On 1 April 2022, the Belgian federal government approved the redevelopment plan of the Cinquantenaire Park in Brussels with the ambitions of turning it into a model of sustainability, ecological renovation and innovation, as well as developing socio-cultural program for broad social engagement.
1. Cinquantenaire 2030 Master Plan
The site was originally designed to celebrate Belgium’s 50th anniversary and the iconic arches and U-shaped complex currently house the Royal Museum of Art and History, the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History, the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage and Autoworld. According to the redevelopment master plan “Cinquantenaire 2030”, entrusted to the non-profit Horizon 50-200, these will be better integrated and transformed into two hubs, a Heritage Hub and an Innovation Hub, by Belgium’s bicentennial in 2030.
Together we want to make the Cinquantenaire site the place where everyone can meet.
Alexander De Croo, Belgium Prime Minister
The master plan will open the vast collections of existing institutions to the public. A large-scale renovation of the buildings and construction of depot space and large-scale redevelopment of the Museum Art and History will ensure integration of state-of-the art infrastructures for research and scientific work. The Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage will be integrated into a new master plan, aiming to initiate a reflection on how to optimize the two halls and to explore synergies in terms of collection management and public activities on a site-wide basis.
The €156 million master plan aims to:
- Open access to the collections of the Cinquantenaire site to the public in line with the international best practices;
- Undertake large-scale renovations of the buildings of the Cinquantenaire site;
- Create state-of-the-art infrastructure for scientific work of the institutions;
- Create a collections’ depot;
- Enable large-scale renovation of the Museum Art & History and of the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage;
- Launch a reflection on the ways to optimize the two monumental halls of the Cinquantenaire site;
- Explore the possible synergies in collections management and public events infrastructure;
- Temporarily transform the first floor of the Bordiau hall into a temporary exhibition space;
- Organize a European competition for young architects to propose solutions for covering the traffic tunnel that cuts the park in two;
- Become a model of sustainability, ecological renovation and innovation;
- Develop a socio-cultural program for broad social engagement.
The Cinquantenaire Park is the green heart connecting people from all across Brussels and Europe. We feel lucky to have such a unique park so close to us.
Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Budget and Administration
“The Commission is happy to be involved in the new plans which reflect a true Belgo-European cooperation. Together with the Belgian authorities, we just launched a European competition for young architects to design innovative solutions covering the tunnel. I am looking forward to seeing European creativity in action in the Cinquantenaire site. This could become a flagship project under the New European Bauhaus”, said European Commissioner for Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn.
2. Dedicated exhibitions and projects
Along with the renovations of the iconic buildings, the plan also includes a dynamic and participatory program of co-creation and co-learning for the 2023-2024 period, including several dedicated exhibitions and projects.
2.1. Towards New Worlds: Belgian exploration through time and space
This exhibition aims to raise the awareness of the European and Belgian public on the important role Belgium and its scientists play in global scientific and technological discoveries, past and present. It brings scientists, artists and citizens together for a critical reflection on how these discoveries could develop new ways of being in the world. Thus, the exhibition seeks to reimagine the Cinquantenaire site as a sanctuary for innovation and citizens debate on pressing societal issues and to contribute to a necessary paradigm shift.
This interactive exhibition for the general public will be accompanied by scientific and artistic encounters and a public outreach program from December 2023 to July 2024.
2.2. Josef Hoffmann: Beyond Beauty and Modernity
The exhibition “Josef Hoffmann: Beyond Beauty and Modernity” was originally created by the Applied Art Museum of Vienna (MAK) and will now be shown at the Belgian Museum Art & History. Josef Hoffmann was a central figure of Viennese modernism – the exhibition shows his artistic production over a period of six decades, aiming to offer a deeper insight into his ideals and their evolution. A variety of well-known and lesser-known works from private collections will be on display including design objects, decorative arts, scenography and much more. The exhibition offers a unique opportunity to discover an artist who believed that beauty was a necessary condition for individual and social transformation.
The exhibition, taking place from 6 October 2023 to 14 November 2024, is a collaboration with the Museum of Art and History and an important pillar of the Brussels Art Nouveau Year 2023.
2.3. Museum of the 21st Century
The project has two ambitions: to redefine the Cinquantenaire site as an inclusive pole for the arts and sciences, and to enable the transformation of the Museum of Art and History into a museum of the 21st century, a process launched within the museum in 2021.
Beginning in 2023, artists, researchers and thinkers will be invited for a series of preparatory research projects. The aim of this project is to challenge these artists and thinkers to break new, unprecedented ground and inscribe the encyclopaedic museum of the 19th century into current debates about social struggles, gender, inequality and the ecological transition.
2.4. Outdoor lab
Lastly, an inclusive program of participatory events will take place during 2023 and 2024, including sport events, informal meetings, neighbourhood picnics, artistic interventions in public spaces and much more, on and around the Cinquantenaire site, inside and outside Brussels.
