ROYAL BELGIAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCES

 February 17, 2015

I visited this museum which I had never seen when my son and grandson were on visit. 

Between 1889 and 1891, the museum moved into a former convent. The building quickly became too narrow, and the director at the time asked the architect Charles-Émile Janlet the construction of a new south wing. The works began in 1898 and ended in October 1905.

In 1950, several modern buildings were added to accommodate new exhibition halls and reserves, as well as premises for the Royal Institute of Natural Sciences. Today it is the biggest museum of this kind after London and Paris.



The view from outside. Behind the glass vault is the roof of the European Parliament



A dinosaur greeted us at the entrance. It still was wearing a Father Christmas hat !



Then we went down to see the dinosaurs skeletons











They were so huge ! just amazing ! An elephant would look like a mouse besides them




The bone of a leg



A smaller one



Dinosaurs nest with eggs and babies



Then we went up to see the mammals



But first there was a mammuth skeleton



an elephant



and an over thousand years old turtle, exactly as it was found. Apparently it was surprised by sand or water and didn't even have time to hide its head.





An overview of the big mammals exhibition hall.

It was really very interesting and there were lots of educative games for children. A nice excursion to do on rainy days !

You read more about the museum here