Musée d'Histoire Naturelle et Vivarium, Wallonia, Belgium
4.5 (112 reviews) Spent Ranking #3 in Hainaut Province Speciality Museums
Couldn't believe it!
Let me start by saying that I was impressed with the large amount of animals they have on display. From sea creatures, to marsupials; lions and bears; birds and simians; the museum had a lot. I have never seen so many dissected animals and I really appreciate it the effort. For the first time in my life, I saw an elephant's heart. My four year old had a blast identifying the animals. It is very cheap, and will only take about an hour to enjoy the museum, depending on your walking speed.
Address
Square Saint Martin, Tournai 7500 Belgium
Mobile
Website
http://www.tournai.be/decouvrir-tournai/musees/musee-d-histoire-naturelle-vivarium.html
Current local date and time now
Saturday, May 11, 2024, 17:22
User Ratings
4.5 based on (112 reviews)
Reviews
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4hans-jaguar 5:00 PM Jan 30, 2023
Visiting Rochefort-en-Terre.Visiting Tournai (Doornik)
The Museum has been founded in the year 1828 during the Dutch period, this first museum in the country opened its doors to the public in the year1829. In the year 1839, the museum moved into a gallery and a square room designed by the architect Bruno Renard at its current location, that of the former brewery of the Saint-Martin Abbey. During its expansion and redevelopment, inaugurated in June from 2001, the scenography took care to preserve the "cabinet of curiosities" which immerses the visitor in the atmosphere of 19th century natural history cabinets as well as a gallery of animals naturalized as rare as they are extraordinary. You will be able to discover there in particular the first elephant to arrive in Belgium in the year 1839, which has become a treasure recognized by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. The Natural History Museum is also characterized by the presence of a vivarium where live fish, tarantulas, amphibians and reptiles evolve in reconstructed habitats. Rub shoulders with species as fabulous as spectacled caimans, poison dart frogs from the Amazon, rare turtles from Egypt and boas from Jamaica, which are now threatened with extinction. Since the year 2019, you can also enjoy a scientific garden in which various outdoor enclosures are located as well as an exotic butterfly greenhouse.
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4AnissaVW 5:00 PM Aug 14, 2017
Happily suprised!
I went to the museum with my mom, since Tournai is so close and we love learning about animals, and admiring taxidermy. The entrance fee was €2,60 per adult, which is very cheap. We didn't expect to see a whole lot of things but we were totally suprised by the opposite! A large collection of taxidermy, and there was an exposition on amphibians. There was also a collection of stones and crystals, and a fair amount of live reptiles and insects at the end of the tour. We found ourselves checking all the enclosures to spot the animals. Fun! This museum is a hidden gem, fun for both kids and adults, at a low cost. Recommended!
