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Autoworld

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Autoworld is an automobile museum located in Brussels, Belgium. It is housed in the huge South-East Hall of the Palais du Cinquantenaire.

Autoworld was built on the extensive and well-preserved car collection of the Mahy family, one of the largest in the world. The founder Ghislain Mahy (1907-1999) was a passionate mechanic from an early age and restored dozens of cars throughout his life. Together with his sons Hans and Ivan, he built up a collection of about 1000 vehicles, among which you can find many Belgian brands such as Minerva, Germain, FN, Imperia, Fondu, Vivinus, Nagant, Belga-Rise and Miesse. When the Autoworld Museum was founded in 1986, it included 200 cars from the Mahy collection. 

A virtual visit is possible by visiting their website.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

The museum is located in the Cinquantenaire Park. The area has recently been made pedestrianised, so if you want to park right in front of the museum entrance, you should contact the museum's management, and passes are available for people with reduced mobility.

From the road, the pedestrian path is quite long, cobbled and not signposted.

The entrance to the museum is via a ramp with an incline of 9% over 6.5m. This is not equipped with handrails. 

The reception desk is very high, but the staff can come and help you if necessary, and the touch-screen can be moved. It is also possible to buy tickets online or via an interactive terminal.

There is a lift for people with reduced mobility to access the floors. This can only be used with a member of staff.

Tours for the visually impaired are available by prior arrangement.

Strong points

Staff
  • There is staff available to help negotiate obstacles.
Parking
  • It is possible to drop a person off near the entrance.

Strong points

Entrance
  • The building is easy to identify.
  • The entrance is easy to identify.
  • The staff sees the persons who arrive and can offer assistance.
Horizontal circulation
  • The floor is regular and free of obstacles.
Vertical circulation
  • There is a lift.
  • A sufficiently large lift serves all the floors open to the public.
Adapted sanitary
  • The adapted toilet is easy to find.

Points of attention

Access road from the street
  • The floor is irregular.
  • The signage is not adapted and does not make it possible to orient oneself easily.

Strong points

Entrance
  • The entrance is easy to identify.
  • The staff sees the persons who arrive and can offer assistance.
  • The main entrance is accessible.
Home
  • Seats are available near the reception.
Vertical circulation
  • There is a lift.
Adapted sanitary
  • There is a toilet with grab bars and it is easy to use.
Exposition
  • All the content of the exhibition is accessible.

Points of attention

Access road from the street
  • There are no seats along the pathway.
  • The floor is hardly passable in some places.
Exposition
  • There are not enough seats.

Note: In our analysis, we assume that blind people come accompanied when visiting museums.

Indeed, our experience has highlighted this aspect.

Strong points

Access road from the street
  • Circulation is free from obstacles.
Guide dog
  • Assistance dogs are accepted.
Entrance
  • The entrance is easy to identify.
  • The opening of the door is automatic.
  • The staff sees the persons who arrive and can offer assistance .
Home
  • The reception is located in front of the entrance.
  • The reception is in a quiet environment.
  • The reception has no glass partition.
Vertical circulation
  • A lift serves all the floors open to the public.
Exposition
  • Adapted guided tours are organised upon reservation.

Points of attention

Access road from the street
  • There are no guide-lines.

Strong points

Entrance
  • The entrance is easy to identify.
  • The entrance is located in the logical continuation of the pathway.
  • The opening of the door is automatic.
Home
  • The staff sees the persons coming into the building and can assist them.

Points of attention

Horizontal circulation
  • There are dangerous objects in the pathway.

Strong points

Entrance
  • The entrance is easy to find.
  • The staff sees the persons who arrive and can offer assistance.
Home
  • The reception is open, well lit and allows lip reading.
  • The reception is easy to find and close to the entrance.
  • The institution can be contacted by email.
Wireless
  • It is possible to connect to the mobile networks, 3G or 4G.
Vertical circulation
  • The floors of the building are well marked.

Points of attention

Parking
  • There is an access gate to the car park and no staff on hand.
Home
  • There is no staff member practicing sign language.
Exposition
  • The exhibition is not adapted to deaf persons, as the content is mainly acoustic.
  • There is no easy to read support.
  • There are no organised guided tours in sign language.

Strong points

Entrance
  • The entrance is easy to find.
Home
  • The reception is located in a quiet environment.
  • The institution can be contacted by email.
  • The rates are displayed in the reception.
Vertical circulation
  • The floors of the building are well marked.
Light
  • The lighting is sufficient and allows lip reading.
Exposition
  • The environment is calm.

Points of attention

Entrance
  • The building is hard to find.
Home
  • The auditory information is not backed up visually.
Exposition
  • A part of the content is inaccessible, as it is acoustic.
  • There is no easy to read support.

Strong points

Entrance
  • The entrance is easy to find.
  • The staff sees the persons who arrive and can offer assistance.
Home
  • The reception is calm.
  • The reception is easy to find and close to the entrance.
Vertical circulation
  • The floors of the building are well marked.
Horizontal circulation
  • The location is calm.
  • The location is well lit.
Adapted sanitary
  • The toilets are easy to find.
Exposition
  • There is no need to by a ticket in advance.
  • The exhibition is varied (touch, smell, sight, hearing).
  • The presented works are explained in an simple and easily understandable way.
  • The location is calm.
  • The location is well lit.

Points of attention

Entrance
  • The building is hard to find.
Vertical circulation
  • The staircases are not secure.
Exposition
  • No adapted guided visits are organised.
  • A significant part of the exhibition is presented in a classical way.
Access-i vous informe sur l'accessibilité de ce lieu, de par les données relevées sur place, à un instant T. Les modifications éventuelles après la visite d'Access-i relèvent de la responsabilité du gestionnaire.