Record numbers of visitors to Brussels’ museums in 2022

After the devastating effect of coronavirus measures on museums in Brussels, some key institutions in and around the capital have reported healthy visitor numbers for 2022, reports Bruzz.

Atomium

More than 660,000 people visited the Atomium in 2022, an increase of 164% on the previous year’s figure of 250,000. “An absolute visitor record,” according to the Atomium management team.

Belgians accounted for 26% of this figure, with half of them Brussels residents. The remainder came from all over the globe: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and the UK were the main source of international visitors.

For the director of the Atomium, Julie Almau Gonzalez, one thing was clear: “The Atomium is still a top attraction in Brussels… the monument is very popular.”

Africa Museum

Some 131,000 visitors were recorded by Tervuren’s Africa Museum last year. This number was almost 10% higher than the previous year.

“We are reasonably satisfied,” said the museum’s spokesperson. “Our goal this year is to continue this trend with a 20% increase in visitors”.

Train World

After opening in September 2015, the Train World Museum in Schaerbeek welcomed its millionth visitor on 3 January 2022. The former station is the place to discover the history of railways in Belgium via unique exhibits and SNCB archives.

The numbers have grown steadily over the years, starting with 65,424 visitors in 2015 to a record 151,440 in 2021. Since 2016, this number has exceeded 130,000 each year with the exception of the coronavirus year in 2020 when only 95,192 visitors were recorded.

“Train World’s goal is to remain a relevant and attractive museum for the general public as Belgium’s premier railway museum. This millionth visitor proves that we are successfully fulfilling this challenge,” highlighted Train World director Pieter Jonckers.

In 2023, the museum will present two temporary exhibitions entitled Animalia and Horta & Van de Velde – The Train of Designers. The former will open on 17 February and focus on the role of railways within biodiversity, while the latter will start on 1 December, part of the Art Nouveau Year in Brussels. The exhibition will be a tribute to the movement’s architects Victor Horta and Henri van de Velde.