Strawberry Museum in Wépion

The Strawberry Museum (Musée de la Fraise) in Wépion, near Namur, is a small but sharply focused institution built entirely around one fruit: the strawberry that has defined this stretch of the Meuse valley for generations. Wépion carries the unofficial title of Belgium's "strawberry capital," and the museum exists to trace and display exactly why.

How did a strawberry museum come to exist?

The story behind the museum is older than its current focus suggests. It was founded in 1970 on the initiative of the Wépion Tourism and Development Committee, together with Dorothée Houart, a student of the noted Belgian folklorist Albert Marinus. In its early decades, the museum had a broader mission — preserving the memory of rural and urban life across the wider Wépion area, from crafts to everyday customs. It wasn't until 2017 that the collection sharpened its focus, gradually narrowing almost entirely onto the strawberry as its central subject.

What's inside

The exhibition occupies the gardener's house of a former riverside villa on the banks of the Meuse, which gives the visit an intimate, slightly rustic feel rather than a polished, oversized museum experience. Across several exhibition rooms, visitors learn about the profession of the strawberry grower, the culinary traditions tied to the fruit, and the history of cultivation on the slopes of the Meuse valley — slopes whose particular microclimate has favored strawberries for generations. A separate section is devoted to the products made from the fruit, from jams to liqueurs, along with an account of how growing methods have shifted over the decades.

The garden outside

The visit doesn't stop at the building's walls. Attached to the museum is a small-fruit garden growing around fifteen strawberry varieties alongside other berries typical of the region. It's an unusual chance to see the diversity of varieties that rarely make it to supermarket shelves, and to match what's on display inside with the actual plants growing just outside.

The shop and temporary exhibitions

After the tour, the museum shop sells local strawberry-based products — jams, liqueurs, and other specialties — plus books on the history of the Namur region and the Meuse valley. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions that add new angles to the permanent collection from time to time.

When to visit, and how to get in for free

The museum is open year-round, with seasonally adjusted hours — longer in the warmer months (April to September) and shorter in winter. One detail worth knowing: admission is free on the first Sunday of every month, from 11am to 6pm between May and August, and from 1pm to 5pm between September and April. Timing a visit around that day is a straightforward way to see the museum at no cost.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the museum located? In Wépion, part of the city of Namur, right on the banks of the Meuse, inside the former gardener's house of a riverside villa.

Can a visit include tasting the fruit itself? Yes — the small-fruit garden showcases the strawberry varieties grown on site, and the shop sells strawberry-based products to take home.

Is admission always paid? No — it's free on the first Sunday of each month, with opening hours that vary depending on the season.

Who is this museum for? Anyone interested in local history and food culture, families looking for an unusual stop near Namur, and visitors curious why Wépion has been synonymous with strawberries for half a century.