Permanent Exhibition
250 Years of Natural Sciences
Our 250 Years of Natural Sciences
In this room are the fantastic results of memorable scientific expeditions, unusual excavations, moving events and remarkable specimens that trace the evolution of our Institute. With its 37 million specimens (minerals, dinosaurs, insects, shells and mammals from both land and sea), today the museum’s collection is the third largest natural science collection in Europe, only exceeded by Paris and London! Charles de Lorraine would never have imagined this impressive establishment when he started his curiosity cabinet in 1751 !
- All ages
- Approximately 1 hour
- Included in the entry ticket
- Point 13 on the map
Remarkable Elements
Antarctic Meteorite
A Belgian-Japanese team has collected no fewer than 425 meteorites from the Nansen blue ice field in Antarctica.
The Petrified Forest of Hoegaarden
The construction of the high-speed rail link between Brussels and Liege laid bare hundreds of fossilized tree stumps and trunks.
The Tasmanian Wolf
The thylacine, or Tasmanian "wolf", is an Australian marsupial that has been systematically eliminated. The last specimen of this species died in 1936...
Expertise Against Illegal Animal Trading
Fewer than 3,200 Siberian tigers, Panthera tigris altaica, remained in the wild in 2010.
The Belgica
The very first international scientific expedition to Antarctica was initiated by a Belgian!
The Ishango Bone
The Ishango Bone was unearthed on the Congolese shore of Lake Edward in 1950...
The Lier Mammoth
During work in 1860, the bones of two adult mammoths and a young one were unearthed!
