Royal Museums of Art & History (Brussels - Belgium)

Porte de Hal, Musical Instruments Museum & Cinquantenaire Art & History Museum

Brussels is filled with several museums and the first batch I went to were the 3 museums under the Royal Museums of Art & History (there are 4 museums under this of which 3 are functional and 1 is under renovation). Long back when I was here for Flower Carpet, when I was walking from Atomium, I spotted a Japanese Tower but didn’t manage to explore it as I didn’t have time. What I had spotted was in fact, the Museum of Far East, which is one of the 4 museums under RMAH. Currently, it’s under renovation. 

Halle Gate Porte de Hal Brussels Museums

Halle Gate Porte de Hal Brussels Museums

Halle Gate Porte de Hal Brussels Museums

Halle Gate Porte de Hal Brussels Museums

Halle Gate Porte de Hal Brussels Museums

Porte de Hal Brussels Playgrounds

Porte de Hal Brussels Playgrounds

HALLE GATE MUSEUM (PORTE DE HAL)
One of the 3 is Porte de Hal! It looks like a place straight out of a Disney movie but in the middle of a city! At first look, it looks like a castle, however, it’s a part of the city wall and this served as a gate. This is the only surviving gate! The first wall was built in 13th C and was 4km long. The second wall was 8km built during the 14th C. This wall had 7 gates and Porte de Hal was one of those. It was originally 23m high and had a moat all around it. By the 17th C, the wall ceased to be functional and the gates were used for various purposes including a granary, church, prison, etc.
In 1868, under architect Hendrik Beyaert this became a museum, which gave this place a fairy-tale castle-like appearance with neo-gothic features! Today it has 4 floors of which the topmost is a play area for kids, and the 3rd is a temporary exhibition area. The permanent exhibitions are on the 1st & 2nd floors. The 1st floor showcases both the history of the Second Wall as well as some armory. The 2nd floor is all about the various powerful guilds of Belgium that once existed. 
The view from atop is stunning. The best part - both Koekelberg Basilica and Atomium were visible (on either end of the 3rd last pic above!). The Palais du Justice is very close by indeed. Go on a sunny day or at least, a non-rainy day to enjoy the view. 
Here's an extra tip: If you're here if young kids, just beside Porte de Hal, is a fantastic playground drawing inspiration from the architecture of Porte de Hal itself! The whole playground is castle-like and filled with multiple Parcours activities, swings, climbing areas, a sand pit & more! It is super fun for kids and is one of the best playgrounds in Brussels!!!

Where is Porte de Hal (Halle Gate Museum) (On Google Maps): Porte de Hal
Where is Porte de Hal Playground for Children (On Google Maps): Speeltuin Jürgen Bergman
How to reach Porte de Hal (Halle Gate Museum): The nearest metro stop is Porte de Hal which is connect by STIB Metro Lines M2 & M6. The museum is right there over the metro stop! The nearest railway station is Gare du Midi which is about 700m (9 mins walk) away.
Porte de Hal (Halle Gate Museum) Tickets: €7-€10 depending on the temporary exhibition happening there. It is NOT possible to buy permanent exhibition tickets alone if a temporary exhibition is happening there! (Free with MuseumPASSmusées & Brussels Card)
Porte de Hal (Halle Gate Museum) Timings: Mon-Thu: 9:30AM to 05:00PM; Weekend: 10:00AM to 05:00PM; Closed on Fridays

Brussels Museums Musical Instruments Museum

Brussels Museums Musical Instruments Museum

Brussels Museums Musical Instruments Museum

Brussels Museums Musical Instruments Museum

Brussels Museums Musical Instruments Museum

Brussels Museums Musical Instruments Museum

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS MUSEUM
The 2nd museum under RMAH is the Musical Instruments Museum. This has a rather interesting history. If you're an Indian reading this, guess what, the roots of this museum begin with us! 
The Museum was originally set up in 1877. The primary reason was that in 1876, Rajah Sourindro Mohun Tagore gifted 100 musical instruments from India to King Leopold II (yes, this Tagore is related to Rabindranath Tagore but was a few generations before him). Looking at this collection, the famous Belgian musicologist François-Joseph Fétis requested to create a museum of those that he could curate himself, and thus began the existence of this museum. The museum is located inside a fantastic Art Noveau building, which was originally the Old England Departmental store, set up in 1899 by Paul Saintenoy. 
The display is on 4 floors and we began from the topmost. This is dedicated to keyboards beginning centuries ago to now! The early 16th C Virginals were the most interesting for me, esp. the painted details on them! The most bejeweled one here was an upright piano which was a gift from Queen Marie-Henriette. 
There was also a replica of ancient Greek pottery about musical instruments. There were also some wind instruments which were really weird. The Serpent Chandelier of 1790-1810 was the weirdest of them all! Its origins are unknown but believed to be used in the medieval Gregorian Chants. 
On the next floor were the western instruments from ages ago to now. The ceramic whistles were totally cute! The first floor is the most extensive floor. This has 3 sections - Belgian in the center, European to the left, and the rest of the world to the left. It is here that some of the original instruments by Rajah Sourindro Mohun Tagore are displayed. 
The Tibetian musical instruments made of human bones (a trumpet made of the thigh bone) and the human skull were particularly intriguing.  Jew’s Harp was the English cousin of Indian Morsing! The side-blown trumpets of Africa were another interesting thing. The underground floor has some automated musical instruments. 
It is unfortunately not possible to handle any musical instruments, so it might be a bit boring for the children. However, if you're a group of about 10 people, it is possible to organize a guided tour which includes handling some instruments!

Where is the Musical Instruments Museum (On Google Maps)Musical Instruments Museum
How to reach Musical Instruments Museum: The nearest metro stops are Gare Centrale & Parc. The nearest railway station is Gare Centrale. Musical Instruments Museum is located 500m (6 mins walk) from Gare Centrale and 600m (8 mins walk) from Parc Metro.
Musical Instruments Museum Tickets: €15 (Free with MuseumPASSmusées & Brussels Card)
Musical Instruments Museum Timings: Tue-Fri: 9:30AM to 05:00PM; Weekend: 10:00AM to 05:00PM; Closed on Mondays

Cinquantenaire Museum of Art & History Brussels Museums

Cinquantenaire Museum of Art & History Brussels Museums

Cinquantenaire Museum of Art & History Brussels Museums

Cinquantenaire Museum of Art & History Brussels Museums

Cinquantenaire Museum of Art & History Brussels Museums

Cinquantenaire Museum of Art & History Brussels Museums

ART & HISTORY MUSEUM (CINQUANTENAIRE MUSEUM)
The other museum is the largest in Belgium and one of the largest in Europe called the Art & History Museum (prev. Cinquantenaire Museum of Art & History) located in the Cinquantenaire park where the Auto World is also located. 
Art & History Museum has primarily 2 wings - one which is more art-oriented and another which is more historically oriented, on multiple levels. I primarily explored the art-oriented wing, which began with a section just for heart and went ahead with a section for tapestries where I spent the most time. The best way for me to show around it is with this video! There was also a model loom to explain how the tapestry is woven. Other artistic displays included wooden altar sculptures, glassworks incl stained glass windows, crockery, etc.
The archaeology section was underground and was fantastic with, the pottery, jewelry, and reimagined models of ancient Belgium. There are also 6 skeletons displayed underground (as they would have been in an excavation site) with a glass ceiling with arms, jewelry, pottery, etc! 
This was followed by Roman Civilization with a 'huge' miniature model of Ancient Rome complete with a detailed video of how ancient Rome lived & functioned. There are also 4 life-sized videos of models depicting people from different social strata who lived & worked in ancient Rome. 
The left wing has several sections dedicated to several locations around the world incl India, China, Nepal, Srilanka, Native America, South America, etc. 
Obviously, I headed first to the India section. The central feature of the India section is a dancing Nataraja of Chola Bronze Sculpture. There are some granite sculptures of Maha Vishnu, Ganesha, Shiva, etc. On either side are various sculptures of Buddhism (incl. Gandhara & Mathura styles of sculptures) and Jainism. There's also a glass showcase of small artifacts for smaller sculptures and items like comb, devotional objects like Deepalakshmi, etc.
The South-East Asian section also has various sculptures & artifacts of Hinduism & Buddhism and it is very educational to see how the 2 religions are depicted in very different ways in India & Indonesia! There's also a section for shadow puppetry here.
The Native American section also has an area dedicated to the Inuit. The central feature of this section of the Totem pole. There are videos of their devotional dances, livelihood in the midst of ice incl. the construction of an igloo!
Update 2022: Now that I have a MuseumPASSmusées, which includes the entry to Art & History Museum, I've been here several, several times!

Where is Cinquantenaire Art & History Museum (On Google Maps)Musée Art & Histoire
How to reach Cinquantenaire Art & History Museum: The nearest metro stop & railway station is Merode from where the museum if 600m (7 mins walk) away. 
Cinquantenaire Art & History Museum Tickets: €10 (+ €6 if there's a temporary exhibition happening & you'd like to visit it too). Unlike Porte de Hal it is possible to buy tickets for only the Permanent Collection if you'd prefer not to visit the temporary exhibitions. - Free with MuseumPASSmusées & Brussels Card. 
Cinquantenaire Art & History Museum Timings: Tue-Fri: 9:30AM to 05:00PM; Weekend: 10:00AM to 05:00PM; Closed on Mondays

YOUTUBE SHORTS AT CINQUANTENAIRE ART & HISTORY MUSEUM

VIDEO WALK-THROUGH OF CINQUANTENAIRE ART & HISTORY MUSEUM

Cinquantenaire Museum of Art & History Brussels Museums
Cinquantenaire Art & History Museum

Brussels Museums Musical Instruments Museum
Facade of Musical Instruments Museum

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Bhushavali

An ardent traveler by passion. Being an ex - Art History Teacher, my area of interest especially lies in Nature and Heritage. Visited 85 UNESCO World Heritage sites as of June 2022. I've been listed among the Top 7 Women Travel Bloggers of India, Top 50 in UK. I have been interviewed in a couple of TV Shows, Radio Channels and Events as well. Read more about me and read the testimonials of different brands

36 comments:

  1. Normally I am not very into museum but there are some that I find interesting and these ones especially the Cinquantenaire museum looks awesome! I could get lost in there and would get bored! The Instrument museum looks fun to. That Serpent chandelier!!

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    1. I meant I would never get bored if I got lost in there!😂

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  2. There are some really unique musical instruments in this museum! It's good to know that entry is free with the Brussels Card, I'll remember that. As always, some great photos to show the place too.

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  3. Love it! These all look so interesting! Sometimes museums can be really dry but these actually look fascinating, especially the music one. I'd love to see all the different musical instruments through history. How strange is the serpent chandalier! And the bone instruments from Tibet... I would never expect to find these in Belgium. Awesome post :)

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  4. I love roaming around such antiques and history. It is like time travel, the saddest part is the time crunch. I missed visiting this while in Brussels. Glad to see the displays here. So good that they allow photography.

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  5. I just love museum tours and this one is really interesting. So nice to see you take a tour with your little one. I am particularly intrigued by the archaeology section. Will bookmark this for my visit. Cheers!!

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  6. What a spectacular trio of museums! I'd definitely head to the musical instrument museum first- I find it so fascinating to see the various forms that objects took before their modern day versions. Plus, instruments made from human bone? I'd have to see them in person to believe it!

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  7. As Brussels is city of museums, knowing you, this city must be in the list of your favorite one. Knowing that the ancestors of Rabindranath Tagore gifted 100 musical instruments here and they are on display gives a proud feeling. Good to know that this museum also have sections for Asian countries and I would also prefer to see India section.

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  8. There was one really cool-looking elephant with a wide nose- I'm guessing it's a wind instrument of some sort? But I would love to see someone play that! Like, where does your mouth go? haha
    I could spend hours in this museum!

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  9. Ever since watching the movie 'In Bruges' I've wanted to go here. As you mentioned, the architects there have given the place a fairy-tale look. I'm not majorly into museums but the architecture alone is fascinating and the musical instrument one looks pretty cool.

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  10. I agree, the Porte de Hal actually looks like the building in the Disney logo!
    History is always interesting to learn, and this was no exception. I've studied Belgium history, particularly its colonization of the Congo and I am not a fan of King Leopold II due to how brutal and inhumane he was so I wonder why he was gifted 100 musical instruments.

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  11. When I'm traveling I also happen to skip museums. I hate that! I love seeing your posts about museums because you truly capture the uniqueness of each exhibit. Definitely going to add this to my must-see list.

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  12. These museums are really gorgeous. The nusocal mejseum is the highlight for me. Those instruments........ And the serpent chandelier got me laughing. I love the history behind these museums and it's a list visit. Your pictures are captivating. I'd watch the video as I've grown much interest in these musuems.

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  13. I couldn't help drooling for that gold necklace! Omg life previously is so rich! If there is IG during those days, i probably be staying at home, hahaha. The royal feeling is still overflowing in this museum.

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  14. Ahhhh Belgium is on my bucket list and this looks like my husbands kind of heaven! He loves history and would love to visit this museum. And you weren't kidding- it does look like it is straight out of a Disney movie!

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  15. I have visited few museums in Brussels, but I have never been to the Porte de Hal. I wonder how could I miss it... Well, next time.

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  16. You article on Royal Museums of Art & History with its fairy tale castle kind of appearance is excellent. I felt like I am visiting this historic museum. Its great to hear that the walls to this historic city was built in the 13th and 14th centuries. Its said that all except one gate does not exists now. Thank you very much for writing such an amazing article with really good snaps.

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  17. I love visiting museums especially in Europe as there are a lot of history and culture. This museum is no exception. I love that the architecture is so impressive that it makes it worth visiting in itself!!

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  18. fantastic. Did not look like one of those boring museums. Really priceless items being displayed.

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  19. So Staggering and beautiful artifacts kept here. This reminded me of my visit to the History and Art Museum that i saw in Delhi. Its amazing to see every bit of history in one place. Beautiful pictures.

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  20. Those musical instruments are intense! I can imagine myself lounging in that museum for hours on end. I, too, was a bit intrigued upon seeing those Tibetan instruments made of human bones!

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  21. Really cool post. You really do justice to the museums in your pictures and descriptions. Can't wait to visit someday

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  22. I wanted to visit a Musical museum so bad while visiting Brussels but I ran out of time :( My favourite is the Rene Magritte museum, it is more of a gallery but dedicated to this amazing artist :)

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  23. I am a die hard fan of music; hence the one I specifically am in love with out of the three is the Musical Instruments Museum. I however also liked your photograph from the top of the Porte de Hal. All the museums have some wonderful collections and I would love to visit them sometime soon.

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  24. I've been to Belgium but not in Brussels. It's good to know about these museums. I think they are all interesting. I guess it's a good deal getting a Brussels card.

    Liz Gen | fatmoments.com

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  25. Wonderful post. I had no clue Sourindro Mohon Tagore had such far-reaching influence. Thank you for sharing.

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  26. This is a really interesting museum, and one I'd never thought of visiting before. I've definitely remember it when I'm back in Belgium. A fun fact-filled read for sure!

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  27. I dont really go to museums while I am traveling especially when its a short trip but I would love to see this one, because of the beautiful city gate ( which looks like a caste :)) And that Musical Instruments part seems so interesting! I love music so I would probably love everything there! Cant wait to visit Belgium one day!

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  28. I have to say that I"m not as much into museums as I was 12 or 13 years ago when I spent my 1st year abroad in Western Europe (Italy) I think I went to so many museums during that year that I just got tapped out-now I prefer seeing one beautiful creation at a time-like David or a gorgeous historic building. But these museums all have so much history I can enjoy the outside as much as inside-and imagine all of the people over centuries going in and out (my favorite part!)

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  29. I just came from a TD jury so I find the warp-weft confusion totally hilarious :D

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  30. I thought I saw an Indian musical instrument while looking at the pictures of the Musical Instruments Museum. Rajah Sourindro Mohun Tagore gifted 100 musical instruments from India to King Leopold II...wow! That is so fascinating.

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  31. Wow.. These are some pretty interesting museums to visit! I'm pretty intrigued with the Serpent Chandelier.. It looks very interesting.. I wonder how it was used as you've mentioned it was a wind instrument.. And those musical instruments made out from selected human bones.. People from long ago can be very fascinating and resourceful indeed. Overall, such an interesting post! :)

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  32. I've been in Brussels a few times but always for very short periods of time, so I've never had enough time to visit its museums. I may be coming back early next year so I will definitely pay a visit to these ones, they look quite interesting!

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  33. The place is quite beautiful - interesting especially about the forefather of Tagore offering a lot of instruments. Loved that exotic piano picture. There is a similar section and a fairly big one at the Kelkar Museum in Pune. You should visit there and see how gorgeous some of those heritage instruments are -you in particular will love it.

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  34. Really informative post! I've only been to Brussels briefly so I'll be sure to check these out when I visit again

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