In the heart of Brussels, close to the European quarter, lies the Parc du Cinquantenaire, or Jubelpark. This park, created in its current form around 1880, was the intended location for the organisation of trade fairs and international expositions. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was the showpiece of Belgium’s wealth and ingenuity. The buildings and exhibition halls which served this purpose still stand and today are home to a number of museums, including the Art & History Museum – Belgium’s largest and most varied museum. Although the collections of the Art & History Museum rival those of the Louvre or the British Museum, it remains for many a hidden gem. Yet even the buildings themselves are worth a visit: the grandeur of the 19th century architecture – from the imposing facades to the great halls and galleries hidden within – will surely take your breath away. The collections themselves are everything a lover of art and history could wish for. The museum takes you on a journey through history and around the world, beginning with archaeological discoveries from the birth of mankind, via ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, the middle ages, the 16th to 18th centuries and culminating with the art nouveau and art deco of the early 20th century. In addition to the vast Belgian and European collections are treasures from long-lost non-European civilisations from Asia and the Americas. Visitors can easily spend an entire day surrounded by some of the oldest and most beautiful objects created by mankind. A number of masterpieces stand out: the statuette which inspired Hergé’s Tintin and the Broken Ear, for example, and an original Easter Island statue – donated to Belgium by the Chilean government and brought to us onboard the famous Mercator. But the museum is also home to world-renowned collections of Belgian tapestries, stained-glass windows and Mosan art, together with Belgian royal carriages and precision instruments.
