Royal Museum for Central Africa

The origins of the museum go back to the 1897 World Expo, when a section devoted to the colony of the Congo was set up in Palais de l’Afrique the Palais des Colonies) in Tervueren Park. Following the success of the exhibition, and at the instigation of King Leopold II, the temporary exhibition was transformed into a permanent museum and scientific institute devoted to the Belgian Congo, with the aim of raising interest and highlighting the country’s economic potential. As Palais de l’Afrique quickly became too small, Leopold II called on Charles Girault, architect of Petit Palais in Paris, to build a new museum and to develop the entire site. Leopold II died before the works were completed and the museum was inaugurated in 1910 by King Albert I. The museum was closed for five years, from 2013 to 2018, for major restoration and development works.

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