A former waterworks in Mons has been transformed into a new museum dedicated to remember the wartime occupations. The story, together with those who fought here, is told at the Mons Memorial Museum, an elegantly converted industrial building which once pumped the town's water supply.
I have been following the progress when the machine à eau turned into this museum. It has been planned that it will be open on Easter holiday but few weeks earlier I thought it won't be ready on time because seemed had no sign of preparations.
Et voila.. on April 5, 2015 during
the “weekend of metamorphosis”, the museum opens its doors for
free to help us understand the causes and effects of conflict.
When we got to the Esplanade Dolez, just across the museum, a woman in colorful costume approached and politely asked if we wanted to get in to the museum. We were kinda hesitant yet intrigued when she offered to sing us a song from the war era. So we put our ears closer to the pipe resembling a listening device and she started whispering and singing a beautiful and heartwarming lullaby.
Getting in to the museum was easy, no queue.
Glass and steel lightens the old
red brick, while white cubes help to create what the architects call “a
stepping stone to the past”. This new museum not only talk about it with its contemporary
architecture, but just as much by design. The exhibits
begin with forgotten struggles from the Middle Ages. What an experience to be guided in the tragic events of
the two World Wars through hundreds of objects with history and multimedia.
The exhibits, selected from the 5000 of military history
collections of the town of Mons, pose a fundamental reflection on the
relationship between military and civilian population. The individual stories from letters, notebooks, interviews and artefacts were donated by local people as well as descendants of veterans.
As we saw last summer with the royal visit of William and Kate, Mons is becoming a destination of choice for memorial tourism.
A space dedicated to reflection,
investigation and interaction, a museum… More than just an exhibition venue,
this new museum is determined to be a place where people from all generations
will be able to come and meet right in the heart of a Memorial Region marked by
the two successive world wars that turned the 20th century upside down.
This museum invites visitors of all ages to question the multiple, complex
realities of the phenomena of war. A huge permanent exhibition introduces
members of the public to the unique history of the town. Through the fates of
the men and women who witnessed events, visitors are immersed in the day-to-day
lives of soldiers and civilians in times of war.
Expect to spend at least an hour
or two for a visit.
Boulevard
Dolez
Tuesday - Sunday, 10 am – 6 pm
9/6 EUR