Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
European items in one wing, and antiquities and items from
beyond Europe in the other. In the Europe wing, the basement
takes you from pre-history, to Roman artifacts, to medieval
Belgian. The ground floor is a chronological walk from Gothic to
Renaissance to Baroque. Wandering the almost empty halls, you'll
see fine tapestries, exquisite altarpieces, an impressive Islamic col-
lection, Art Nouveau, and a “museum of the heart” donated by a
local heart doctor. Unfortunately, the museum entrance is hidden
behind Autoworld (€4, free and necessary audioguide, Tue-Fri
9:30-17:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-17:00, closed Mon; Jubelpark 10, Parc
du Cinquantenaire, bus #27 goes to the Gaulois Métro stop a block
away; tel. 02-741-7211).
s
Autoworld
—Starting with Mr. Benz's motorized tricycle of
1886, you'll stroll through a giant
hall filled with 400 historic cars.
Car buffs can ogle circa-1905
models from Peugeot, Renault,
Oldsmobile, Cadillac, and Rolls-
Royce. It's well-described in
English (€6, daily April-Sept
10:00-18:00, Oct-March 10:00-
17:00, in Palais Mondial, Parc du
Cinquantenaire 11, Métro: Merode, tel. 02-736-4165, www.auto
world.be).
ss
royal Army and Military History Museum (Musée
royal de l'Armée et d'Histoire Militaire)
—Wander through
an enormous collection of 19th-century weaponry and uniforms,
and a giant hall dedicated to
warplanes of the 20th cen-
tury. There's a good display
about the Belgian struggle
for i nde p endence i in t he
early 1800s and the best col-
lection of WWI weaponry
any where. Don't miss the
primitive WWI tanks—able
to break through the stale-
mated “Western Front,” but
so clumsy that they couldn't do anything once in enemy territory.
This place is filled with real, tangible history...but precious little
English. Use the map and pay €3 for the essential audioguide to
get the most out of your visit (free, Tue-Sun 9:00-16:45, closed
Mon, Parc du Cinquantenaire 3, tel. 02-737-7811, www.klm-mra
.be). While sections of the museum close from 12:00 to 13:00, most
of it stays open.
