Permanent exhibition

In this gallery you can see some of the important agricultural products of tropical Africa. You can also get an idea of the specific problems affecting the agricultural economy of the area. The display dates largely from the nineteen-sixties.

The colourful wax fruits and crops in the gallery’s showcases were commissioned from the Liège naturalist Emile Lance in 1920 or thereabouts. Fruiting branches, including the coffee plant were intended to provide a scientifically correct image of various exotic varieties.
The emphasis is on ‘economic’ products that Europe imports from Central Africa. The explanation for this can be found in the history of the collection. When the Museum of the Belgian Congo opened in 1910, export products – each with its price tag – were well to the fore. They were intended to encourage investment in the brand new colony.

• The Xylarium and Laboratory for Wood Biology
  
  With over 57,000 samples coming from more than 13,000 different botanic species the Museum’s wood collection is the largest in Europe and the second largest in the world!
  
  The Laboratory of Wood Biology concentrates on microscopic wood analysis. Other scientific disciplines such as art history, geology, ecology and so on also make frequent use of the laboratory’s services.
  
  The laboratory also carries out its own research projects, such as the study of ecological wood anatomy. The age of a tropical tree can be determined by counting the number of rings. The analysis of these growth rings provides further data about the climate.
  A good knowledge of wood species can provide the basis for the long-term management of the forest.