Muséum des Sciences naturelles

About the museum

The Muséum is the museum of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, founded in 1846 from a cabinet of curiosities. Since then the institution has developed its collections, research, museum and buildings in step with scientific and social change.

Its most famous treasure is the Bernissart iguanodons. At the end of March 1878, miners at the Bernissart colliery, 322 metres down, broke through a pocket of clay and uncovered dinosaur skeletons. Some thirty skeletons, more or less complete and still articulated, were brought to light. They are now displayed in a glass cage of 300 m² across three levels, with several animals in the basement in the “position of discovery”, as they were found in the mine.

The route also includes the Galerie de l’Homme, the Galerie de l’Évolution, the Mosasaurs room, the Minerals room, “Planète Vivante” and a room devoted to the history of the institute, “250 ans de Sciences naturelles”. The museum also offers temporary exhibitions, workshops for children, guided tours and a library accessible by registration.

Highlights

• Bernissart iguanodons in a 300 m² glass cage
• Dinosaur Gallery with the T. rex Stan and the plateosaur Ben
• Galerie de l’Homme: 25 human species in 7 million years
• Minerals room and Mosasaurs room
• PaléoLAB for handling fossils and minerals

Permanent exhibitions

• Galerie des Dinosaures – The Bernissart iguanodons, the plateosaur Ben, the T. rex Stan, a diplodocus and other dinosaurs.
• Galerie de l'Homme – Notre évolution – 25 human species that emerged and died out over 7 million years, all but one.
• Planète Vivante – An aesthetic, family-friendly and scientific approach to the biodiversity of Earth.

Founded

1846

Operated by

Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique

Visitors per year

approx. 398,241

Admission & discounts

Free admission for teachers working in Belgium with a valid Belgian teacher card. Tickets online; buying a ticket gives you a code for a discounted SNCB Discovery Ticket.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Sloped access between the car park entrance and the main entrance (doors are not automatic); lifts for wheelchair users, and an outdoor footbridge to the cloakroom level, accompanied by staff. A wheelchair is available at reception (booking by email). Two reserved parking spaces in the museum car park, to be requested by the day before at the latest. Adapted toilets on levels -1 and -2. The PaleoLAB offers objects to handle, recommended for blind or visually impaired children from the age of 5.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities
• Kids’ birthday parties

“Tout-petits” workshops for ages 2 to 4, PaleoLAB (hands-on activity with objects), “Raconte-moi”, holiday courses during school holidays and a children’s menu at the Dino Café. Birthday parties for groups of up to 15 children and 2 parents (€175 per group). Changing tables in the toilets on levels -1 and -2.

Getting there & parking

Rue Wiertz is closed to traffic under the European Parliament; car access is via the chaussée de Wavre. Villo! station no. 102 at the foot of the grand staircase.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Dino Café (sandwiches, salads, soups, hot dishes, children’s menu). Picnic areas inside (level -1) and outside, with 10 tables. Museum shop accessible without a ticket. Free cloakroom and lockers on level 0, before the Dinosaur Gallery.

Events & venue rental

• Corporate events

Up to 1,500 guests.

Receptions, dinners and conferences in the galleries and lecture halls (up to 1,500 guests for an evening, 150 people for a daytime conference). The museum is temporarily no longer accepting new requests.

Plan your visit