Natuurhistorisch Museum Boekenberg

Natuurhistorisch Museum Boekenberg is one of the more unusual small museums near Antwerp — instead of a conventional building, it occupies a network of artificial underground passages and caves tucked beneath Boekenbergpark in the Deurne district. Descending into these tunnels to view a collection covering paleontology, mineralogy, archaeology, and prehistory is part of what makes a visit here memorable.

Where did the underground tunnels come from?

The site's story begins in the 18th century, when the wealthy banker Jan Willem Smets acquired the nearby Boekenberg manor. He commissioned an arched stone bridge topped with a hunting tower styled as a picturesque ruin, along with an elaborate network of artificial caves that included an underground boathouse and an ice cellar. Ornamental follies like these were a fashionable way for wealthy landowners of the period to embellish their estates, designed to surprise visitors and signal status.

After the death of the estate's last resident, geologist and archaeologist Paul Cogels, the Boekenberg property passed to the municipality of Deurne in 1912, which turned the grounds into a public park.

How did the museum come about?

It took another half-century for the underground complex to find its current purpose. On 1 September 1963, the cave system was entrusted to the Speleologische Stichting Deurne (Deurne Speleological Foundation), which took the unusual step of installing a natural history museum inside the 19th-century underground structures, pairing historic architecture with an educational mission.

What is on display?

The subterranean halls and corridors hold a permanent exhibition built around four core themes: paleontology, mineralogy, archaeology, and prehistory. The objects on show span an unusually wide timeframe, ranging from the Precambrian era all the way to the 16th century AD — a chronological range that sets the collection apart from many small regional museums.

A particular highlight is the fossil collection drawn from the Antwerp area itself. Among the pieces are fragments of mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, and whale-like creatures, remnants of the Ice Age and earlier geological periods when the region looked dramatically different from today's urban landscape.

Where exactly is it located?

Boekenbergpark, home to the museum, sits in the Deurne district on the edge of Antwerp. The museum entrance to the park lies near the junction of Menegemlei, Sint-Rochusstraat, and Eksterlaar, directly across from Café Exter.

Frequently asked questions

Is the museum really located underground? Yes — the exhibition occupies artificial tunnels and caves originally built in the 18th century as part of the ornamental garden architecture of the Boekenberg estate.

Which exhibits draw the most attention? The fossil collection from the Antwerp region is the biggest draw, including fragments of mammoths and woolly rhinoceroses.

Since when has the museum operated in its current form? Since 1 September 1963, when the underground complex was handed over to the Speleologische Stichting Deurne, which established the museum there.

Is it worth combining a visit with a walk through the park? Definitely — Boekenbergpark itself is a notable 19th-century landscape garden, still featuring relics of the old estate such as the arched stone bridge and the hunting tower.