Visiting dinosaurs in Brussels : ) Belgian Royal Institute of Natural Sciences

Recently, I visited the dinosaur museum in Brussels, which is actually the Institute of Natural Sciences, but as soon as you walk in, you are welcomed by the silent hosts of this estate. The building offers multi-level viewing of the main exhibit, so you truly appreciate the size and well-preserved skeletons of Iguanodon bernissartensis, a name which is quite fitting because it was here in Bernissart, a city in Belgium, that a coal mine accidentally drilled into a clay sinkhole underground and discovered these gigantic skeletons. And what better way to experience their grandiosity than a walk around the museum's corridors? Many factoids are translated into French, English, Dutch and German, often with interactive boards and games that I am sure cater to all ages and audiences.

In one way or the other, I find it rather funny how dinosaurs continue to fascinate and surround us, in both fossilised form as well as in petroleum (note, it is a modern myth that dinosaurs lead to petrol!).

"Roooor!" That is the sound of Parasaurolophus, one of the many dinosaurs waiting for you at the Natural Sciences Museum in Brussels. Although it is honestly tricky for me to read all the scientific names and have them stick in my memory, it may be a nice challenge to set yourself during your tour here. As you are enveloped by the shadows of huge, wide skeletons and, at the same time, having existential dread for the animal kingdom, whose members only remain as these bones with us today, the museum sure makes up for a lot of evolutionary history in different rooms around the expansive space. From ancient mammoths to city-dwelling birds, there is a visible concerted effort to document and display as many lifeforms as possible here. Many of the animals are real taxidermies, while some are built of plastic, and at the very least, the latter have many funny-looking expressions.

Parasaurolophus

And if you are exhausted with the wildlife, there is much to discover in the rock forms exhibit as well. Some of my personal favourites were bright, vibrant stones with internal crystallised shapes. In its entirety, the museum captures a kind of variety which is not easy to find and maintain, so I fully appreciated and enjoyed the works on display. After all, it is not every day that you hear a dinosaur roaring at you at the press of a button!

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