Science and Culture at the Royal Palace of Brussels 2022
1.1. Offshore wind farm in the Belgian part of the North Sea
The WinMon.BE programme - coordinated by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences - monitors the impact of offshore wind farms on the marine ecosystem. Its work helps mitigate undesirable impacts and promote desired effects.
1.2. Colonisation of wind farms by oysters
Ostrea edulis Linnaeus
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
Inv 60520
Longer established wind farms now support a wide range of biological communities. Invertebrates and then fish have colonised the hard substrates and are carefully monitored.
2. The Research Vessel Belgica: for science and the sustainable use of the sea.
1:75 scale model
The new multidisciplinary research ship of the Federal Science Policy, managed by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence and Genavir. The ship supports marine scientific research (fisheries, biology, chemistry, geology, climate, etc.) and the monitoring of our North Sea
3. The "Arbre de l’authenticité"
Two copies of wood samples (book form)
Tw 1163 (1939)
Tw 1246 (1897)
Royal Museum for Central Africa
A fast-growing forest giant that plays a crucial role in stabilising the climate.
4.Picnic on a meadow in good company: preserving micro-organisms for the future!
Proposée par le consortium Belgian Co-ordinated Collections of Micro-organisms, la scène de pique-nique souligne l'importance des micro-organismes dans la nature, pour notre santé et notre vie quotidienne.
5. Juventas, GRASS and planetary defence against asteroids
Structure of Juventas and GRASS
1:1 scale model
On board the Juventas CubeSat of the ESA mission Hera, there will be the GRASS instrument of the Royal Observatory of Belgium and the EMXYS company. GRASS data will help us to learn how to protect the Earth from asteroids.
6. Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite and its instrument TROPOMI
1:5-Modell
TROPOMI detects many atmospheric parameters with great accuracy. The data collected is of crucial importance in answering questions related to air quality, ozone, risks to aviation from volcanic activity and climate change.
7. Ever more powerful instruments to monitor climate change
MeteoHelix IoT Pro micro-weather observation station + Sensirion SHTxx digital sensor
Seattle, USA, 2021
Royal Meteorological Institute
Inv. N/A
8. Preserving the past and shaping the future
Photographic shots of the Rubens Chapel in Antwerp.
In preparation for the research and conservation-restoration effort, all artworks in the Rubens Chapel were documented photographically. This was done with a Canon EOS 5DS R camera. Each shot has as many as 50 million pixels.
9. Art opens up new horizons
Jenny Montigny (Gent 1875 – Deurle 1937) Leaving school in winter
Oil on canvas, 82 x 102 cm
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
Inv. 4874
An adept of landscapes and interior scenes, Jenny Montigny was first and foremost a champion of children's games. She managed to establish herself as a female painter in Belgium and abroad, but she died forgotten, in poverty.
10. The digital future of the State Archives
Document on parchment with 5 equestrian seals hanging from crimson silk cords. Restored and digitised with the support of the David-Constant Fund (King Baudouin Foundation). Brussels, 7 April, 1281. State Archives in Liège. Charters of the Saint-Lambert cathedral in Liège, no. 373
Agreement concluded before the Council of the Duke of Brabant between Arnoul, Count of Looz, and Isabelle de Condé and her sons by which the latter renounce their claims on the county of Looz.
11. Where time is treasured
Johannes Stradanus (Jan van der Straet) "Sculptura in Aes":
The Invention of Copper Engraving (from the Nova Reperta series)
Copper engraving
(ca. 1590)
KBR, inv. S.I 1532
Johannes Stradanus (Jan van der Straet) "Impressio Librorum":
The invention of book printing (from the Nova Reperta series)
Copper engraving
(ca. 1590)
KBR, inv. S.I 1445
12.Shaman statuette
Colima culture
Western Mexico
Pre-classical period 100 BC-250 AD.
AAM 00087.1.53 Royal museums of Art and History
Hollow ceramic with brick-red slip representing a shaman characterised by his horn, a symbol of strength. The Colima statuettes are distinguished by the complex ornamentation of the figures, whose hairstyles, jewellery and clothing appear to denote a fairly pronounced social hierarchy.
