Musées de Verviers

About the museum

In 1855 the painter, historian and collector Jean-Simon Renier, a native of Verviers, offered the town two rooms of his house to be opened to the public, where he showed paintings, miniatures, prints, sculptures, furniture and souvenirs of Verviers' past. The collection quickly grew through gifts and purchases: the former hospice on rue Renier was converted into a Fine Arts museum and inaugurated on 10 August 1884. Renier remained its voluntary curator until his death in 1907.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the town's great wool industrialists left their mark on the collections. In 1907 Joseph Deru bequeathed thirty-one Belgian paintings of the 19th century, which led to the creation of skylit galleries. In 1909 Pierre Hauzeur bequeathed old paintings as well as his wife's ceramic collection. The remodelled museum was inaugurated a second time in 1911, and from 1910 the curator Maurice Pirenne began to inventory every piece.

In July 2021 the floods that struck the Vesdre valley forced the museum to close: the collections had to be saved and restored, the buildings dried out and the presentation rethought. The museum reopened in January 2024. The building on rue Renier now hosts exhibitions on the ground floor, while the upper floors house the storage. The Musées de Verviers describe themselves as a museum in transition, awaiting a future museum complex at the Hôtel de Biolley, announced for 2029.

Highlights

• Among the finest ceramic collections in Belgium: Compagnie des Indes porcelain and Delft faience
• European paintings from the 14th to the 19th century, through to modern and contemporary art
• Works by Maurice Pirenne, a painter from Verviers of the Intimist movement
• Sculptures, prints and lace
• Free observation games for children, available at reception

Permanent exhibition

• Collections de beaux-arts et de céramique – A route devoted to the museum's paintings, ceramics and art objects, presented on the ground floor of the rue Renier building since the reopening in 2024.

Founded

1884

Operated by

Ville de Verviers

Admission & discounts

Free admission: First Sunday of the month: free admission for all visitors. Also free on Mondays and Tuesdays (excluding public holidays) from 10:00 to 12:00, by reservation.

Free admission with the museumPASSmusées, for under-18s, for teachers (on presentation of the teacher card) and for holders of the ICOM card. School groups: workshops, guided tours and activities with a facilitator at €3 per child, accompanying adults free; free self-guided visits without a facilitator, on Wednesdays and Fridays only.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to the museum, the building is not accessible to people with reduced mobility. Only assistance dogs are admitted.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Free admission for under-18s. Two free observation games are available at reception, without reservation: “Les trésors de Derchain” (ages 2.5 to 6) and “Le qui est-ce du Musée” (a “Guess Who” game, ages 8 to 14). The Walk of the Verviers artists, with a map and booklet at €1, suits children from age 8. The museum also offers creative workshops and courses for children.

Getting there & parking

By car from Brussels: motorway E40 towards Liège, then E42 towards Verviers – Prüm, exit no. 7 Lambermont.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit