4/5 Jaroslav M. 3 years ago on Google
The
Museum
of
Natural
Sciences
of
Belgium
is
a
museum
dedicated
to
natural
history,
located
in
Brussels,
Belgium.
The
museum
is
a
part
of
the
Royal
Belgian
Institute
of
Natural
Sciences.
Its
most
important
pieces
are
30
fossilised
Iguanodon
skeletons,
which
were
discovered
in
1878
in
Bernissart,
Belgium.
The
dinosaur
hall
of
the
museum
is
the
world's
largest
museum
hall
completely
dedicated
to
dinosaurs.
Another
famous
piece
is
the
Ishango
bone,
which
was
discovered
in
1960
by
Jean
de
Heinzelin
de
Braucourt
in
the
Belgian
Congo.
The
museum
also
houses
a
research
department
and
a
public
exhibit
department.
The
Museum
of
Natural
Sciences
was
founded
on
31
March
1846,
as
a
descendant
of
the
Musée
de
Bruxelles
of
1802.
It
was
based
on
the
collection
established
by
Prince
Charles
Alexander
of
Lorraine,
dating
from
the
18th
century.
Belgian
scientist
and
politician
Bernard
du
Bus
de
Gisignies
became
the
first
director
of
the
museum
in
1846,
and
on
this
occasion,
he
donated
2474
birds
from
his
own
collection
to
the
museum.
In
1860,
during
the
construction
of
new
fortifications
around
Antwerp,
several
fossils
were
found,
mainly
of
whales,
and
they
were
acquired
by
the
museum.
The
museum
also
obtained
the
skeletons
of
a
bowhead
whale
(Balaena
mysticetus)
and
a
young
blue
whale
(Balaenoptera
musculus),
which
are
still
on
display
today.
The
same
year,
the
skeleton
of
a
mammoth
was
unearthed
near
Lier,
and
due
to
the
prompt
action
of
archaeologist
François-Joseph
Scohy,
it
was
preserved
and
brought
to
the
museum,
where
it
has
been
exhibited
since
1869.
At
that
time,
the
only
other
skeleton
of
a
mammoth
on
display
was
in
the
museum
of
Saint
Petersburg
in
Russia.
In
1878,
the
largest
find
of
Iguanodon
fossils
to
date
occurred
in
a
coal
mine
at
Bernissart,
in
Hainaut,
Belgium.
At
least
38
Iguanodon
(Iguanodon
bernissartensis)
skeletons
were
uncovered,
at
a
depth
of
322
metres
(1,056
feet),
of
which
30
were
brought
back
to
the
museum
and
put
on
display.
They
were
mounted
by
Louis
Dollo
and
set
the
standard
that
was
followed
for
over
a
century.
Found
alongside
the
Iguanodon
skeletons
were
the
remains
of
plants,
fish,
and
other
reptiles,
including
the
crocodyliform
Bernissartia.
Between
1889
and
1891,
the
museum
moved
from
its
original
home
at
the
Palace
of
Charles
of
Lorraine
into
a
former
convent
located
on
the
heights
of
the
park.
The
building
quickly
became
too
narrow
and
the
director
of
the
time,
Edward
Dupont,
entrusted
the
architect
Charles-Emile
Janlet
the
construction
of
a
new
southern
wing.
Work
began
in
1898
and
ended
in
October
1905.
The
new
rooms
were
specially
designed
to
accommodate
the
new
collections.
In
1950,
several
modern
buildings
were
added
to
house
new
exhibition
and
storage
rooms,
as
well
as
premises
for
the
Royal
Belgian
Institute
of
Natural
Sciences,
the
research
centre
of
which
the
museum
is
now
part.
Since
2007,
the
completely
renovated
and
enlarged
dinosaur
hall
(the
Janlet
wing)
of
4580
m2
has
been
the
largest
dinosaur
hall
in
the
world.