New-look Africa Museum attracts 60,000 in first month

The Royal Museum of Central Africa in Tervuren attracted almost 60,000 visitors in the first month since its reopening following a five-year, €66 million renovation.

On average, 2,000 people a day are rediscovering the museum - and a quarter of visitors are under the age of 18, according to the first figures released by the museum.

"It's certainly more than we expected," museum management said. "The Christmas period is not normally great for us - so to have so many visitors is fantastic."

Before it closed in 2013, the Africa Museum was known as Europe’s “last colonial museum”. The new permanent exhibition is now squarely focused on modern-day Africa rather than on a continent seen through the eyes of a colonising force.

With 58,724 visitors, the Africa Museum's performance is on a par with Kanal, the central Brussels cultural hub which also attracted 60,000 people in its first month. The Atomium attracts 48,000 people in an average month.

Read more about what's changed at the museum here.