully corresponded to its purpose.
Constantexposure
The permanent exhibition inside includes a collection of Art Nouveau furniture, art and tools used by Horta and his contemporaries.
The medium-sized building was used by the architect as a laboratory where he experimented with various building methods. He used the best technology available to him at the time. This building is known to many thanks to the glass ceiling, which is located directly above the main staircase.
Museum of Military History and the Royal Army
It is located at some distance from Brussels in the territory of the Cinquecentenary Park. However, it is definitely worth a visit.
The first exhibition dedicated to the military history of Belgium, was framed in it in 1910, arousing great interest among the public. The idea soon arose to make the museum permanent.
The collection features a variety of weapons, small arms and edged weapons, tanks, artillery, aircraft, as well as various types of uniforms, from the Middle Ages to the present.
The collection is considered one of the largest in the world in this direction. A separate hundred-meter pavilion houses military aircraft from the first models of airplanes to the most modern jet fighters. There is a special tank yard.
A large number of exhibits date back to the eras of significant wars in history: the First and Second World Wars, as well as the colonial one.
