The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History (French: Musée Royal de l'Armée et d'Histoire Militaire, often abbreviated to MRA, Dutch: Koninklijk Museum van het Leger en de Krijgsgeschiedenis, KLM) is a military museum that occupies the two northernmost halls of the historic complex in the Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark in Brussels, Belgium. The park is set on the continuation of the Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat, which starts at the end of Brussels Park before the Royal Palace.
The Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark was part of a project commissioned by the Belgian Government under the patronage of King Leopold II for the 1880 National Exhibition, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Belgian Revolution. In 1875, the architect Gédéon Bordiau made a proposal to build on this site; part of the so-called "Linthout" plains, the former military exercise ground of the Garde Civique outside of Brussels' city centre. The location was named Cinquantenaire in French (literally "Fiftieth Anniversary") and Jubelpark in Dutch ("Jubilee Park") because it was planned as an exhibition space to celebrate the anniversary.
Monday | Closed |
Tuesday | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Wednesday | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Thursday | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Friday | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Saturday | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Sunday | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Karel Venter | Feb 17, 2018
Being a bit of a war and history buff I jumped at the chance to visit this museum. The sheer amount of information, displays and pieces was amazing. I just LOVED the old paintings and decorative pieces. Also enjoyed the fact that it did not just focus on Belgian history. The section with the war machines display (howitzers, mortars, cannons, tanks, aircraft etc) can take a day to itself to view. Highly recommended to anyone with a love of the history of war.
Nikki Heavner | Feb 9, 2018
If you are seriously interested in military history and can read German it's fantastic. Amazing variety of stuff, full size tanks/planes/ship pieces. Seriously incredible. Lower rating because the people at the front desk weren't very nice and they advertise every where that you should get the audio tour but they don't have enough devices on hand. Real disappointment. Also, the bathrooms were super smelly. Beautiful building/arches and a sweet view of the city included in the ticket office.
Mohit Jain | Feb 6, 2018
It was a great experience to see and feel all the big guns. Also a chance to explore and learn about world war armed forces. There is a section about Russian gifts which is unique in its own ways. I also relished some snacks at a cafe inside the museum.
AQkhurasani | Feb 4, 2018
Lovely place to visit.. lots of items from world war 1 and 2 and Belgium's colonial past.. best thing was the fresh waffle maker in the van outside in the park. Try it.. fresh and fluffy. With Belgian chocolate .
N. Blomme | Dec 20, 2017
Sunday 17/12/17 visite. Was fun but this museum needs a renovation big time. The collection is great, but needs restoration. The building is beautiful, but needs a restoration (on the inside and outside). How many leaks are there in the roof? 10? 20? 30? +/- all the planes have flat tires and are dusty. Maybe the way of presentation was great in 1923 but in 2017? This collection simply deserves better!!! A 5 star for collection minus 2 stars for presentation.
Jenny Fariss | Mar 4, 2018
Great view on top of the arcades. Renovated parts very nice. Very interesting museum, but old, full of dust, dark, broken lights, cold. Same for the "air" museum, deflated tires, everything dusty and dirty. Same for the "Skybar", just an old café that needs to be renovated as well. Big efforts still to be made to make this museum more attractive, starting by replacing their very rude personnel at the ticket desk.
Holly Becker | Apr 19, 2018
Lots of amazing stuff, but not presented well. For example, the air and space section had many planes from different eras, some of which were probably among the only ones remaining. However the signs only had the plane specs, with very little context about why that plane was interesting or how it fit into a larger narrative about military technology progress. Other sections were similar, with many artifacts but no engaging narrative or context. When we went, much of the museum was closed, possibly for renovation. Signs are mostly in Dutch and French, with a little but of English.
Prasanna Venkatesh | May 7, 2018
This is a huge collection of artifacts. You get to see weapons, armoury, tanks, jet fighters and helicopters here. The entry ticket is very reasonable at 5 Euros per adult. Definitely worth visiting this place. The museum is open only until 5 pm and I personally wished it to be opened until 6 pm.
Stefan Sovea | May 3, 2018
Great museum for history lovers. The airplane collection is truly special. The only minus is that the access pass it's credit card only. You can't pay with cash so prepare for when you come. If you visit Bruxelles, this location is a must. It's also situated next to AutoWorld and to the Art Museum so if you plan to spend some time visiting the museums, this place is a great start.
Richard Piper-Griffiths | May 28, 2018
Had a great few hours here, sadly too short. Great views of the city from the roof top platform & worth the entry price for that alone. Museum split into two section & worth a visit. Only slight disappointment was the cafe closing an hour early, with out notice so I was unable to get a drink.
Raistlin Ong | May 20, 2018
Pretty decent collection, but there were no audio guides available. Would have loved to learn more about the exhibits bit not much English text available. The Air Museum is probably the highlight and it includes many historic aircraft types as well as a full size airline jet!
Jere J | May 15, 2018
Awesome museum. Entree payment only by card. World War 2 show closed for 1 year. If you want to get the experience better I recommend to bye English or another language audio headset. Most of the items don't have English descriptions.
John Elliott | May 20, 2018
Wow was this place cooler than I thought! I couldn't believe how big and detailed everything was! The density of planes in the Aerial section was beyond belief and I'm pretty sure there was a sale on fighter jets or something... The only disappointing bit was the Antarctica section, which could have been a little more fleshed out, compared to the other exhibits in this massive museum
Roy Cohn | Jun 13, 2018
Great place to see all of humanity's war machine on display. From costumes, to misc items, to weapons, machinery, techonology and even life-sized planes, it's all here. Amazingly educational and somewhat harrowing experience. Prepare for some 'heavy' feels. Totally worth the 5 euros entry fee for adults. You can even take in a panorama view of Brussels!
Jyoti Deolekar | Jun 11, 2018
Best place to visit. Very Informative if you love to know about history.very well maintained. It takes time to roam inside so better plan in advance. Spare enough time.
Allan Yang | Jun 10, 2018
Value for money. Gets a view of the city and at the same time an amazing collection of weapons from medieval times to modern times. Strongly recommended.
Jelle Zethof | Aug 7, 2018
Really cool museum, especially the big hall with all the airplanes. And the areas with the tanks etc. The rest of the museum is rather boring and very old fashioned. But the best things about this museum are the super cheap entry fees and the fact that you can climb the arch and enjoy the view over Brussels. Would definitely recommend this museum.
So Soft | Jul 28, 2018
It has a fantastic hanger with airplanes and flight systems from the last century, even helicopters. A courtyard full of tanks from different armies. In of the rooms you can find an amazing looking cannon that is seriously distorted after a cannonball got stuck in it. Lots of uniforms and weapons from different centuries are on display. The only downside: the museum is also very much from the last century. Nothing much interactive. Old display form. You basically need a knowledgeable person to accompany you to make the exhibits come alive. A little sad for what can be done today. In summary: a huge collection of interesting exhibits but not well presented. If you can get a tour.
Jon Dable | Aug 10, 2018
Brussels Card gets you in for free. Large collection of aircraft. Excellent panoramic views of the city. Nice cafe with good food and good prices.
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