Natural history museum of the natural science of Belgium

The Muséum of the Natural science is located at Brussels in the park Léopold, in the shade of the buildings of the European Parliament.

Between 1889 and 1891, the Natural history museum settles in an old convent located on the heights of the park. Quickly to narrow, the director of the time entrusts to the architect Charles-Emile Janlet the construction of a new southern wing. Work begins in 1898 and finishes in October 1905.

The new rooms are especially designed to accommodate the most extraordinary archaeological discovery of the time: The Iguanodon S of Bernissart, which will become principal attraction about it. In 1878 in the galleries of the coal mines of Bernissart in Hainaut, with more than 300 meters of depth, are discovered about thirty whole skeletons of one of Dinosaure S then unknown, Iguanodon bernissartensis , going back to approximately 135 My. Y are also brought back to the day of very many fossils of plants and animals of the same period, Crocodile S, tortoises, Poisson S and small dinosaurs. Thereafter, in 1950, of new modern buildings will be added to accommodate new showrooms and reserves as well as new buildings for the royal Institut of the Natural science of Belgium (IRSNB) , the research center of international repute of which the Natural history museum forms integral part.

Permanent rooms:

  • room of let us iguanodons of Bernissart and other fossils of the time
  • room “Of the men and the mammoths”, evolution of the man and the fauna of our areas during the last glacial period.
  • Mammalian room of the S, current mammals and species disappeared
  • corridor from the Poles, discovered north poles and South (closed until October 2007)
  • room of the Whale S and marine mammals
  • room of the Shell S, tropical aquarium and Invertebrate S
  • room of the North Sea, aquatic life and littoral of the Belgian side
  • room of the Insect S, Spider S and Crustacean S
  • vivarium, mygale S, Grasshopper S, millepede, and Cockroach S
  • room of minerals, crystals, invaluable stones, Meteorite S and moon stone

Many temporary exhibitions are also organized.

the new gallery of dinosaurs

The Natural history museum of the Natural science of Belgium opened on October 27th, 2007, the new gallery of the dinosaurs. The museum has the largest gallery of dinosaurs of Europe where fossil, mouldings or originals will be presented. Among the species of the Janlet wing, one can quote:

  • the collection of Iguanodon S discovered with Bernissart.
  • a stégosaurus
  • a tyrannosaurus rex (fore-mentioned Stan)
  • a olorotitan
  • a cryolophosaurus
  • a diplodocus
  • a tricératops
  • a eoraptor
  • a vélociraptor

Many other species are also present with many craniums.

External bond

  • Site of the Institute

  • practical information

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