30/01/2020 - 24/05/2021

The legendary National Geographic

For the first time in Belgium, the legendary National Geographic – 130 years of travel and exploration exhibition, has come to Stavelot Abbey

In 1888, a small group of adventurers, scientists and explorers set out to discover the world, its wonders and its mysteries. They trekked through impenetrable jungles, reached the poles, plunged into abysses, conquered the Himalayas, discovered the secrets of the animal world, and looked toward the stars. They very soon began to photograph and recount what they saw in a modest bulletin that was destined to become the National Geographic magazine, now world famous, and distributed in more than seventy-five countries.

This exhibition charts the highlights of more than 130 years of adventure through a hundred photographs. The exhibition presents six themes, supported by video reports:

1) Further, higher, deeper (On the assault of the Himalayas, the depths of the oceans, 20,000 leagues under the sea, the intoxication of the depths, to the stars, we walked on the moon)

2) On the trail of lost worlds

3) The time of epics (the Yellow Cruise and the MegaTransect)

4) The photographic adventure (five exceptional photographers)

5) Approaching the animal world

6) Eight iconic National Geographic portraits.

National Geographic is an international brand with considerable appeal for teenagers, young adults and foreign tourists. These photographs have a significant educational value, charting major elements of the 20th century and talking about our planet and its environment.