Cinquantenaire Park institutions join forces to enhance visitor experience

The four major institutions located in Brussels' Cinquantenaire Park have pledged to “structurally strengthen” their collaboration in a letter of intent they signed on Tuesday.

They confirmed their shared ambition to further develop the Cinquantenaire Park as a leading cultural, scientific and tourist hub in Belgium and beyond.

The four are: Autoworld Museum Brussels, the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA), the Royal Museums of Art and History (KMKG-MRAH) and the War Heritage Institute (WHI – Royal Army Museum).

Although the institutions welcome around 500,000 visitors per year, it is recognised they still have “significant growth potential, both in terms of audience reach and international visibility.”

The collaboration, a park spokesperson said, will focus on enhancing the visitor experience through joint initiatives, exhibitions and events.

Initial ideas include the recent joint participation in the 20 km of Brussels, a collective presence at Museum Night Fever, the development of Halloween activities on the site and the organisation of innovative concepts such as a nocturnal event with overnight stays in the museums.

In addition, the four partners said they also aim to strengthen the “sharing of expertise for the purposes of research and collection management.”

They also seek to further develop existing initiatives, such as the joint ticket already offered by the three museums on the site (access to the three museums over a period of three months for €30).

The partners will also focus on the sharing of expertise in the fields of research and collections management.

Each institution retains its own identity and autonomy, but commits to creating greater synergies through structured collaboration and increasing its societal impact, added the spokesperson.

In this context, a joint management committee will be established and thematic working groups will develop concrete projects.

Vanessa Matz, minister of public action and modernisation, in charge of science policy, said, “This initiative is an undeniable asset in strengthening the visibility of the site and providing visitors with better information about the many activities organised in the museums and in the Cinquantenaire Park.”

Further reaction came from Theo Francken, Belgium’s Minister of Defence, who added, “I am very pleased with this broadening and deepening of cooperation between the Army Museum and the other institutions located in Brussels’ Cinquantenaire Park." 

Guy Verhofstadt, chairman of Autoworld Museum Brussels, noted, “The Cinquantenaire Park possesses all the assets required to develop into a leading cultural hotspot in Europe — provided that the museums join forces and collectively promote a clear and shared ambition.”

The “declaration of intent” is valid for a period of three years and lays the foundation for a sustainable and forward-looking collaboration, says the spokesperson.

“The signatories are convinced that this cooperation is essential to fully unlock the potential of the Cinquantenaire Park and to further develop the site into an inspiring meeting place for a broad and diverse audience.”

Photo: (main image: from left to right) Sébastien de Baere  chief executive Autoworld; Hilde De Clercq, director general (IPRA);  Géraldine David, director general (MRAH); Michel Jaupart director general War Heritage Institute (WHI - Musée de l'Armée)