Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History

When you come to the Parc du Cinquantenaire (Park of the Fiftieth Anniversary or Jubelpark), you definitely should visit one of its main attractions – the huge Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History of Belgium.

It is a part of a monumental architectural complex which parts are connected by a giant triumphal arch and which takes the area of the northern wing of the building.

The history of the museum started in 1910 with a temporary exhibition, dedicated to the military history of Belgium. It aroused great interest among visitors and gave rise to the idea of creating a permanent exhibition on its basis. Firstly, the museum occupied the territory of the La Cambre Abbey, and only in 1923, it was placed in an exhibition pavilion of Jubelpark.

The military museum will be interesting for both adults and children. This place houses one of the biggest world’s collections of weapons: from the Middle Ages up to today. There are exhibits from the two world wars, the Belgian Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, and from the time of colonial conquests.

Apart from knights’ armory, war uniforms, ammunition, household items, and hundreds of weapons, there is an impressive collection of real military equipment: artillery guns, tanks, cars, helicopters, and submarines.

A separate 100-meter hangar is worth special attention: there are military aircraft of different times, from the first flying machines to the modern jet fighters. Fans of military art will especially like the legendary models of Hurricane, Gloster Meteor, Dakota.

In total, the museum has around 100 thousand exhibits. Although Belgium has never been considered a military state, its capital has a large collection that will impress all fans of military history. Specialists say that the Brussels museum provides the best way for studying military science.

You can easily get to the museum by metro from the nearest station – Merode. The museum is open every day, except for Mondays, from 9 am to 5 pm. A part of the museum is available to visitors for free, and the entrance fee for visiting the rest of the halls is 5 euro (only cashless payment).

The nearby Royal Museum of Fine Art and the Automobile Museum with an exhibition of vintage cars will also be interesting to visit.