BRUSSELS 77

Musée Royal de l’Armée

et d’Histoire Militaire

Parc du Cinquantenaire 3.

Tel (02) 7377833. # 9am–noon

and 1–4:45pm Tue–Sun. ¢ 1 May,

1 Nov. 7

Together with the section on

aviation, the dis plays cover the

Belgian army and its history

from the late 1700s onwards,

including weapons, uniforms,

decorations and paintings.

There is a section covering the

1830 struggle for inde pendence

(see pp44–5). Two other

sections showcase the history

of the World Wars and the

Resistance (see pp46–7).

Aircraft display at the Musée Royal

de l’Armée et d’Histoire Militaire

Central Archway
The arch is crowned by the
sculp ture of Brabant Raising
the National Flag, while rid-
ing a quadriga.

. Cinquantenaire Museum
Belgian architect Bordiau’s plans for these two
exhibition halls, later permanent showcases,
were partly modelled on London’s Victorian
museums. The use of iron and glass in their
construction was inspired by the Crystal Palace.

Autoworld

Set in the south wing of

the palace, Autoworld

has one of the best

collections of auto-

mobiles in the world.

There are some 300

cars, including an

1886 motor, a 1924

Model-T Ford and

American limou-

sines of the 1950s.

The park is

popular with

Brussels’s eurocrats

and families at lunch-

times and weekends.

VISITORS’ CHECKLIST

Ave de Tervuren, 1040 BRU.

City Map 3 C3. @ 12, 21, 22,

27, 36, 60, 61, 79, 80, 81, 83.

q Schuman, Mérode. 7 =

Autoworld (02) 7364165. #

Apr–Sep: 10am–6pm daily; Oct–

Mar: 10am–5pm daily. & 7

• Grand Mosque (02) 735

2173. 
      

      9am–4pm Mon–Thu.

      
      

Cinquantenaire Museum

Parc du Cinquantenaire 10. Tel (02)

7417211. 
         

         9:30am–5pm Tue–Fri,

         
         

         10am–5pm Sat, Sun and public holi-
         days. ¢ 1 May, 1 and 11 Nov. & 7
         Part of the Musées Royaux
         d’Art et d’Histoire, the Cinq-
         uantenaire Museum has
         occupied its present site since
         the early 1900s. However, the
         history of its collections goes
         back as far as the 15th century.
         Sections on ancient civilizations
         include Egypt, Greece, Persia
         and the Near East. Other dis-
         plays feature Islam, Byzantium,
         China and the Indian sub-
         continent, as well as the pre-
         Columbian civilizations of the
         Americas. There are decorative
         arts from all ages, with silver-
         ware, glass ware, porcelain and
         a fine collection of tapestries
         and lace. Religious sculptures
         and stained glass are displayed
         around a courtyard in the style
         of church cloisters. The use of
         iron and glass was inspired by
         the Crystal Palace.