He’s the most famous Belgian. Everyone knows Tintin. Even if you have never read a comic book in your life, you know about the smart Belgian boy with the funny hair and the white dog.
Most Belgian homes have a stack of Tintin albums in an upstairs bedroom. Everyone in this country has a favourite character, a favourite album.
The boy detective is celebrated in a bright, joyful museum designed by French architect Christian de Portzamparc. It is located, unexpectedly, in the new university town of Louvain-la-Neuve, a 30-minute train trip from Brussels.
Opened in 2009, the museum is a bold white design with windows that look like comic book frames.
The interior incorporates a vast atrium with meandering footbridges and colourful walls inspired by Hergé’s distinctive graphic style. The collection is rich in humour and odd little details, just like your favourite Tintin adventure.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
