Sewer Museum
Museum in Brussels, Belgium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Sewer Museum, also known as Musée des Égouts (French) and Riolenmuseum (Dutch), is a museum in Brussels, Belgium that is dedicated to the city's sewage system. The museum opened in 1988, and allows visitors to walk along a 50-meter stretch of a sewer tunnel known as a collector, which receives sewage from minor tunnels. It has a noticeable stench, and liquid sewage runs below visitors' feet.[1]
.jpg)
| Sewer Museum | |
|---|---|
| |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical architecture |
| Location | Porte d'Anderlecht, 1000 Brussels City, Belgium |
| Website | |
| sewermuseum | |
The museum presents the history of sewage including the Senne River being moved underground in the 1800s, as well as environmental concerns regarding sewage and the work of égoutiers, or sewer workers, who work in underground sewage tunnels.
History and architecture
The Sewer Museum was owned by the Brussels city water authority until 2010, when it became the property of the Brussels department of culture.[1] It was renovated in 2007, as well as in 2014, reopening in 2015.[2]
The museum is housed in two neoclassical toll houses at the Anderlecht Gate. The buildings were constructed in the early 1830s and have remained standing even after the former tax system was abolished in 1860.[1][2]
Operations
The Sewer Museum presents history and operations of the approximately 350 kilometer network of underground brick tunnels carrying waste below the Brussels city center. Prior to the construction of the pipes in the 1800s, the Senne River flowed throughout the city center and collected sewage and waste. In 1865, 3500 people died in a cholera outbreak that was linked to the Senne River, and city authorities intensified efforts to move the river underground.[1] Approximately 45 kilometers of vaulted brick tunnels had been built by 1847, and approximately 110 kilometers of tunnels had been built by 1879.[1]
The museum hosts variety of exhibitions. In 2018, it solicited photographs of toilet graffiti from local residents for an exhibition titled "Protest in the Toilet" in honor of the 50 year anniversary of the May 1968 revolts in France and Belgium.[1] Museum curator Aude Hendrick said, "We want to reveal the secrets of these intimate public places [...] We don’t want to censor anything."[1] In 2023, an exhibit dedicated to rats opened at the museum.[3]
In 2022, a law allowed Brussels psychiatrists to prescribe visits to museums, including to the Sewer Museum, to patients for mental health.[4]
In November 2023, Bill Gates visited the museum to commemorate World Toilet Day. He wrote, "It stinks and there are rats" in an Instagram caption that went on to praise the museum for highlighting sewers.[5][6] This led to a marked increase in attendance at the Sewer Museum.[7]
In 2025, two musicians performed a concert in the sewers. Miguel Mulders, a contrabass performer in the Belgian National Orchestra, said: "This is the most unique venue I have ever played. At first, I wasn’t too keen, the smell is disappointing too. But I let myself be convinced. To be perfectly honest, the sound was disappointing. The resonance is totally different. It was also very dark. I just hope I never have to do this again".[8]