Discovery visit and family workshop in the garden of the Museum of Decorative Arts of Namur
The decor of the Museum of Decorative Arts is a beautiful former mansion of the Enlightenment, that of the Counts of Groesbeeck. The building is registered in the exceptional Patrimoiune of Wallonia in 2022 and classified as a monument since 1934. The museum presents a complete collection of decorative art from the 17th to the 19th century and testifies to the daily life of the aristocracy in the 18th century. His garden was designed in 1937 by Hector Mathieu. He designed it with four beds of boxwood and carved yews surrounding a pond while creating a symmetrical perspective. The original pavilion at the back of the park further reinforces it. These elements recall the principles of the French garden. Within this regularity, a touch of English Romanticism appears thanks to a bicentenary tulip called a remarkable tree. After the restoration of the hotel in 2016, the garden was renovated by the Green Spaces Department of the City. As originally, crushed brick was spread between the boxes to bring out the embroidery design and a collection of peonies was planted to replace the old sick roses. Ancient trellised lime trees define the composition. The garden of the Musée des Arts décoratifs is decorated with ancient and contemporary sculptures such as the "chairs-poems" of the Quebec sculptor Michel Goulet, paying tribute to the poet Henri Michaux. Saturday, June 1st: guided tour of the garden by the curator at 11am, 1pm and 2:30pm (duration 1h). Sunday 2 June: visit and creative workshop for families "Mon petit jardin à la française" at 10:30, 13:30 and 15:30 (duration 1h30). All weekend from 10 to 18h, possibility to discover the garden by yourself for families with the free educational booklet "The museum garden".