Musee Curtius

The Grand Curtius in Liège is a museum complex that opened in 2009 and brings together the collections of several formerly independent museums. The objects are spread across several historic buildings, including the Palais Curtius, the Hôtel Hayme de Bomal, the Hôtel Brahy, and the Maison Dewilde. The Palais Curtius, which gives the museum its name, was built between 1597 and 1610 by the arms dealer Jean De Corte on the banks of the Meuse. Its architecture, with alternating layers of red brick and natural stone and cross-mullioned windows, embodies the style of Mosan Renaissance. Across more than 5,000 square meters (about 54,000 square feet) of exhibition space, the museum presents roughly 5,000 individual objects from a collection of 100,000 pieces covering 7,000 years of human history. You can admire archaeological finds such as a Neanderthal skull, Egyptian artifacts, and Roman vases. The collection also includes religious art, among it medieval church treasures and gospel books, as well as outstanding Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque paintings. Furniture, silver, glass, and clocks round out the offering and reflect the region's local craft and artistic traditions.