Musée de la Médecine

What Musée de la Médecine does

Musée de la Médecine is a private medical-history museum founded in 1994 and located on the Erasme Campus of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in Anderlecht, Brussels. It operates seven permanent exhibition halls displaying over 4,000 objects of art and archaeology — including 300 nineteenth-century anatomical waxes, 80 pre-Columbian terracotta pieces, ancient medical books, and Greco-Roman and Renaissance artifacts — tracing the evolution of medicine from magico-religious healing through Greco-Roman rationalism to modern experimental science. The institution is run by a five-person team and is open seven days a week, offering trilingual (French, Dutch, English) content, costumed guided tours, QR-code-driven inclusive tours for visitors with disabilities, and seasonal family programming.

The museum's commercial activity spans five streams: tiered admissions (€5 adults, €4 seniors, €1 students, with broad free-admission categories and a free first-Sunday policy), paid guided tours (€125/group), room rentals for corporate and institutional events (€680–€3,300/day packages across the Hemicycle, Main Hall, and Nobel Room), a WooCommerce online store selling medical-history publications (€5–€20), and educational activities for schools. Distribution is entirely direct-to-consumer, with supplementary reach through Brussels-wide museum passes (museumPASSmusées, Brussels Museums) and the Article 27 social-access scheme.

Operationally, the museum is embedded in a public-institution ecosystem: it receives grant funding from Innoviris (school science programs), Visit Brussels, and the King Baudouin Foundation (accessibility), maintains a strategic affiliation with ULB (Dean of Medicine on the Board of Directors), and runs joint programming with academic and cultural partners including the Musée d'Anatomie Louis Deroubaix and ACFLA. Marketing is conducted through its trilingual website, six social media platforms, email newsletter, and participation in city-wide cultural festivals (I Love Science, Heritage Days, Kids Take Over).

Name

Musée de la Médecine

Legal name

Musée de la Médecine

Website

https://museemedecine.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Musée de la Médecine is a Brussels-based medical history museum founded in 1994 on the ULB Erasme Campus, operating seven exhibition halls with 4,000+ art and archaeology objects. It serves the general public, school groups, visitors with disabilities, and corporate event renters via admissions, guided tours, room rentals, and educational programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Museum

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led) (THAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Medical history museum
• Cultural heritage exhibits
• Educational museum tours
• Anatomical wax collection
• Accessible museum programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels (Anderlecht)

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Admission Fees: Visitors pay admission fees to enter the museum. Adults €5, seniors €4, students €1. Free admission for children under 12, Prof card holders, Brussels Card holders, museumPASSmusées holders, hospital patients, and EU Disability Card holders. Free admission also on the first Sunday of each month.
2. Room Rental: The museum rents out its halls (Hemicycle, Main Hall, Nobel Room) for events, conferences, meetings, and seminars. Pricing ranges from €680/day (Nobel Room) to €980/day (Hemicycle), with combination packages up to €3,300/day for the full building. Catering and guided tour add-ons available.
3. Guided Tours: The museum offers guided tours in French, Dutch, and English for groups. Pricing is €125 per group (minimum 10 persons) plus €12 per additional person. School groups: €125 for up to 25 students.
4. Retail / Publications: The museum operates a store selling publications and books on medical history, including titles such as 'Sport – Histoire – Santé' (€20), 'Histoire d'une Faculté' (€15), 'Les Modèles d'Anatomie Clastique' (€18), and 'La Médecine Précolombienne' (€5).
5. Educational Activities: The museum runs paid educational activities for school groups during term time and holiday workshops. Some activities are funded by Innoviris and provided free of charge. Summer activities like 'Mystère Images' charge €2 per participating child.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Musée de la Médecine is a private cultural museum in Brussels, Belgium, that exhibits and interprets the history of medicine through a permanent collection of over 4,000 art and archaeology objects across seven exhibition halls. It supplements its exhibitions with paid guided tours in three languages, educational workshops for school groups, inclusive multi-sensory tours for visitors with disabilities, room rentals for corporate events, and a bookstore selling medical history publications.

Product overview

Musée de la Médecine is a medical history museum founded in 1994 at the Erasme Campus of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). The museum operates as a single unified institution offering permanent and temporary exhibitions showcasing over 4,000 objects of art and archaeology across seven galleries. The core portfolio includes Ancient Medical Books, Anatomical Waxes (300+ pieces), World Medicine, and General History collections, complemented by guided tours, educational activities for schools, inclusive multi-sensory visits, room rentals for events, and a publication bookstore. The museum's primary offering is its exhibition space with educational programming rather than a modular software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Permanent Exhibitions Seven permanent exhibition halls displaying over 4,000 objects of art and archaeology spanning from ancient times to the present, including Etruscan ex-votos, Greco-Roman marbles, medieval religious medicine artifacts, 19th-century medical discoveries, and anatomical waxes. Intended for the general public, families, school groups, and tourists visiting the museum on-site.
• Temporary Exhibitions Rotating special exhibitions such as 'Corpus Apertum' (February–September 2025) exploring anatomy history and body donation to science, developed in collaboration with Musée d'Anatomie et d'Embryologie Louis Deroubaix. Open to the general public and educational visitors.
• Guided Tours Guided tours in French, Dutch, and English led by costumed guides, covering key phases of medical history including the Renaissance with Vesalius, ancient Egypt through mummies, and historical pharmacy reconstructions. Priced at €125 per group (minimum 10 persons) plus €12 per additional person; school groups €125 for up to 25 students.
• Educational Activities (School Programs) School programs including 'Three Systems, One Life!' (respiratory, circulatory, digestive systems), 'In the Heart of the Body,' and 'Good Eating!' workshops for children ages 8-12. Activities are free of charge for Fédération Wallonia-Brussels schools and funded by Innoviris for primary school programs.
• Inclusive Tours Multi-sensory visits adapted for different disabilities (visual, hearing, intellectual) through QR-code-driven audio descriptions, tactile exhibits, LSFB (Belgian French Sign Language) videos, and FALC (Easy to Read) materials. Free for disabled visitors and accompanying adults, maximum 10 participants per group, developed with partner organizations vzw Passe-Muraille, vzw Inclusion, vzw Eqla, and Suzanne Giovannini.
• Room Rentals Event venue rental services including the Hemicycle (150 seats, €980/day), Main Hall (200 standing/120 seated, €790/day), and Nobelzaal/Nobel Room (100 standing/60 seated, €680/day), with combination packages up to €3,300/day for the full building. Optional projector/PC hire and three approved caterers (Huitrière et Eole, Ose Conseils, Pré vert) are available.
• Publications (Museum Bookstore) Museum bookstore offering publications on medical history including 'Sport – Histoire – Santé' (€20), 'Histoire d'une Faculté sous le Prisme de la Dérision Étudiante' (€15), 'Les Modèles d'Anatomie Clastique du Docteur Auzoux' (€18), and 'La Médecine Précolombienne' (€5). Sold via the on-site shop and the WooCommerce online store.
• Vacation Workshops Holiday workshops for children from stage centers, themed around anatomy, hieroglyphs, ancient Egyptian religion, treasure hunts, first aid, medical professions, and Easter egg hunts. Includes Halloween parties (€1 per child) and mystery treasure hunts (€1/child + €1/accompanying adult).
• Mystery Images Activity Interactive family activity where participants use riddle booklets to search for hidden clues among museum collections, running July through August 2026 at €2 per participating child plus regular adult admission.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30 years of continuous operation since 1994
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ACFLA (Association francophone pour l'apprentissage des langues anciennes)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 January 2026ACFLA is a non-profit organization that co-organizes the 'Quaestiones Naturales' educational event with the museum, targeting 3rd- and 4th-year secondary school students studying classical languages. The program explores Antiquity through the lens of medicine, science, and natural phenomena, using Pliny the Elder as a guide.
• Musée d'Anatomie et d'Embryologie Louis DeroubaixcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2025Collaborating institution for the 'Corpus Apertum' exhibition (February–September 2025), which explored anatomy, body donation to science, and medical imaging history. The joint exhibition combined both institutions' expertise and collections to create a comprehensive educational experience.
• Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe museum is located on the Erasme Campus of ULB and is closely integrated with the university. The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine sits on the museum's Board of Directors. ULB provides institutional support, academic legitimacy, and a built-in audience of medical students and researchers. The museum collaborates with ULB faculties on educational programs and exhibitions.
• vzw Passe-MurailleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert partner in accessibility for visitors with special needs, contributing to the development of the museum's inclusive tour program with specialist knowledge in cultural accessibility.
• vzw InclusionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization specializing in disability inclusion, contributing expertise to the museum's accessible tour program for persons with disabilities.
• vzw EqlaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization providing expertise for the inclusive museum experience, specifically supporting accessibility initiatives for visitors with disabilities.
• Suzanne GiovanniniminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert in tactile exhibitions contributing to the design of the museum's accessible, multi-sensory tour program for visitors with visual impairments, including 3D reproductions and tactile models.
• Huitrière et Eole (Approved Caterer)minorOthersOne of three approved caterers for museum room rental events, providing catering services for corporate events and conferences held in the museum's rental spaces.
• Ose Conseils (Approved Caterer)minorOthersOne of three approved caterers for museum room rental events, providing catering services for corporate events and conferences held in the museum's rental spaces.
• Pré vert (Approved Caterer)minorOthersOne of three approved caterers for museum room rental events, providing catering services for corporate events and conferences held in the museum's rental spaces.
• museumPASSmuséesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBrussels museum pass scheme allowing cardholders free entry to the museum. The museum accepts the pass as a free-admission category, driving footfall from pass holders.
• Article 27minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSocial access initiative allowing eligible individuals (low-income, welfare recipients) to access cultural venues at reduced or no cost. The museum participates in this scheme, expanding access to underprivileged audiences.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wellcome Collection: London-based museum and library exploring health and the human experience, founded by the Wellcome Trust. Comparable as a dedicated medical-history cultural institution offering exhibitions, collections, educational programs, and inclusive visitor experiences.
• Deutsches Medizinhistorisches Museum: German Museum of Medical History in Ingolstadt, located in a historic hospital building. Comparable as a European medical-history museum offering permanent and temporary exhibitions spanning centuries of medical practice and anatomy.
• Dittrick Medical History Center: Cleveland-based medical history museum and archive affiliated with Case Western Reserve University. Comparable as an academic-affiliated medical heritage institution offering exhibitions, rare book collections, and educational programming.
• Musée d'Anatomie et d'Embryologie Louis Deroubaix: Brussels-based anatomy and embryology museum at ULB that has collaborated with the subject museum on the 'Corpus Apertum' exhibition. Directly comparable as a small Belgian medical-history collection focused on human anatomy, body donation, and medical imaging.
• Hunterian Museum (Royal College of Surgeons): London-based surgical and anatomical museum operated by the Royal College of Surgeons. Directly comparable as a medical-history collection focused on anatomy, surgery, and pathology housed within a professional medical institution.
• Mütter Museum: Philadelphia-based medical history museum operated by The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Comparable as a specialized medical-history museum combining anatomical specimens, pathological collections, and public education.
• Musée de l'Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris: Paris-based medical museum operating within the AP-HP hospital network. Directly comparable as a French-language medical-history collection with educational programming and historical medical instruments and artifacts.

Regional players

• Muséum des Sciences Naturelles (Brussels): Largest natural sciences museum in Brussels, also part of the museumPASSmusées network. Comparable as a Brussels-based scientific museum serving overlapping educational audiences, though focused on natural history rather than medical history.
• Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium: Brussels-based art museum complex sharing the museumPASSmusées scheme and Brussels cultural ecosystem. Comparable as a Brussels cultural institution participating in the same city-wide access and educational programming networks, though focused on fine arts rather than medical history.

Broad incumbents

• Science Museum (London): Major London science museum including medicine and health galleries. Comparable as a broader science museum whose medical-history programming overlaps with the subject museum's niche, though it operates at much greater scale with a wider thematic scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/login
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Mus%C3%A9eM%C3%A9decineBruxelles
• Facebookfacebook.com/museemedecinebxl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mus%C3%A9e-de-la-m%C3%A9decine
• Instagraminstagram.com/explore/locations/390297519/musee-de-la-medecine-bruxelles
• TikToktiktok.com/@musee.medecine.bxl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Musée de la Médecine