The Royal Library of Belgium (KBR) is the national scientific library. It collects all Belgian publications and preserves, manages and studies an extensive cultural and historical heritage. It provides the public with access to information, facilitates research and offers a broad cultural experience.

The Royal Library of Belgium (KBR) is the national scientific library. It collects all Belgian publications and preserves, manages and studies an...

French (Global)

Eglantine Lebacq

English (Global)

Rebecca Thierfeldt

Dutch (Belgium)

De Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België (KBR) is de nationale wetenschappelijke bibliotheek. Ze verzamelt álle Belgische publicaties en bewaart, beheert en bestudeert een omvangrijk cultureel en historisch patrimonium van ruim 8 miljoen documenten. Ze geeft het publiek toegang tot informatie, faciliteert onderzoek en biedt culturele beleving aan.

De Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België (KBR) is de nationale wetenschappelijke bibliotheek. Ze verzamelt álle Belgische publicaties en bewaart...

En tant que bibliothèque scientifique nationale, KBR rassemble toutes les publications belges. Elle conserve, gère et étudie un vaste patrimoine culturel et historique de plus de 8 millions de documents. Par ailleurs, elle permet au public d’accéder à l’information, facilite la recherche et propose des expériences culturelles originales.

En tant que bibliothèque scientifique nationale, KBR rassemble toutes les publications belges. Elle conserve, gère et étudie un vaste patrimoine...

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A few months ahead of the "James Ensor. Inspired by Brussels" exhibition, the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR) and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (RMFAB) have each acquired a drawing by the artist from Ostend, James Ensor (1860-1949). The two works are to be presented at the "James Ensor. Inspired by Brussels" exhibition, opening on 22 February 2024 as part of the Ensor Year. This exhibition is the result of a collaboration between two federal scientific establishments, KBR and the RMFAB.

KBR and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium have acquired two of James Ensor's unpublished drawings

A few months ahead of the "James Ensor. Inspired by Brussels" exhibition, the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR) and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of...

KBR will add millions of records of Belgian publications to OCLC.

KBR joins OCLC and adds records to WorldCat to increase visibility of collection

KBR is adding millions of bibliographic records to WorldCat, a move that will gain more visibility for the library’s collection and provide more opportunities for cooperation among OCLC’s network of libraries worldwide.

On 22 April 2022, KBR (Royal Library of Belgium) and the MIM (Musical Instruments Museum) will open the “Toots 100. The Sound of a Belgian Legend” exhibition. In 2022, Toots Thielemans would have celebrated his 100th birthday. The “ketje” from the Marolles neighbourhood was an accordionist, guitarist, whistler, harmonica player and global star. He was born and raised in the heart of Brussels and then went to America to play on the stage. The exhibition takes visitors into the world of Toots, his life, his work and compositions, his instruments, his technique and his timbre.

The “Toots 100. The sound of a Belgian legend” exhibition: The sound of Toots revealed

On 22 April 2022, KBR (Royal Library of Belgium) and the MIM (Musical Instruments Museum) will open the “Toots 100. The Sound of a Belgian Legend”...

KBR, KU Leuven Libraries and Google signed agreements to share a large portion of important digitised documents reflecting the rich cultural and historical heritage located in the libraries. This entails several thousand works, some dating back to the 15th century, that will be made freely accessible in the coming years via Google Books and the institutions’ own library catalogues.

KBR, KU Leuven Libraries and Google to put thousands of books and historic documents online

KBR, KU Leuven Libraries and Google signed agreements to share a large portion of important digitised documents reflecting the rich cultural and...

On 11 May 2021, the KBR museum will be turning the page: from then on, there will be a completely new selection of manuscripts and miniatures from the Library of the Dukes of Burgundy on display. As manuscripts are highly sensitive to light, they must not be exhibited permanently. The "new" museum will be displaying some top items with beautiful miniatures such as the Recueil des histoires de Troie or Le Livre des fais d’armes et de chevalerie. Good news for foodies too: they can finally enjoy food and drinks on the rooftop terrace, as Albert, our restaurant, is also opening its doors on 11 May.

The KBR museum is turning the page for the first time

On 11 May 2021, the KBR museum will be turning the page: from then on, there will be a completely new selection of manuscripts and miniatures from...

Great news for jazz fans! In 2022, KBR and the Musical Instruments Museum (MIM) will celebrate Toots Thielemans' 100th birthday with an exhibition entitled “Toots 100. The Sound of a Belgian Legend”. From 22 April 2022 until 31 August 2022, visitors can enjoy an immersive exhibition at KBR in which sound and music play the leading role. The exhibition is part of the Toots Year 2022, an initiative of The Legacy of Toots Thielemans Association in collaboration with the Private Toots Thielemans Foundation and Visit Brussels.

Toots 100. The Sound of a Belgian Legend

Great news for jazz fans! In 2022, KBR and the Musical Instruments Museum (MIM) will celebrate Toots Thielemans' 100th birthday with an exhibition...

On 18 September 2020, the KBR museum will open its doors, inviting the public to discover a national treasure hidden for 600 years: the Library of the Dukes of Burgundy and its fabulous collection of 15th century manuscripts. With the opening of this new museum, KBR, the National Library, is helping to revive our cultural life and establishing itself as a major cultural centre in Brussels.

The KBR museum: discovering a treasure hidden for 600 years

On 18 September 2020, the KBR museum will open its doors, inviting the public to discover a national treasure hidden for 600 years: the Library of...

Together with the Art & History Museum and the KU Leuven, KBR is launching an online open access application to view heritage objects dynamically and interactively online. This pixel+ viewer allows you to view centuries-old objects in a different light and reveal hidden details.

New dimensions take a deeper look at heritage

Together with the Art & History Museum and the KU Leuven, KBR is launching an online open access application to view heritage objects dynamically...

The opening of the KBR museum, initially planned for 15 May 2020, has been postponed to 18 September 2020 due to the corona crisis.

Opening KBR museum postponed due to the corona crisis

A new milestone Over the coming years, KBR will prioritize investments in digitisation and making its collections available online, as well as increasing the accessibility of its unique collections through special exhibitions in the historic buildings of KBR at the heart of Brussels. In October 2019, a completely renovated entrance hall was implement and the exhibition "The World of Bruegel in Black and White" opened in and around the beautiful 18th-century Palace of Charles of Lorraine. As many as 30,000 visitors came to admire the complete graphic oeuvre of the Flemish master Bruegel. KBR's evolution will soon reach a new milestone with the opening of the KBR museum on 15 May 2020. Belgium has been hiding a treasure for 600 years For more than 600 years, KBR preserves and protects a precious treasure from the ravages of time - the Library of the Dukes of Burgundy. The Library is a collection of initially more than 900 manuscripts, of which a third remain preserved today in...

A new museum: KBR museum

A new milestone Over the coming years, KBR will prioritize investments in digitisation and making its collections available online, as well as...

A new milestone Over the coming years, KBR will prioritize investments in digitisation and making its collections available online, as well as increasing the accessibility of its unique collections through special exhibitions in the historic buildings of KBR at the heart of Brussels. In October 2019, a completely renovated entrance hall was implement and the exhibition "The World of Bruegel in Black and White" opened in and around the beautiful 18th-century Palace of Charles of Lorraine. As many as 30,000 visitors came to admire the complete graphic oeuvre of the Flemish master Bruegel. KBR's evolution will soon reach a new milestone with the opening of the KBR museum on 15 May 2020. Belgium has been hiding a treasure for 600 years For more than 600 years, KBR preserves and protects a precious treasure from the ravages of time - the Library of the Dukes of Burgundy. The Library is a collection of initially more than 900 manuscripts, of which a third remain preserved today in KBR. The manuscripts were illuminated by the best miniaturists of the 15th century, of whom were arguably just as famous as Jan Van Eyck. At the intersection of medieval and modern times, this Library covers all areas of science and contains very important texts from medieval literature. It is one of the largest libraries of its time, together with the library of the French kings, the Medici and the Vatican Library. A museum in and around the Nassau Chapel The KBR museum circles around the Nassau Chapel and its two additional floors. On the first floor you will learn how a manuscript was made in the 15th century. The craftsmanship of the artists is illustrated; sketching out the historical, economic and artistic context in which this beautiful collection originated. On the second floor we zoom in on the manuscripts of the dukes. In an innovative scenography, the visitor discovers more than 160 original documents, spread throughout the museum. In addition to the pieces from its own collections, the KBR also showcases many related objects on loan from other institutions. Paintings, altarpieces, statues and everyday utensils tell the story of the dukes and their manuscripts. The manuscripts cannot be exhibited permanently for preservation reasons, thus new pieces will be shown every three months. Visitors can discover new gems from the KBR collection every time they visit! KBR offers tours in five languages: Dutch, French, English, German and Spanish, for three different visitor profiles: an in-depth visit, a first acquaintance or a visit tailored to children. This huge undertaking could not have successfully been completed without the generous support of many others. In addition to the lenders and numerous partners from the cultural sector, various partners provided financial support for this project. Together with KBR, the Belgian Buildings Agency and Toerisme Vlaanderen investments in infrastructure and furnishing was completed; the Baillet Latour Fund supports the restoration of the manuscripts and the non-profit organisation Friends of KBR financed a part of the scenography. - Sara Lammens, General director a.i. (KBR) As a true book lover, I greatly appreciate the project launched by KBR and look forward to discovering the manuscripts of the Dukes of Burgundy, real treasures from our heritage. I would like to congratulate the KBR team for its vision and dynamism in the realisation of this project. - David Clarinval, Minister in charge of Science Policy We are delighted that we are once again contributing to the creation of new museum spaces in the KBR. Major infrastructure works were carried out to open up the space and to connect the zones. Particular attention was paid to improving accessibility. During the first phase, the main entrance to the Mont des Arts was completely renovated and refurbished with an entrance ramp. In this new phase, a glass lift and a lifting platform for people with restricted mobility were placed in front of the new museum about the Dukes of Burgundy. - Laurent Vrijdaghs, Administrator General of the Belgian Buildings Agency With the Library project, Flanders is investing 2.3 million euros in opening up a unique, but insufficiently known part of our heritage: the beautiful manuscript collection of the Dukes of Burgundy. Each of these 300 manuscripts is a true gem of Flemish miniature art. The Royal Library can now lift its mission - preservation, research and access - to a higher level. Together we create an authentic heritage experience for a wide national and international audience. - Zuhal Demir, Minister of Flemish Tourism

‘The World of Bruegel in Black and White’ opens on 15/10

Complete collection of Bruegel's graphic works on display in KBR

On Tuesday 15 October, the exhibition ‘The World of Bruegel in Black and White’ will open in KBR. Every one of Bruegel's prints and three of his original drawings will be on display at the exhibition. Being very fragile, these works hardly ever leave the Print Room at KBR. This is the first exhibition to be held in the renovated apartments in the Palace of Charles of Lorraine, which have been refurbished as an exhibition space. The space is now fully accessible to wheelchairs. Download the attached press file, with information on the complete exhibition trail and an explanation of the top pieces in the exhibition.

Exhibition 'The Beauty of War. Waterloo 1815-2015' opens in Brussels on 17 June

Can war be beautiful?

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. In view of this event, historian and artist, Koen Broucke bases an exhibition on this paradoxical assumption: in its representation, the horror of war is given an aesthetic character and even leads to sublime beauty. The curator stages an artistic dialogue between books, prints and drawings from the past and contemporary creations An exhibition investigating the link between art and history Alongside well-known works of Joseph Mallord William Turner, Francisco Goya and James Ensor, some lesser-known and surprising material has surfaced This exhibition is an initial phase in Koen Broucke’s PhD arts research.