BELvue Museum
 Hôtel Bellevue, home of the museum. | |
  Location within Brussels | |
| Location |
Place des Palais 7, B-1000 Brussels |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 50°50′34″N 4°21′39″E / 50.84265°N 4.3607°E |
| Type | History museum |
| Owner | Fonds BELvue |
| Website |
belvue |
The BELvue Museum in Brussels, Belgium, is a museum about Belgium and its national history.
The museum is located in the Hôtel Bellevue, a luxury Hôtel (townhouse) built in the 18th century. It is on top of the Coudenberg and offers an entrance to the archaeological excavations beneath.
The Bellevue Hotel
In 1977, the hotel became a museum and was totally transformed for this new function. The Royal Museums of Art and History shows some of the collections of furniture and porcelain of 1700. The "Dynasty's Museum" will be installed at the second floor, in 1992.
After the Royal Museums of Art and History's departure in the 1998, the Hotel allows the "King Baudouin Memorial" and an atrium and a big glass window, with view on the royal palace’s park, were constructed.
In 2000 the access for the underground, and so to the archaeological vestiges of the old Coudenberg Palace, are realized after different archaeological excavation realized in different steps; the last one of these was in meantime of the survey by Royal Archeological Society of Brussels in collaboration with the Université libre de Bruxelles.
Museum
The "Dynasty's Museum" and "King Baudouin Memorial" were in the Bellevue until December 2004.
For the 175 anniversary of independence, the King Baudouin Foundation decided on the transformation of the hotel into a new museum dedicated to history of Belgium.
After a total reorganization, the "BELvue Museum" opened its doors in July 2005. Twelve room are dedicated to the most important period of the Belgium's history. These one are documented by different original historical documents, films and audiovisual testimonials.
In this way any visitor can discover the country's history through the different documents. There are three levels of reading, that can help to go from a general context, to the most important moments necessary to understand the Belgium's reality of today, as the fight for Universal Suffrage, the World Wars, Royal Question and the "Golden Sixties" or the recent State reforms.
In the meantime of this exhibition, a continual trail will show the reign of each of Belgium's Kings, through different Royal family's artistic opera.
In 2016, the BELvue, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation, has completely renewed its permanent exhibition. Employing a themebased approach and with a modern, interactive exhibition layout, the museum offers visitors the keys to understanding Belgium and Belgian society.
Seven social themes are addressed in the rooms: democracy, prosperity, solidarity, pluralism, migration, language and Europe. Each team is firstly presented from the perspective of the present day, then subsequently developed and explained through the history of Belgium. How did Belgium and the Belgians become what they are today? In the BELvue’s new exhibition, history is not an end in itself, but rather a means to explain and provide the keys to understanding and interpreting our society.
This overview of Belgium past and present is complemented by a gallery of more than 200 objects. Presented chronologically from the 19th century to today, the pieces embody Belgium’s “physical memory”. Visitors will find everyday objects, works of art and design, wellknown brands, scientific discoveries, references to great sporting achievements as well as objects that recall the richness of our popular culture.
The BELvue museum used the services of experienced exhibition designers and historians from Tijdsbeeld & Pièce Montée to design and produce the new permanent exhibition. The new exhibition, presented in four languages, is aimed at everyone, but particularly young people. The BELvue worked for two years with a group of young Belgians from all four corners of Belgium. The “BELvue Band” gave its opinion on the concept and suggested changes that have been incorporated into the concept and the design.
The BELvue Museum is managed by the Fonds BELvue (BELvue Fund) of the King Baudouin Foundation.
External links
- Official English-language site of the BELvue Museum
- Official English-language site of the King Baudouin Foundation
Coordinates: 50°50′34″N 4°21′39″E / 50.84265°N 4.3607°E