When you think of Brussels museums when you think of museums in Brussels, the big, well-known museums immediately spring to mind. For example, all those that form part of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (MRBAB), such as the Magritte Museum or the Museum of Modern Art. There’s also the Musée de la Ville de Bruxelles and the Muséum des Sciences Naturelles. But do you know Brussels’ unusual museums? It’s obviously important to get to know these classic institutions. But it can also be very interesting to get off the beaten track and explore lesser-known, even downright strange museums! Bruxelles Secrète has prepared a list of must-sees that will undoubtedly delight the most curious. Enjoy your visit!
Our favorite unusual museums in Brussels
The Crossbow Museum
The Crossbow Museum is a living museum where you can learn more about the history of the mysterious crossbow weapon and the prestigious Crossbow Guild. But you can also watch real shooting demonstrations by the Companions of the Great Oath.
But who are these Companions of the Great Oath? In fact, they are a corps of crossbowmen heir to the Gildes d’Arbalétriers, whose creation dates back to the 12th century. Their predecessors were charged with protecting the city of Brussels. This museum was born of a passion for the crossbow and its history. It contains a collection of over 1,500 pieces and receives between three and five thousand visitors every year. And on Thursdays, visitors can try their hand at crossbow shooting with the Compagnons!
📍Address: Place Royale 7-9, 1000 Brussels
The Sewer Museum
If you’re looking for a truly exotic experience, you won’t be disappointed by the Sewer Museum. Indeed, is there anything more unexplored than the underground arteries that are the sewers of our cities? Brussels’ sewers stretch for almost 1900 km and hold thousands of m3 of wastewater. But don’t worry, this museum invites you to take an unusual stroll, with the Senne as the star attraction. Here, you’ll discover the troubling story of how the river was vowed in the 19th century, as well as a real sewer! You’ll also learn more about the sewer worker’s job and the city’s water cycle.
The museum also regularly organizes educational workshops and other activities. Visits can also be accompanied by an interactive audioguide, suitable for all ages. Come and discover this essential and little-known world in one of our capital’s unusual museums!
📍Address: Porte d’Anderlecht, 1000 Brussels
The Schaerbeek Beer Museum
The Schaerbeek Beer Museum is a space entirely dedicated to one of our country’s most typical products: Belgian beer! In this small museum, housed in a former school, you’ll find a collection of over 2,000 different bottles of Belgian beer. As well as 5,000 glasses collected by a group of enthusiastic volunteers over the years.
The museum also features educational panels on the subject of beer and beer-making. And in addition to the many bottles and glasses, the collection includes tools, documents, old advertising boards and various other objects related to our beloved beer. After your visit, be sure to sample a fine Belgian beer in the museum’s small estaminet. The Schaerbeek Beer Museum is located, as its name suggests, in the Brussels commune of Schaerbeek, just 4 km from the center of Brussels. Tchin-tchin !
📍Address: Avenue Louis Bertrand 33-35, 1030 Schaerbeek
The Museum of Medicine
Make no mistake about it, Brussels’ Musée de la Médecine is one of the capital’s most unusual museums! It’s dedicated to medicine, of course, and offers a wealth of fascinating information on the subject. From history to literature to medical thought. From Antiquity to the present day!
But the museum’s collection is also packed with curious objects. Antique surgical instruments, engravings, numerous anatomical waxes illustrating different ailments and a room entirely devoted to venereal diseases! There’s even an anatomical model of a papier-mâché and plaster écorché dating from the first half of the 19th century. This is the écorché d’Auzoux (pictured above). The collection of around 5,000 objects plunges us into the fascinating history of the art of healing throughout history and the Western world. The Museum of Medicine is ideally located on the campus of the Faculty of Medicine of the Université Libre de Bruxelles.
📍Address: Campus Erasme, Route de Lennik 808, 1070 Anderlecht