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Flemish Brabant

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Tervuren

AfricaMuseum (Royal Museum for Central Africa)

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Places to see

Belgium

Flanders

Flemish Brabant

Leuven

Tervuren

AfricaMuseum (Royal Museum for Central Africa)

Recommended by 37 hikers out of 39

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Location: Tervuren, Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Flanders, Belgium

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Best Hikes to AfricaMuseum (Royal Museum for Central Africa)

4.8

(18)

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1. Arboretum TERVUREN – Kasteel Dry Borren loop from Tervuren

25.3km

06:42

230m

Expert hike. Very good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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4.7

(9)

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2. Castle Pond, Park van Tervuren – Tervuren Park loop from Duisburg

15.4km

04:03

130m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

5.0

(3)

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3. Castle Pond, Park van Tervuren – AfricaMuseum Tervuren loop from Hoeilaart

14.8km

03:55

140m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

Tips

December 7, 2024

King Leopold II wanted to introduce the Belgian population to the Congo colony through a museum. The royal domains in Tervuren were chosen as the location. This was the birth of the Congo Museum. Initially, on the occasion of the Colonial Exhibition in 1897 in the Africa Palace (former Colonial Palace) that had been set up for this purpose, but this soon proved to be too small.

The French architect Charles Girault was appointed to draw up the plans for a new museum. The building had to radiate the prestige of the then young Belgian state.

The works began in 1904 and lasted until 1909. The building in a neoclassical architectural style looks impressive. The Parisian Petit Palais served as a model for the museum.

After years of renovation, the museum has undergone a major change in appearance. From now on, a new reception pavilion (with ticket sales, shop, restaurant) provides access to the museum. An underground gallery leads from this pavilion to the old museum building. It was renovated and restored with respect for the original, protected architectural concept. Light and transparency are reintroduced into the building, just as architect Girault had in mind when building this museum. The original perspectives and views in the building were opened up. The current patio garden was given a contemporary intervention. Part of it was deepened. This sunken garden brings light to the underground level and can serve as an open-air theatre.

Opposite the museum on the Leuvensesteenweg, an elephant by Albéric Collin (1886-1962), the most important Belgian animal sculptor of his time, has stood since 1938. The total height is 5.10 m to the elephant's back, 7 m to the trunk and 8.5 m to the tip of the spear.

Source: regiedergebouwen.be/sites/default/files/park-van-tervuren-warandekaart-juli-2019.pdf

Translated by Google •

Viviane

December 8, 2024

The museum, which is one of the most visited museums in Belgium, houses exceptional collections from former colonies in Central Africa. For example, it has the world's richest and most famous collection of ethnographic objects from Central Africa and the complete archive of Henry Morton Stanley. The institution's scientific interest extends across five different domains:

cultural anthropology,

zoology,

geology,

history and

agricultural and forestry economics.

The museum's content is made accessible by exhibiting part of the collection and organising temporary exhibitions.

Translated by Google •

Viviane

December 8, 2024

The objects and animals exhibited in the main building represent less than 5% of the total museum collection. Some figures illustrate the richness of the collection. The Department of African Zoology has more than 10,000,000 specimens, including 6,000,000 insects and 1,000,000 fish. Furthermore, the museum has more than 80,000 wood samples in the xylarium, 200,000 rock samples and 17,000 minerals.

The ethnographic collection boasts 120,000 ethnographic objects (of which 1,600 are in the exhibition halls). The ethnomusicology department manages 8,000 musical instruments collected in sub-Saharan Africa and in particular in Central Africa (Congo, Rwanda and Burundi) and 2,500 hours of recordings of traditional music from sub-Saharan Africa (in particular Central Africa), the oldest of which date back to 1910 (Edison wax rolls). The xylarium contains more than 56,000 wood samples. More than 500,000 films and photographs are kept in the film library and photo libraries. Finally, the History department manages thousands of historical objects and three kilometres of archive documents.[10] Some of the collections are digitally accessible via the libis network.[11]

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 120 m

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Location: Tervuren, Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Flanders, Belgium

AfricaMuseum (Royal Museum for Central Africa)

1. Arboretum TERVUREN – Kasteel Dry Borren loop from Tervuren

2. Castle Pond, Park van Tervuren – Tervuren Park loop from Duisburg

3. Castle Pond, Park van Tervuren – AfricaMuseum Tervuren loop from Hoeilaart

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