The Museum of Walloon Life in Liège is showcasing the fantastic inventions of the “genius of the renaissance”.

Painter, sculptor, philosopher, engineer, urban architect, botanist and anatomist – the Italian universal genius Leonardo da Vinci left behind a legacy of more than 6,000 pages of notes and sketches that document hundreds of inventions and experiments in a wide variety of disciplines. A Belgian team of engineers, historians, design professionals and artists have now recreated Leonardo’s inventions, and in the process included the results of the latest historical and scientific research. Leonardo was an inquisitive student of the works of his predecessors, which had generally been ignored in his day, and their insights inspired him to ground-breaking further developments that still amaze us today and at the same time offer interesting insights into the state of the art and the know-how of those times. His visionary ideas opened the door to a new scientific age. The exhibition is interactive and suitable for the whole family. There are many exhibits that visitors can actually operate and try out. Numerous 3D films illustrate how they function.

Sundials and nocturnals
There’s also a very special treat waiting for those who make the pilgrimage to Liège. The Museum of Walloon Life is also staging a first-time exhibition of the fabled collection of gnomonic instruments belonging to the Belgian poet Max Elskamp, who bequeathed this priceless treasure to the museum when he died in 1932. Astrolabes, measuring instruments and scientific devices – including sundials and so-called “nocturnals” (night clocks) – dating from the 14th to the 19th century make this one of the most unique and exceptional collections of its kind in the whole world.

Exhibition runs until 12.05.2019

Museum of Walloon Life
Cour des Mineurs
B-4000 Liège
Tel.: +32 4279-2031
Tuesdays to Sundays from 9.30 am to 6.00 pm
Adults: 13,00 €
Students, seniors and children: 8,00 €
Admission free on the first Sunday of each month
Website