Mons is culture capital for Belgium

The Belgian city of Mons is experiencing something of a cultural explosion this year. The city has been honoured as a European Capital of Culture for 2015 (along with Pilsen in the Czech Republic) and will play host to more than 20 exhibitions throughout the year.

The incredible diversity of the projects paints a unique and vibrant panorama of ancient and contemporary art, from the figure of St George in the history of art to monumental sculpture in China. All of the events and exhibitions are expected to appeal not only to the public at large but also to cultural enthusiasts.

Most recently the city has seen the opening of, remarkably, not less than five new museums. A spokesman for the Brussels and Wallonia Tourist Office said: "It’s essential that we promote Mons’s heritage as we believe that works of art in a museum take their meaning from their history and from being part of a collection."

The five new museums are:

L'Artothèque, a space where Mons’s art heritage will be conserved, stored, researched, studied and restored. More than 6,000 works have already been scanned, catalogued and documented;

The Mons Belfry, listed by UNESCO in 1999. Belgium’s only baroque belfry, in the past is was associated with the protection of the city and for centuries it has been part of the rhythm of life in Mons with the chiming of its carillon;

Musée du Doudou, a city-centre space where visitors can find out about the meaning of the Ducasse ritual in Mons, linked to the legend of Saint George, which was recognised by UNESCO in 2005 as part of humanity’s oral and intangible heritage;

Mons Memorial Museum (MMM), invites visitors of all ages to reflect on the complex realities of war. It is intended to be a meeting place where different generations can exchange views. Visitors find themselves immersed in the daily life of soldiers and civilians through eye-witness accounts of men and women who lived through those events, and;

Silex’s minières néolithique de Spiennes, the new interpretation centre for the Neolithic mines at Spiennes, allowing visitors to learn all about this archeological site listed by UNESCO in 2000. Dotted with thousands of shafts, it’s one of the oldest and biggest centres of flint mining in Europe, covering an area of 100 hectares 6km from the City of Mons.

Share this article: