Toy Museum (Brussels)
 Display case exhibiting vintage Lego sets | |
 Interactive fullscreen map | |
| Established | 14 November 1990 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 1 July 2018 |
| Location | Rue de l'Association / Verenigingstraat 24, 1000 City of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium |
| Coordinates | 50°51′07″N 4°21′57″E / 50.851944°N 4.365833°E |
| Type | Children's museum |
Collections | Toys, games |
Collection size | 25,000 |
The Toy Museum (French: Musée du jouet; Dutch: Speelgoedmuseum) was a museum of toys and games in Brussels, Belgium. Opened on 14 November 1990, the core collection was amassed by a family of amateur toy enthusiasts and grew through public donations as well as purchases.[1]
The museum was housed in a former mansion with 1,000 m2 (11,000 sq ft) of exhibition space on three floors, located at 24, rue de l'Association/Verenigingstraat, in the Freedom Quarter. It housed over 25,000 historic toys and games, mostly from the 1950s to the 1980s, with the oldest dating back to 1830.[1][2][3] It was owned and operated by the late André Raemdonck.[4] It closed permanently in 2018.
History
[edit]A first initiative had been attempted in 1984 to participate in the renewal of the Anspach Center, an old department store that had declined years before. This had prompted André Raemdonck and his team to mount a temporary toy exhibition there for one or two months. It was such a success that a permanent Toy Museum was established in 1985, but the centre was closed three years later. Negotiations were then undertaken with the City of Brussels, primarily with its First Alderman, Michel Demaret, in order to find a new and larger space. On 14 November 1990, the museum reopened in a former mansion dating from 1878, located at 24, rue de l'Association/Verenigingstraat.[5] It spanned three exhibition floors.
The museum closed at the beginning of July 2018,[6] following a negative advice from the Brussels Fire and Emergency Medical Service (SIAMU), stating that the building was no longer safe for visitors.[7] It never reopened. In June 2020, the museum's director, André Raemdonck, died,[8] leaving his daughter Dominique to seek solutions.[9] That same year, the building's owner, the French Community Commission (COCOF), withdrew its subsidy because it wanted the institution to move, in order to renovate the building.[10] In January 2026, the Raemdonck family began a clearance sale to vacate the premises.[4]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "History". Musée du jouet. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- ↑ "Toy Museum". Brussels' Museums. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- ↑ "Toy Museum Brussels". Brussels.info. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- 1 2 "Speelgoedmuseum houdt grote uitverkoop: van houten vliegtuigen tot tinnen soldaatjes". Bruzz (in Dutch). 15 January 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "Les tribulations du Musée du Jouet". Cercle d'Histoire de Bruxelles (in French). Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "Musée du jouet". Arts&Publics (in French). 19 October 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "Le Musée du jouet en danger : "Nous allons prendre contact avec les propriétaires de la collection", dit Rudi Vervoort". BX1 (in French). 11 December 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ Bruckner, Arnaud (9 December 2020). "Le Musée du Jouet, menacé de disparition". BX1 (in French). Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ Seker, Eva (11 December 2020). "Bruxelles: le musée du jouet menacé de fermeture". RTBF (in French). Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "Sluiting dreigt voor speelgoedmuseum door conflict met Franse Gemeenschap". Bruzz (in Dutch). 10 December 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
