As soon as you enter, you’ll be transported to another universe in no time. First step of the journey: the savannah! Time to show off a bit by posing next to a zebra or a black wildebeest. And to enlighten you, various explanatory panels on the different types of savannah, its origin and its animal population are placed at your disposal.
 
Your children will rack up visual discoveries by comparing the sometimes spectacular dimensions of certain animals. The title of most impressive bird will undoubtedly go to ... the Andean Condor! Note it has a 3.20 m wingspan, lives at an altitude of between 3,000 and 5,000 m and boasts a lifespan of nearly 50 years. These are dizzying figures! Unfortunately, this condor is considered a threatened species. As for fish, the sturgeon wins! A 2.10 m piece for 45 kg, no less! We know that this one was caught in 1873 in Haine, in Saint-Ghislain. Among the museum’s many oddities you also have a whale’s jaw, and an albino macaque from the Philippines. You won’t know where to start!
 

Not to mention the “Giant Constantine”

 

You haven’t finished taking it all in! Among the museum’s exceptional pieces is this giant’s complete skeleton. “It's impossible, it’s a fake!”, children eagerly exclaim. But no, he’s certainly real! Julius Koch, his real name, was 2.58m tall and weighed 165 kg. Well, okay ... Between him and the animals, this makes you feel rather small!

Tell me about it!

Don’t forget to take a walk upstairs! You’ll find an educational space with models and explanatory panels on the use of flint in the Spiennes mines in the Neolithic Age.

And that's not all! The museum also hosts thematic exhibitions every year. You’ll find the programme on the museum’s website. And for groups and schools, activities and guided educational tours can be organised free of charge. Place your bookings!

Practical info

  • Open Monday to Friday, from 8.30 am to 12.00 pm and from 1.00 pm to 5.00 pm, as well as the first Sunday of the month from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm non-stop
  • Free entry

Contact :

Muséum Régional des Sciences Naturelles
Rue des Gaillers, 7
7000 Mons, Belgium
Tel. : +32 (0)65/40.11.40
Mail : bertrand.pasture@spw.wallonie.be

Accessible with the Mons Card!
 
Good to know

Good to know