Leuven creates first museum for and by children

The Belgian city wants to encourage kids’ creativity and active participation

Leuven reported of the opening of the city’s first-ever children’s museum on 27 June 2022. The newest addition to the cultural map of the Belgian city was the idea of two local children, who spoke to the authorities about this and received full support and guidance.

Leuven’s children make good artists, but also - entrepreneurs

Leuven’s children museum, called Expeditie Tijdsprong (or Expedition Time Travel) is located in the Tweebron library. It is temporary, open while the summer holiday lasts - in order to accommodate with the schedule and needs of its primary target audience.

The idea was brought by two local kids - Bran and Rhune – who reportedly had a dream to establish a children's history museum in Leuven. They contacted the City Council and started working with councillors on making the dream come true.

Under the heading 'Museummakers', the City of Leuven collected a lot of historically inspired works of art by children during the coronavirus period - paintings of Greeks and Romans, Vikings and the Middle Ages. Several primary schools contributed to the extensive collection of arts; the collection was expanded by children who participated in workshops at local festivals. Dutch Illustrator Els Decaluwe connected the different eras with her drawings, resulting in an unambiguous whole.

“Children who come to the [us] with a dream show entrepreneurial spirit and we like to give that a boost from the city. Bran and Rhune have set up a project based on their passion and have learned so much over the past few months. Because children can also learn and grow outside the classroom,” commented Lalynn Wadera, alderman for education, as quoted on the city website.

Now the time has come when everyone can admire this museum for and by children. The first visitors were naturally its initiators, but anyone else interested can also explore and discover the works of art in the Library - while summer lasts. After that, it will embark on a journey through Leuven.

The authorities further pointed out that this example is a demonstration that the education and youth services of Leuven are open to new ideas and to support the youngest citizens.