Titanic exhibition anchors in Brussels from 15 March to 15 April

A new immersive experience into the ill-fated ocean liner that sank on its maiden voyage in 1912 opens at Tour & Taxis in Brussels on 15 March.

Offering a fresh look at the tragedy of the sinking, Titanic The Artifact Exhibition evokes the stories of the passengers and crew on board via more than 260 original objects recovered from the ship’s wreckage.

From a night gown worn by a survivor on the night the liner sank, to elegant period tableware found in its first-class section, they are all poignant relics of the world's best-known shipwreck.

The artefacts were recovered during dives led by French explorer Paul Henri Nargeolet. He died in June 2023 during the implosion of the tourist submersible Titan that was exploring the site of the Titanic’s remains.

Visitors to the itinerant exhibition - already shown in London and New York – are equipped with a replica boarding pass. It marks the start of their journey that traces the ship’s history and inaugural crossing.

On 10 April 1912, shortly after midday, RMS Titanic set sail from Southampton’s White Star Dock on her maiden voyage to New York (pictured above). She made a stop at the port of Cherbourg in France to embark passengers and provisions before heading for Queenstown in Ireland (now known as Cobh).

When she finally set off across the Atlantic, the liner was carrying 2,200 people, including 1,300 passengers.

On 14 April, the Titanic struck an iceberg on its starboard side just before midnight. Despite being billed “practically unsinkable”, a design flaw in the bulkheads that separated the different compartments of the ship contributed to her sinking.

Some 1,500 lives were lost. Visitors can learn more about them as well as the missions to recover wreckage from depths of 12,500 feet, around 350 miles off the coast of Newfoundland in Canada.

The exhibition aims to be both educational and family-friendly. Tickets are priced at €21 for adults, €14 for five to 17 year-olds. Family passes available.

Titanic The Artifact Exhibition
15 March to 15 April
Tour & Taxis (Shed 3)
Avenue du Port 86C
Brussels

Photos: Titanic Museum, Belfast ©Belga; RMS Titanic - Shouthhampton; RMS Titanic Underwater - Scuba