The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History (french: Musée Royal de l'Armée et d'Histoire Militaire, often abbreviated to MRA, nl, Koninklijk Museum van het Leger en de Krijgsgeschiedenis, KLM) is a

military museum Military Museum may refer to museums of military and war, or specific museums including: * Aldershot Military Museum, in Aldershot, England * Athens War Museum, in Athens, Greece * Base Borden Military Museum, Borden, Ontario, Canada * California ...

that occupies the two northernmost halls of the historic complex in the Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, Belgium. The park is set on the continuation of the Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat, which starts at the end of

Brussels Park Brussels Park (french: Parc de Bruxelles, ; nl, Warandepark) is the largest urban public park in central Brussels, Belgium. Formerly known and still sometimes colloquially referred to as the Royal Park (french: Parc royal, nl, Koninklijk Park ...

before the Royal Palace.

History

Origins (–1910)

The Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark was part of a project commissioned by the

Belgian Government The Federal Government of Belgium ( nl, Federale regering, french: Gouvernement fédéral, german: Föderalregierung) exercises executive power in the Kingdom of Belgium. It consists of ministers and secretary of state ("junior", or deputy-mini ...

under the patronage of

King Leopold II * german: link=no, Leopold Ludwig Philipp Maria Viktor , house = Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , father = Leopold I of Belgium , mother = Louise of Orléans , birth_date = , birth_place = Brussels, Belgium , death_date = ...

for the 1880 ''National Exhibition'', commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Belgian Revolution. In 1875, the architect

Gédéon Bordiau Gédéon-Nicolas-Joseph Bordiau (1832–1904) was a Belgian architect, active in the second half of the nineteenth century. His work includes the plans for the Cinquantenaire exhibition parc and buildings, the project for the North-Eastern ...

made a proposal to build on this site; part of the so-called "Linthout" plains, the former military exercise ground of the

Garde Civique The ''Garde Civique'' or ''Burgerwacht'' (French and Dutch; "Civic Guard") was a Belgian paramilitary militia which existed between 1830 and 1920. Created in October 1830 shortly after the Belgian Revolution, the Guard amalgamated the various ...

outside of Brussels' city centre. The location was named in French (literally "Fiftieth Anniversary") and in Dutch ("Jubilee Park") because it was planned as an exhibition space to celebrate the anniversary. Parc du Cinquantenaire, 1880 National Exhibition

Parc du Cinquantenaire, 1880 National Exhibition

Temporary structures were erected on the site for the International Exposition of 1897 as Bordiau's work had not been finished. The construction of buildings was put on hold in 1890 for lack of funds and was eventually stopped by the architect's death in 1904. Work resumed the following year under the direction of the French architect

Charles Girault Charles-Louis Girault (27 December 1851 – 26 December 1932) was a French architect. Biography Born in Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, he studied with Honoré Daumet at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He received the first Pr ...

and was completed with a new patron,

. The triumphal arch that had already been planned was amended and expanded to meet the king's wishes. Five years later, at the Brussels International Exposition of 1910, a section on military history was presented to the public on the same premises, and was met with great success. Given the population's enthusiasm, the authorities decided to create a military museum within the international context of extreme tension which led to the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Development of the museum

The museum was created by virtue of a

royal decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...

issued on 28 November 1911, and was originally installed on the site of La Cambre Abbey, in the former premises of the Royal Military Academy. Its collections having been considerably enriched, the institution moved in 1923 to the Cinquantenaire Park, where it gradually moved into the various buildings in the northern part of the complex. The new Royal Museum of the Armed Forces (french: Musée Royal de l'Armée, link=no, nl, Koninklijk Museum van het Leger, link=no) was inaugurated by King Albert I on 22 July 1923. It is established in the curved galleries of the northern portion of the hemicycle, as well as in the metallic halls located to the west and south of the interior garden. After the death of Albert I in 1934, the museum also took possession of part of the north pavilion of 1880, where the collection of casts of the future Royal Museums of Art and History (RMAH) had been established since 1886. On 9 April 1935,

King Leopold III Leopold III (3 November 1901 – 25 September 1983) was King of the Belgians from 23 February 1934 until his abdication on 16 July 1951. At the outbreak of World War II, Leopold tried to maintain Belgian neutrality, but after the German invasi ...

inaugurated a room there dedicated to his father and World War I. After 1945, the museum appropriated the entire pavilion; a section dedicated to Leopold III and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

is set up there, inaugurated on 10 May 1955 by

King Baudouin Baudouin (;, ; nl, Boudewijn Albert Karel Leopold Axel Maria Gustaaf, ; german: Balduin Albrecht Karl Leopold Axel Maria Gustav. 7 September 1930 – 31 July 1993), Dutch name Boudewijn, was King of the Belgians from 17 July 1951 until his dea ...

. Two years earlier, the institution had taken the official name of the Royal Museum of the Army and Military History (french: Musée Royal de l'Armée et d'Histoire Militaire, link=no or MRA, nl, Koninklijk Museum van het Leger en de Krijgsgeschiedenis, link=no or KLM). A fire destroyed the south wing of the complex in 1946, part of the Royal Museums of Art and History (RMAH). The collection pieces were saved, and the burnt wing has since been rebuilt. As for the north wing, home to the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History, it was spared.

The building

The museum occupies the two northernmost halls of the Cinquantenaire: the northern Bordiau wing and the North Hall. Completed for the 1880 exhibition, like its southern counterpart, destroyed by fire in 1946 (and since rebuilt), the North Hall is the oldest building in the complex. Constructed in stone and metal, it combines classical rigor and industrial innovation in an original way. The building has a rectangular plan, marked at each corner by a projection. Set in a masonry structure, its imposing iron frame forms a single-

span Span may refer to: Science, technology and engineering * Span (unit), the width of a human hand * Span (engineering), a section between two intermediate supports * Wingspan, the distance between the wingtips of a bird or aircraft * Sorbitan ester ...

structure composed of eight vast arches. These are supported on the side facades by cast iron

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral ( ...

es with arcades on masonry buttresses. They are composed of two curved beams connected by means of metal parts forming a trellis, a motif that is found in other metal constructions of Bordiau. At the top of the roof is a saddleback skylight of which only the thin vertical walls are glazed.

Collection

The museum's collection originally consisted of approximately 900 pieces collected by the officer Louis Leconte following

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Leconte collected considerable equipment abandoned by the Germans in 1918. The collection was later heavily enriched by legacies, gifts and exchanges. Important developments in the 20th century included the opening of three new Departments of Technology, Scientific Documentation and Research in 1976, followed by the armoured vehicle section in 1980, the move of the armours collection from the

Halle Gate The Halle Gate (french: Porte de Hal, ; nl, Hallepoort) is a former medieval city gate and the last vestige of the second walls of Brussels, Belgium. Built between 1381 and 1383, it was heavily restored in the 19th century in its current neo- ...

to the northernmost hall in 1986, and the opening of the naval section in 1996. Nowadays, the museum displays uniforms, weapons, vehicles and military equipment of all ages and all countries. Since 2004, the European Forum on Contemporary Conflicts has also had its headquarters in the museum.

Middle Ages

The medieval collection presents an overview of the period's offensive and defensive armament, and consists of an extensive display of weapons, shields, and banners, from the simple

coat of mail Chain mail (properly called mail or maille but usually called chain mail or chainmail) is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It was in common military use between the 3rd century BC and ...

to the full armour. Also included in the collection are a series of muskets and cannons, as well as a small

battering ram A battering ram is a siege engine that originated in ancient times and was designed to break open the masonry walls of fortifications or splinter their wooden gates. In its simplest form, a battering ram is just a large, heavy log carried b ...

. File:2016-08-24 D3 4130 Q 3 O BD K1 Musee de l armee KLM MRA K2 Armure K3 K4.jpg, View of the medieval collection File:Harnas 3.jpg, Historic armours File:WikiBelMilMuseum00006.jpg, Muskets

19th century

The main gallery is dedicated to Belgian military history from 1830 to the eve of World War I, along with paintings and

bust Bust commonly refers to: * A woman's breasts * Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders * An arrest Bust may also refer to: Places * Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France *Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically Media * ''Bust'' (magazin ...

s of important military figures of the time. The technical gallery is where the evolution of firearms and manufacturing processes is shown. Several of the Belgian Army's weapons, especially portable ones, since its creation, are on display. File:2016-08-24 D3 3964 Q 3 O BD K1 Musee de l armee KLM MRA K2 Salle Historique K3 K4.jpg, Main gallery, with the collection of Belgian 19th-century militaria File:Battle of Rio Nunez 1849.jpg, Belgian and French warships during the

Rio Nuñez Incident The Rio Nuñez incident or Rio Nuñez affair () was an international incident which occurred in 1849 on the Nunez river (Rio Nuñez) near Boké in modern-day Guinea. The incident occurred as a result of a local power struggle, when vessels of a ...

, Paul Jean Clays, File:Guillaume Delcourt Portrait.png, Portrait of

Guillaume Delcourt Guillaume Delcourt (31 March 1825 – 2 February 1898) was a Belgian Royal Navy officer, navigator, naval engineer and maritime advisor to King Leopold II who was one of the major players of early Belgian expansion around the world. Early li ...

, Louis Joseph Ghémar, 1854 File:Salle Napoleon photo 4.jpg, A part of the collection of historic medals

World War I

This section showcases a large concentration of uniforms, artillery pieces and vehicles. The planes of this war are exposed in the room dedicated to aviation. In this room is a

Mark IV tank The Mark IV (pronounced ''Mark four'') was a British tank of the First World War. Introduced in 1917, it benefited from significant developments of the Mark I tank (the intervening designs being small batches used for training). The main impro ...

called ''Lodestar III'' and another

Medium Mark A Whippet The Medium Mark A Whippet was a British tank of the First World War. It was intended to complement the slower British heavy tanks by using its relative mobility and speed in exploiting any break in the enemy lines. Development and production hi ...

tank called ''Firefly''. The latter was damaged in combat. Both vehicles have the original colours of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

during World War I and it is possible to see their interior. Alongside them is a Renault FT-17 from the same period. File: Mark IV.jpg, ''Lodestar III''

File: Whippet.jpg, ''Firefly''

tank File: FT 17.jpg, Renault FT-17 tank

Aviation

The north wing, built by

, has been occupied by the Aviation Hall since 1972, when the Air and Space gallery was inaugurated. The collection includes various types of aircraft, both military and civilian, some dating back to the early 20th century. It includes surviving WWI aircraft like the Nieuport 17 and

Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the ...

, whilst the most recent additions include an F-16 Fighting Falcon and

Westland Sea King The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome engin ...

. The collection as a whole is one of the largest in the world.Didier Palix, ''Les avions du musée de l'armée à Bruxelles'' (in French), Connaissance de l'histoire mensuel, Hachette, no 46,‎ June 1982, p. 58-63. File:Wiki Loves Art - Bruxelles - Musée royal de l'armée et de l'histoire militaire - intérieur (13).jpg, View of the aviation section in the North Hall File:Hall de l'air ph1.jpg, Aviation collection File: Hall de l'air ph11.jpg, Battaille

triplane A triplane is a fixed-wing aircraft equipped with three vertically stacked wing planes. Tailplanes and canard foreplanes are not normally included in this count, although they occasionally are. Design principles The triplane arrangement m ...

(1911)

Navy

Dedicated to the

Belgian Navy The Belgian Navy, officially the Belgian Naval Component ( nl, Marinecomponent; french: Composante marine; german: Marinekomponente ) of the Belgian Armed Forces, is the naval service of Belgium. History Early history The Belgian Navy w ...

since its creation in 1831, this part of the museum has a section dedicated to the exploration of

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

. In one of the open-air courtyards, several ships of the Belgian Navy are exhibited, among them a P903 Meuse

patrol boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...

, as well as the yacht used by

and Queen Fabiola. File:Patrol Boat IMG 1553.jpg, P903 Meuse

(1953) File:Tucker Sno-Cat pic1.JPG, Tucker Sno-Cat, part of the

collection

Armoured vehicles

Several of the armoured vehicles that the museum holds are in rooms dedicated to WWI and WWII. Displayed in this courtyard are, among others, an M24 Chaffee, an

M41 Walker Bulldog The M41 Walker Bulldog, officially 76-mm Gun Tank, M41, was an American light tank developed for armed reconnaissance purposes. It was produced by Cadillac between 1951 and 1954 and marketed successfully to the United States Army as a replaceme ...

, as well as various

Leopard 1 The Leopard 1 (also styled Leopard I, before the Leopard 2 simply known as Leopard) is a main battle tank designed and produced by Porsche in West Germany that first entered service in 1965. Developed in an era when HEAT warheads were thought t ...

models. One of them is equipped with equipment for deep wading. File:M46Brussels.jpg, M46 Patton tank (1952) in the outdoor collection File:Belgian paratrooper vehicle IMG 1521.jpg, Belgian 1970s' Paracommando diorama

References

Notes

External links

Official website

Brussels Air Museum

Brussels Air Museum Fund
{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Museum Of The Armed Forces And Of Military History Museums in Brussels Museums established in 1923 Military and war museums in Belgium Aerospace museums Tank museums Cinquantenaire 1923 establishments in Belgium Organisations based in Belgium with royal patronage