Museum of the National Bank of Belgium

The Museum of the National Bank of Belgium (French: Musée de la Banque nationale de Belgique; Dutch: Museum van de Nationale Bank van België) is a museum in central Brussels, Belgium, belonging to the National Bank of Belgium (NBB). Opened in 1982, it is one of the oldest central bank museums in Europe.

Building

The museum's current building was constructed between 1872 and 1874 to serve as a bank for the Union du Crédit de Bruxelles bank. It was designed by the local architect Désiré De Keyser. In 1969, Union du Crédit de Bruxelles was acquired by the United California Bank. In 1979, the National Bank of Belgium purchased the building and several others nearby. The building was restored between 2004 and 2009. Before its restoration, the building had been severely damaged by dry rot and alterations. The museum has occupied the building since 2018.

Collection

The museum is divided into three exhibits: the history of money, the history of the National Bank of Belgium, and the interactions between people and money and the design of money. It has a collection of old Belgian coins and explains the emergence of currency through the centuries.

See also

• List of museums in Brussels
• History of Brussels
• Belgium in the long nineteenth century

References

External links

• Media related to Belgian National Bank Museum at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website