Belgian Comic Strip Center

The Belgian Comic Strip Center (French: Centre belge de la Bande dessinée; Dutch: Belgisch Stripcentrum) is a museum in Brussels dedicated to Belgian comics. It is located at 20, rue des Sables/Zandstraat, and is served by the Brussels-Congress railway station.

History of the building

The building was designed in 1905 by world-famous architect Victor Horta, in Art Nouveau style, and served as a textile department store, the Magasins Waucquez. After Waucquez's death in 1920, the building began to languish away, and in 1970, the firm closed its doors. Jean Delhaye, a former aid of Horta, saved the building from demolition, and by 16 October 1975, it was designated as a protected monument. Still, the building was in bad shape and victim to a lot of vandalism.

In 1980, architect Jean Breydel and comics artists François Schuiten, Bob de Moor, Alain Baran, Guy Dessicy and Hergé planned to restore the building and give it a new destination as a museum dedicated to the history of Belgian comics. Originally, the museum would be a homage to Hergé, but he suggested honoring the entire Belgian comics industry. In 1983, Belgian Minister of Public Works Louis Olivier decided that the building would be bought by the Direction of Buildings, making it national property. In 1984, a fund was founded which brought together several Flemish and Walloon comics artists. Two years later, the restorations began, with respect for the original architecture, while updating it to modern standards. The mosaics were flown over from Italy and constructed by Italian mosaic workers, because the profession had become obsolete in Belgium.

On 6 October 1989, the museum was inaugurated in the presence of King Baudouin of Belgium and Queen Fabiola of Belgium.

In the Autumn of 2015, the museum started redecorating its permanent exhibition.

The museum

The ground floor of the museum holds a restaurant, a room dedicated to Victor Horta, a comics' store named "Slumberland" after Little Nemo in Slumberland, a library with a reading room and a study centre. The first floor has an auditorium, a room with original comic book pages by various artists and a room dedicated to animation, more specifically the Belgian animation industry, such as Belvision.

The second floor has a permanent exhibition dedicated to the chronological history of the medium in Belgium called "The Museum of Imagination". The exhibit starts off with Hergé and ends with Peyo, covering the pioneers of Belgian comics between 1929 and 1958 and with special focus on the magazines Spirou and Tintin. Each artist has a room dedicated to his work and designed in a playful way.

The final floor is dedicated to the merchandising of comics and available for provisional exhibitions.

List of the exhibited comics artists

Four artists exhibited are Flemish: Willy Vandersteen, Marc Sleen, Bob de Moor and Morris. The rest are Walloon, except for Jacques Martin and Tibet who were born in France, but published in Tintin.

  • Hergé - (The Adventures of Tintin, Quick and Flupke, Jo, Zette and Jocko)
  • Jijé - (Spirou et Fantasio, Jerry Spring)
  • Edgar P. Jacobs - (Blake and Mortimer)
  • Willy Vandersteen - (Suske en Wiske)
  • Marc Sleen - (The Adventures of Nero)
  • Maurice Tillieux - (Gil Jourdan)
  • Bob De Moor - (Cori, de Scheepsjongen)
  • André Franquin - (Spirou et Fantasio, Marsupilami, Gaston Lagaffe, Franquin's Last Laugh)
  • Jacques Martin - (The Adventures of Alix)
  • Morris - (Lucky Luke)
  • Paul Cuvelier - (Corentin)
  • Victor Hubinon - (Buck Danny)
  • Tibet - (Chick Bill, Ric Hochet)
  • Raymond Macherot - (Chlorophylle, Sybilline)
  • Jean Roba - (Boule et Bill)
  • Peyo - (Johan and Peewit, The Smurfs)

Marc Sleen Museum

Since 2009, directly across the Belgian comics museum, in the same street, another comics-themed museum can be found, the Marc Sleen Museum, dedicated to the work of Belgian comics artist Marc Sleen.

See also

  • Brussels' Comic Book Route
  • Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
  • Fred Waring Cartoon Collection
  • Michigan State University Comic Art Collection
  • Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art

External links

Listed in the following categories:
Post a comment
Tips & Hints
Arrange By:
4sq SUs Belgium
23 March 2016
Did you know that Belgium has more comic book artists per square km than any other country in the world, even Japan? Nowhere else comics are so strongly rooted in reality and in people's imagination.
Furiousmate
29 September 2015
Nice museum for understanding comics though most of them are about European comics. Their souvenir collections include quite a lot of Tin Tin and Smurf stuff, you'll find a reason to spend some money
Rickard Jonsson
13 August 2017
They have over 1500 sqm filled with comics. The gift shop is extensive and they cover books in several languages and they also do a combination ticket with the Marc Sleen museum across the road.
Thomas Hitchen
23 October 2022
Great place taking you through the history of comic books… The Naruto exhibit was a personal highlight and has made me want to start reading this Manga series ????
Pablo Hernández
31 December 2015
Had a great time in this amazing place. You MUST be a BD fan. Best places: store and reading corner. / Incroyable musée mais on DOIT être fan des BD. Meilleurs endroits: magasin et salle de lecture.
Geneviève St-Germain
9 November 2014
Super musée! On aurait aimé plus d'interactivité car il y a énormément de lecture. La visite en vaut quand même la peine.
Load more comments
foursquare.com
7.9/10
15,497 people have been here
Map
Rue des Sables 20, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium Get directions
Tue-Sun 10:00 AM–6:00 PM

Belgian Comic Strip Center on Foursquare

Belgian Comic Strip Center on Facebook

Hotels nearby

See all hotels See all
Novotel Brussels Centre Tour Noire Hotel

starting $231

Brussels Marriott Hotel Grand Place

starting $175

Ibis Brussels Centre St Catherine

starting $193

Dansaert Hotel

starting $116

Astrid Hotel

starting $0

Hotel Orts

starting $167

Recommended sights nearby

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral

The St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral is located at the Treurenberg

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
La Monnaie

The Koninklijke Muntschouwburg (de Munt) (Dutch), or le Théâtre R

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Jeanneke Pis

小便少女是一座位于布鲁塞尔的现代喷泉雕像,她对应于布鲁塞尔城的市標尿尿小童而存在, 而且事实上小便少女雕像在地理上也正好位于相同距离的布鲁塞尔大广场的另外一面。

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Botanical Garden of Brussels

The Botanical Garden of Brussels (French: Jardin botanique de

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Grand Place

The Grote Markt (·) (Dutch) or Grand Place (French) is the central

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Brussels Stock Exchange

The Brussels Stock Exchange (BSE) (French: Bourse de Bruxelles, Dutch:

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Brussels Park

Parc de Bruxelles (French) or Шаблон:Audio (Dutch), is the large

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Brussels Town Hall

The Town Hall (French: Hôtel de Ville, Dutch: Stadhuis (·info)) o

Similar tourist attractions

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Museo Nacional de Arte

The Museo Nacional de Arte (MUNAL) (English. National Museum of Art)

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Philadelphia Museum of Art

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
The Cloisters

The Cloisters is the branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
James Simon Gallery

The James Simon Gallery will be a new, centrally located visitor

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Tokyo National Museum

The Tokyo National Museum (東京国立博物館, Tōkyō Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan),

See all similar places