Why not enjoy the spring holidays and (re)visit the federal museums?

So why not (re)visit the federal museums during the spring holidays! A good opportunity to rediscover our treasures and our rich cultural heritage!

State Secretary for Science Thomas Dermine reminds us that, like all museums in our country, federal museums are open during the spring holidays. "Visiting a museum is like reading a book, it allows you to travel to discover other worlds, it feeds your imagination, it allows you to change your mind. In the end, it's an opportunity to enjoy yourself in the difficult context we are experiencing", says Thomas Dermine.

Since 1 December 2020, the federal museums have been open and have remained open without interruption. Belgium is an exception compared to some neighbouring countries. Museums in France and the Netherlands, for example, remained closed.

The museums follow a very strict sanitary protocol and do an excellent job of ensuring that visits are made under optimal conditions. Moreover, in order to welcome visitors in the best possible conditions, it is necessary to book your visit online.

So everything is in place to take advantage of the spring holidays to discover our heritage in one of the federal museums:

The Royal Institute of Natural Sciences is the federal museum where you can visit the largest dinosaur gallery in Europe. Thanks to the Sauria app, young and old can collect dinosaurs in augmented reality. Don't forget to visit the new 'Living Planet' room to discover more than 850 specimens.

In The Royal Museums of Fine Arts, you can visit two temporary exhibitions opening before the spring holidays:

• Exhibition Aboriginalities: more than a physical and sensory experience, Aboriginal art invites us to rethink our relationship with the earth and the universe.
• Pierre Alechinsky exhibition: « Carta Canta » presents a selection of works on paper by Alechinsky drawn from the 270 or so works that have been donated to the Royal Museums' collections, as well as exceptional new donations, honouring this leading figure of the CoBrA movement. More than 200 drawings, watercolours, etchings, lithographs and paintings invite you to dream and travel, into the infinite world of the imagination.

The Magritte Museum, where you can admire 230 works by the surrealist artist.

The Museum of Musical Instruments, where you can examine 1,100 instruments, each one more special than the last.

The Museum of the Royal Library of Belgium, where you can discover the manuscripts of the Dukes of Burgundy in a new museum space.

The Museums of Art and History, where you can stroll among the prehistoric flints or the Delft earthenware. Or immerse yourself in the oriental world, encountering Asian Buddhas and travelling to the other side of the world.

The AfricaMuseum, completely renovated in 2018, where you can meet the Kinshasa artist Freddy Tsimba, whose twenty-two installations face thirty rooms in the museum, and take a walk through the sublime Tervueren park.

The planetarium is also a federal science facility. And here too there is good news. After being closed to the public for renovation work, the planetarium will reopen its doors on Saturday 3 April 2021. The Brussels Planetarium is one of the largest in Europe. From now on, the Planetarium of the Royal Observatory of Belgium will offer an unparalleled quality of 360° images in terms of brightness, resolution and richness of colours, thanks to eight powerful video projectors specially designed by the Belgian firm BARCO for the planetarium. These high-tech devices project an impressive database of more than 100,000 stars that form a real 3D universe in which spectators will be immersed. In other words, travel to infinity and beyond from Brussels!

Good to know: these museums are affordable for families. For a family of 2 adults and 2 children, a visit will cost you on average between 15 and 20 euros (with additional targeted reductions for senior citizens, teachers, free first Wednesday of the month, etc.)

Finally, another usefult tip for students: Delphine Houba, the local Echevine of the city of Brussels, has initiated a complete free admission operation called "FreeMuseumsForStudents". In the end, 22 museums are participating in this operation, including several federal museums.

Practical information, prices, reservations:

Royal Institute of Natural Sciences: www.naturalsciences.be

Royal Museums of Fine Arts: www.fine-arts-museum.be

Magritte Museum: www.musee-magritte-museum.be

Museum of Musical Instruments: www.mim.be

Museum of the Royal Library: www.kbr.be

Musées d’Art et Histoire : www.kmkg-mrah.be

AfricaMuseum : www.africamuseum.be

Planetarium : www.planetarium.be

More information about FreeMuseumsForStudents : www.FreeMuseumsForStudents.brussels