AfricaMuseum

Former colonial museum, reopened in 2018 as the AfricaMuseum with a critical reappraisal of Belgium's history in Central Africa.

The Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren near Brussels is one of the world's largest museums dedicated to Africa. Originally built in 1898 by King Leopold II to showcase his Congo Free State at the 1897 World's Fair, it carried an unexamined colonial narrative for decades. After an extensive renovation, it reopened in 2018 as the AfricaMuseum with critically reworked collections that put Belgium's colonial history at the forefront. The grand Wilhelmine-style palace building set in an expansive château park draws visitors for its architecture alone.