Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±

Grand Curtius

Top choice in ³¢¾±Ã¨²µ±ð


Splendid Grand Curtius unites four disparate museum collections in the former mansion-warehouse of a 16th-century ³¢¾±Ã¨²µ±ð arms dealer. The building's red outer walls had originally been painted with ox blood. The museum's ambitious aim is to explain the whole history of art, from prehistoric stone chippings to art nouveau pianos, while interweaving tales of ³¢¾±Ã¨²µ±ð artists and industries.

The result is impressive, if sometimes overwhelming. There’s an incredible wealth of treasures to discover and you’ll need a couple of hours to do it justice, and more if you make full use of the detailed tablet guide (included) and temporary exhibitions (extra).


Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±'s must-see attractions

Nearby ³¢¾±Ã¨²µ±ð attractions

2. Musée d’Ansembourg

0.07 MILES

Less a museum than a magnificently furnished 1755 Regency mansion with original stucco ceilings and some gilded leather ‘wallpaper’. Its highlights…

3. Montagne de Bueren

0.27 MILES

Several tiny medieval passageways burrow beneath the house fronts of Rue Hors Château. Most disappear into picturesque hidden yards, but Montagne de…

4. Musée de la Vie Wallonne

0.33 MILES

In an adapted convent-cloister building, this curious museum takes visitors on an amble through the region’s past, exploring everything from 12th-century…

5. Hôtel de Ville

0.38 MILES

At night the 1719 city hall glows lugubriously in its blood-red spotlights. By day it commands ³¢¾±Ã¨²µ±ð’s charming, if modestly sized, original main square,…

6. Outremeuse

0.43 MILES

Across the River Meuse from the city centre is the gritty urban island of Outremeuse, whose working-class residents consider it a ‘Free Republic’. Their…

7. Former Palace of the Prince-Bishops

0.47 MILES

Behind an Italian Renaissance facade, this former palace is reputedly one of the largest secular Gothic buildings anywhere in the world. Prior to 1789 it…