Further delay to opening of Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren

Closed since the end of 2013, the Royal Museum for Central Africa is to re-open in December 2018 and not the end of June as planned. Undergoing major renovation as well as the introduction of a new scenography, the RMCA/KMMA is in the final phase of a long-awaited €66.5m makeover.

The setback follows objections to some final repairs by Belgium’s federal public building authority Régie des batîments/Vastgoedbeheerder, reports Le Vif/Express. But the institution is on track with its renovations. “We have finally received the keys to the buildings and the security badges have been distributed. The scenography of the new permanent exhibition will start to be put in place at the beginning of May,” said a museum representative.

Considered one of the last colonial museums in the world, the infrastructure and installations were seen as being outdated. The refurbishment project was designed to transform the museum into a contemporary cultural institution with modern facilities.

A new glass pavilion has been constructed, containing the museum’s ticket office, shop and restaurant. An underground tunnel will take visitors to the renovated palace building and a new scenography, which is centred on Man, society, art and the themes of biodiversity and natural resources. Its aim is to offer a contemporary and non-colonial vision of Africa’s past and present.

The museum started life as the Palace of Colonies in 1897, set in the royal domain of Tervuren. It was built by King Leopold II to house the Brussels International Exposition. The current building was opened in 1910, a year after Leopold’s death, as a permanent museum and scientific institute.

During the closure, the museum’s scientific and research work has continued, while objects from its extensive collections have been on loan to other institutions.

 Photo: (c) Régie des Batîments, 2017