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 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.

A make-over every six months

On 18 September 2020, the KBR museum opened its doors to display a national treasure that had remained hidden for 600 years: the Library of the Dukes of Burgundy and its beautiful collection of 15th-century manuscripts. The museum will be displaying a new selection of manuscripts from the Burgundian library every six months. This is good news for the frequent visitor: they will see new items each time they visit.

A ‘new’ museum, but why?

The reason is simple: the manuscripts are too fragile to be exhibited permanently. The materials are highly sensitive to light and because a book is always exhibited open, the binding would come under strain from its own weight. After 6 months, the manuscripts go back into the vault for a rest.

What exactly is changing?

Top items such as the Horologe de Sapience will be retrieved from the vault, while other gems from the selection that is currently on display will be stored away. Visitors have been able to admire the first volume of the Chroniques de Hainaut in the past few months, and now the second volume will be exhibited. For some of the manuscripts in the KBR museum, we will be turning the page, so that the visitor can admire a new miniature from the book. There will be a total of 77 new manuscripts to discover from 11 May 2021: a completely new visit experience. In short, the KBR museum lends itself perfectly to a half-yearly repeat visit.

6 months of light, 6 years of rest

At the KBR museum, we choose to display the manuscripts to the public for 6 months; that gives everyone the chance to discover the beauty of the dukes’ books. However, it does mean that we need to store them away again in the archives for 6 years afterwards, far away from light, for a rest. After all, in line with internationally accepted standards, parchment may be exposed to light for a maximum of 12,500 lux hours per year. By allowing them to rest for long enough after exhibition, we will not be endangering the manuscripts and we can cherish them for future generations.

Digital collection

The manuscripts that were previously on display at the museum can still be admired online in the KBR’s digital library. Almost all the manuscripts from the Burgundian Library are available to browse through at www.kbr.be. You can zoom in on the miniatures down to the tiniest detail with the application.

You can find more information about the turning of the page at the KBR museum in the press dossier which you can download at the bottom of this page.