BELGIAN COMIC STRIP CENTER

Description

Essentials about the Belgian Comic Strip Center in brief

Fans of Asterix and Obelix, Lucky Luke, Tintin and the Smurfs should definitely pay a visit to the Belgian Comic Strip Center during a trip to Brussels. Housed in a beautiful Art Nouveau gallery, the Comic Strip Center is a true mecca for all comic strip fans. In the National Museum of Belgian Comics, visitors can immerse themselves in the history and world of comics. Comic book lovers can also browse through a large selection of comic albums in the library of the Comic Strip Center.

The building of the Belgian Comic Strip Center

The building of the Belgian Comic Strip Center was built in 1906 by the world-famous architect Victor Horta in Art Nouveau style. It originally served as a warehouse for the fabric merchant Charles Waucquez. After Waucquez’s death in 1920, the building began to fall into disrepair. Jean Delhaye, a former employee of Horta, tried to save the building from decay. He succeeded in getting the building recognized as a protected heritage site in 1975.

However, the restoration and rededication of the building as a museum did not begin until the early 1980s. After a visit, the renowned architect Jean Breydel considered restoring the building. Together with two comic artists, Bob de Moor and Alain Baran, Breydel developed the plan to create a museum in honor of Belgian comics. Since Belgium is considered the country of origin of European comics, this idea seemed obvious to them. Renovation work began in 1986, and in 1989 the Belgian Comic Strip Center was opened in the presence of King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola.

The exhibition in the Belgian Comic Strip Center

Covering an area of 4,000 square meters, the Belgian Comic Strip Center is all about comics. The first floor of the center houses the museum’s comic store, Bistro Horta, a space dedicated to architect Victor Horta, a library with a reading room, and a study center. On the second floor are an auditorium, a room where historical comic originals by various cartoonists are displayed, and a room dedicated to comic animation. On the second floor, the permanent exhibition awaits visitors, where the history of comics is presented chronologically. It begins at the end of the 1920s with Hergé, the creator of Tintin, and ends at the end of the 1950s with Peyo, the spiritual father of the Smurfs. In addition to the permanent exhibition, the Belgian Comic Strip Center also regularly hosts special exhibitions and organizes meetings between comic strip creators and the public.

The Comic Strip Walk

Anyone who still hasn’t had enough of comics after a visit to the Belgian Comic Strip Center should take a stroll along the so-called “Comic Strip Walk”. The six-kilometer-long route through Brussels passes a total of around 30 houses whose facades are decorated with the large-scale likenesses of comic characters. This is an unusual way for the comic-crazy Belgians to honor their idols.