Musée Royal de l'Armée et de l'Histoire Militaire

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Today, the Royal Museum of the Army and Military History has no less than five large exhibition halls covering approximately 40,000 m². The architecture of the buildings and the atmosphere on site make this museum unique.

The history of the museum begins in the 19ᵉ century, when the Cinquantenaire Park was only a manoeuvring ground for the Civic Guard exercises. The construction of the Arcades began in 1890 and they were inaugurated in 1905. In 1910, on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition, two pavilions linked by two hemicycle colonnades and dominated by the impressive arcade. This is how the buildings housing the Royal Army and War Museum came into being.

From the Napoleonic room, to the historical and then technical room with numerous uniforms, to the Bordiau Hall with aircraft from all eras! All along the way, visitors will discover historical collections and objects!

The building is very large and it is possible to walk long distances to visit all the rooms.
Lockers are available near the reception area. The lockers are at different heights, the locking system works with a code.
In the shop, free passage is sometimes reduced to 70cm.
There is a lift to the panorama of the arcades. At the time of the inspection it was not functional, so we were unable to check its dimensions.
The mezzanine of the aircraft hall has a circulation area bordering a 50cm step that is not safe. Some staircases are not equipped with handrails. There is a significant risk of falling.
There is no reference person to welcome and accompany people with special needs.

Strong points

Safety

The signage makes it possible to find the way and orient oneself easily.
A map of the location is distributed at the reception.

Parking

It is possible to drop a person off near the entrance.

Identification

The building is easy to find.

Points of attention

Staff

There is no staff available to direct and guide.

Safety

The location is complex and it is difficult to understand its organisation.

The entire museum is accessible except for the mezzanine of the aircraft hall, the armoury and the Napoleon-themed section in the arcades.
Some of the "simulation" features, such as entering an aircraft or a bunker, are not accessible due to the lack of free passage or the presence of steps.
It is possible to park on the esplanade, with the museum's permission. We advise you to contact the museum beforehand to organise your visit.
Wheelchair access is possible through an alternative entrance near the main entrance. It is necessary to ring the bell for staff to come and open the door.
To reach the bell, there is a step of 8cm to cross. The bell is high.
Once you enter from the aircraft hall side, there is a steep slope up to 11.5%.
To access the exhibition rooms, it is necessary to pass through a gantry, the free passage is reduced, it is necessary to make a Z manoeuvre.
In the museum circulation there are many ramps, up to 12%.
The passage from the historical room to the 14/18 and 19/45 rooms is possible with a platform lift.
To access the floors of the 19/45 exhibition, it is necessary to ask the staff to take the lift. You will find a contact telephone number near the stairs: 02/737.78.33.
Access to the armoury is possible via a concrete overhang, but to get closer to the vehicles, the floor is gravel.
We invite you to use the toilets near the aircraft hall rather than those near the 14/18 room. The toilet is equipped with 2 grab bars.

Strong points

Parking

It is possible to drop a person off near the entrance.

Access road from the car park

All the transit areas are sufficiently large.

Entrance

The building is easy to identify.
The alternative entrance is opened upon request.

Home

The payment device is easy to use.
The free space in front of the counter is sufficiently big.
The counter is at the correct height.

Horizontal circulation

The steps can be bypassed by a well-indicated alternative pathway.
The floor is regular and free of obstacles.
All the transit areas are sufficiently large.

Vertical circulation

There is a lift.

Adapted sanitary

The adapted toilet is easy to find.
An adapted toilet is available, well signalled and easy to use.
There is an accessible sink in the adapted toilet.

Exposition

The majority of the content of the exhibition is accessible and visible.
The majority of the equipment such as tablets or interactive terminals is accessible and can be used.

Dining room

All the tables allow a correct positioning in a wheelchair.
The width of circulations is sufficient.
The staff is available to help people sit at a table, choose, serve themselves, pay...

Points of attention

Parking

The surface of the parking space is not adapted.

Access road from the car park

The floor is irregular.

Entrance

The entrance is hard to identify.
The main entrance is not accessible and the alternative entrance is hard to find.
The staff does not see the persons who arrive.

Vertical circulation

The lift does not serve all the floors open to the public.

It is possible to park on the esplanade with the permission of the museum. We advise you to contact the museum beforehand in order to organise your visit as well as possible.
Changes of floor are mainly made by stairs.
To access the floors of the 19/45 exhibition, it is possible to take the lift. The staff must be asked to assist you with this. There is a contact telephone number near the stairs (02/737.78.33).
To reach the panorama in the arcades, the stairs are equipped with handrails on both sides and it is possible to take a break at each landing.
On the panorama terrace there are 3 steps without handrails.
In the horizontal circulation of the 19/45 exhibition there are numerous ramps without handrails. The slopes are up to 12%.
We invite you to use the toilets near the aircraft hall rather than those near the 14/18 exhibition hall. This toilet is equipped with 2 grab bars.

Strong points

Parking

It is possible to drop a person off near the entrance.

Access road from the car park

All the transit areas are sufficiently large.
There are a few steps, equipped with a handrail, to negotiate.

Entrance

The entrance is easy to identify.
The building is easy to identify.
The main entrance is accessible.

Home

Seats are available near the reception.
Wheelchairs are available.

Horizontal circulation

Circulation is easy almost everywhere.
The floor is regular and free of obstacles.
All the transit areas are sufficiently large.

Vertical circulation

The staircases are equipped with handrails on both sides.
The staircases are secure.

Adapted sanitary

There is a toilet with grab bars and it is easy to use.
There is a sink in the adapted toilet.

Exposition

All the content of the exhibition is accessible.
There are seats in every space of the exhibition.

Dining room

The staff is available to help people sit at a table, choose, serve themselves, pay...
The width of circulations is sufficient.
There is no step to negotiate.

Points of attention

Parking

The parking spaces are located further than 100 metres from the entrance.

Entrance

The staff does not see the persons who arrive.
There are more than 3 steps in the entrance.

Horizontal circulation

There are some steps without handrail.

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

Indeed, our experience has highlighted this aspect.

It is not possible to touch objects.
Some exhibition furniture and exhibits cannot be detected with a walking stick.
There are protruding objects in the pathway (cannon, shells, etc.).
In the arcades (Napoleon zone), there are unsecured stairs.
The handrails do not protrude from the ends of the stairs (except for the stairs in the arcades).
The mezzanine of the aircraft hall has a circulation area at the edge of a 50cm step that is not secured. Some staircases are not secured or equipped with handrails. There is a significant risk of falling.
In the 19/45 exhibition, there are many inclined planes, which are not equipped with handrails.

Strong points

Guide dog

Assistance dogs are accepted.

Home

The reception is located in front of the entrance.
The reception is in a quiet environment.
The staff sees the persons coming into the building and can assist them.
The visual information is backed up by a voice announcement.

Vertical circulation

The staircases have at least one handrail.

Dining room

The staff is available to help people : sit at a table, choose, serve themselves, pay...

Points of attention

Entrance

The staff does not see the persons who arrive and can‘t offer assistance.

Horizontal circulation

There are no guide-lines in the large pathways.
There are dangerous objects in the pathway.
The pathway presents punctually a passage height of less than 2m.

Vertical circulation

The staircases are not secured by warning tiles at their top.

Exposition

No adapted tours are planned.
No adapted didactic support is available.
The exhibition is not adapted, since the content is mainly visual.
There is no audio description.

It is not possible to touch objects.
Some exhibition furniture and exhibits cannot be detected with a walking stick.
Some objects protrude into the pathway (cannon, shells, etc.).
In the arcades (Napoleon zone), there are some unsecured steps (no handrails). The handrails do not extend beyond the ends of the staircases (except for the staircase leading to the arcades).
In the 19/45 exhibition, there are many inclined planes, which are not equipped with handrails.
The lighting varies according to the scenography of the rooms.
The Napoleon and 19/45 rooms (floor 1) are poorly lit.
The mezzanine of the Aircraft Hall has a circulation area bordering a 50cm step that is not secured. Some staircases are not secured or equipped with handrails. There is a significant risk of falling.

Strong points

Entrance

The entrance is easy to identify.

Home

The staff sees the persons coming into the building and can assist them.
The reception is located in front of the entrance.
The reception is in a quiet environment.
The visual information is backed up by a voice announcement.

Vertical circulation

The staircases are equipped with at least one secure handrail.

Dining room

The staff is available to help people sit at a table, choose from the menu, serve themselves, pay...

Points of attention

Entrance

The staff does not see the persons who arrive and can‘t offer assistance.

Home

There is no reference person to welcome and accompany the persons with special needs.

Horizontal circulation

There are dangerous objects in the pathway.
Some glass walls in the pathway are not secured by a contrasting visual marking.
There are no guide-lines in contrasting colour facilitating circulation.

Vertical circulation

The lighting is not sufficient in the staircases.
The stair steps are not contrasting.
The floor numbers are not clearly indicated at each landing.

Exposition

The written explanations are hard to read.
There is no visitor guide in large characters.
The majority of works are displayed in display cases.
No adapted tours are planned.

Strong points

Entrance

The entrance is easy to find.
The building is easy to find.
The opening hours are displayed next to the door.

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.
The rates are displayed in the reception.

Wireless

It is possible to connect to the mobile networks, 3G or 4G.
Wi-Fi is available in this room.

Adapted sanitary

It is possible to see whether a toilet is occupied or free.
The toilets are easy to find.

Exposition

The displayed content is mainly visual.

Points of attention

Home

There is no staff member practicing sign language.
There is no information available in sign language.

Light

Badly lit areas make lip reading difficult.

Exposition

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.
The building is easy to find.
The opening hours are displayed next to the door.

Home

The reception is located in a quiet environment.
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.
The auditory information is backed up visually.
The rates are displayed in the reception.

Adapted sanitary

It is possible to see whether a toilet is occupied or free.

Exposition

The environment is calm.
The displayed content is mainly visual.
Written explanations are available.

Dining room

The lighting is sufficient and allows lip reading.

Points of attention

Home

Depending on attendance, the reception can be very noisy.

Vertical circulation

It is difficult to know on which floor one is.

Light

Badly lit areas make lip reading difficult .

Exposition

There is no easy to read support.

Dining room

Depending on attendance, there can be a lot of noise.

The museum has a war and military theme. There may be shocking photographs, many weapons are displayed. In addition, to make visitors feel the atmosphere of these battles, sounds are played in some parts of the museum (explosion, noise of weapons, screams...).
The content of the exhibition is essentially visual: staged scenes illustrate what is being said and uniforms are displayed.
The mezzanine of the Aircraft Hall has a circulation area bordering a 50cm step that is not secured. Some staircases are not secured or equipped with handrails. There is a significant risk of falling.

Strong points

Entrance

The entrance is easy to find.
The building is easy to find.
The opening hours are displayed next to the door.

Home

The reception is calm.
The reception is easy to find and close to the entrance.
It is possible to pay in cash (coins and notes).

Vertical circulation

The staircases are equipped with at least one secure handrail.

Adapted sanitary

The toilets are easy to find.

Exposition

There are interactive terminals.

Dining room

It is possible to pay in cash (coins and notes).
The location is well lit.
The staff is available to help people: sit at a table, choose in the menu, serve themselves, pay...