Travel Tip: Pop Culture and Cinema in Belgium
The Hergé Museum Opens its Doors

Eighty years ago, the Belgian artist Hergé, the pen name of Georges Remi (1907–1983) introduced the world to a unique cast of characters who have been embraced by readers of all ages. Les Aventures de Tintin (The Adventures of Tintin) - a series of 24 comic strip books, the final unfinished adventure was published after Herge's - death became Herge's life's work. The first adventure was published in 1929. Over 200 million copies have been sold worldwide. Set in a painstakingly researched world closely mirroring our own, the series has continued as a favourite of readers and critics alike for 80 years.

The hero of the series is Tintin, a young Belgian reporter. He is aided in his adventures from the beginning by his faithful fox terrier dog Milou (Snowy in English).

On 10 January 2001, Tintin’s ‘birthday’, the important announcement was made: the Hergé Museum was to be built in Louvain-la-Neuve, a recently created university town, less than 30 kilometres from Brussels.

The idea of a museum had been germinating from as far back as 1979, while Hergé was still alive. The goal was always to make Hergé’s myriad creations known to the wider public. In 1986, three years after the artist passed away, the idea took shape in the form of the Hergé Foundation.

The Pritzker Prize French architect, Christian de Portzamparc, was chosen to bring the industrious plans to fruition. Now, on 2 June 2009, the Hergé Museum opens its doors, two years after the first stone was laid on 22 May 2007, the artist’s birthday...