House of European History

The House of European History takes visitors on a journey along the path of Europe’s history and challenges them to contemplate its future. Entrance is free, with audio-guides in the 24 official languages of the European Union.

At the heart of the House of European History, the permanent exhibition galleries use objects, reconstructions and multimedia resources to take visitors on a thought-provoking narrative that focuses on the continent’s 19th and 20th centuries.

The museum regularly hosts temporary exhibitions. For example, exploring the issue of waste in Europe, disinformation or artwork during wartime. Discover the current temporary exhibition on the website.

Teachers and Students
Learning aids and resources are available both on-site and online. There are downloadable teachers’ notes, class and group activities, along with photographs, written testimonies and videos. These materials can be easily adapted to use with curriculum content.

Families
For families with 6-10 year olds - take a backpack and 'time-travel’ through different periods of Europe’s past! Kids will smell, feel and live history as never before, through role-play games in a 1960s Travel Agency, walking in the shoes of an astronaut or grappling with robots. Family Spaces are available in 24 languages and accessible during opening hours of the museum. Extra facilitated learning activities are on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 14:00 to 17:00. Entrance is free. No reservation required.

The museum is family-friendly, with baby-changing facilities and access for buggies. Parents may feel certain aspects of the permanent exhibition are only suitable for children over eleven years old.
  • The House of European History is easily accessible by train (Bruxelles-Luxembourg station), bus or metro.
    The nearest metro stops are Maelbeek and Schuman on lines 1 and 5, and Trone on lines 2 and 6.
  • 1, 5 Schuman - 2, 6 Trône / Troon

‘’The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise.’’ - Quote from Socrates (469–399 B.C.), a philosopher who lived in Classical Athens more than 2000 years ago. Demonstrated by a philosopher in Classical Athens more than 2000 years ago, different generations have formed an opinion about the other throughout history - are Baby Boomers really too strict? Are Gen Z’ers really always on their phone? Did any generation really have it harder or easier than the last? On 21 April, the House of European History invites families and groups of different ages and generations to discover the museum’s collection and learn more about the circumstances of each generation by delving into European history together. Share memories of ‘’back in the day’’, ‘’before Covid’’ and ‘’when you were small’’ and discover how much life has changed or remained the same using our specially designed trail. Start your visit at the Family Kiosk and continue through each floor of the museum by visiting objects of significance that have been specifically chosen to define different generations. Follow the trail and play activities, stimulate your senses and pose questions that you might not have had the opportunity to ask your children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents or relatives of different ages. Join us in the museum and rethink what makes a house a home for different generations and how we manage to live together and learn from each other. Maybe it will change your perspective! This event is organised as part of the ‘Erfgoeddag’, Heritage Day, organised by Faro and focuses on intangible heritage. This year the theme is ‘Home’. Practical Information - No registration is required – just drop in and get started at the Family Kiosk! - The museum and all activities are free of charge for everyone. - Suitable for all ages, from 9 to 99!