The Mundaneum Archives Centre houses no less than six continuous kilometres of documents. The encyclopaedic aim of its founders was to gather under one roof all the world’s knowledge so that researchers could find out everything they wanted about a given subject.
In addition to the founders’ archives, the collections they compiled, and the additions that have made over the years, the Mundaneum holds a wide range of archives, most of which focus on three main themes — pacifism, feminism and anarchism.
The Mundaneum’s archives and collections are constantly being supplemented with new acquisitions. They are regularly the subject of historical studies, scientific research, exhibitions and even artistic projects. For more information, please consult the full list of resources and collections. ( in french)
Archives of the Mundaneum’s founders
Paul Otlet and Henri La Fontaine, assisted by Léonie La Fontaine, founded the Mundaneum in 1895. Their archives have a special status given their close links to the history of […]
Collections linked to pacifism
Pacifism is closely linked to the history of the Mundaneum and the lives of its founders. The archives on the movement cover a period spanning the dawn of the pacifist […]
Collections linked to anarchism
The Mundaneum houses a large collection of documents on anarchism. The collection was started by Walter Théodore Glineur (1887-?). An anarchist, from the 1930s onwards, Glineur contributed to the activities […]
Collections linked to feminism
The collections on this feminism comprise Léonie La Fontaine and Henri La Fontaine’s personal papers, which contain a wealth of documents on the first Belgian and international feminist organisations, and […]
Other archive collections
The Mundaneum also holds archives that are not related to pacifism, anarchism or feminism. The most important of these are the World Fairs collection, and the personal papers of Valentin […]
The Universal Bibliographic Repertory (RBU)
The file cabinets of the Universal Bibliographic Repertory (RBU) are without doubt the best known part of the Mundaneum. They are also the most striking aspect of the museum design […]
The International Newspaper Museum
This collection contains newspapers and periodicals from around the world, the oldest of which date back to the late 17th century. The International Newspaper Museum (INM) was founded in 1907. […]
Picture collections
The Mundaneum houses thousands of posters, postcards, photographic glass plates and photographs. This collection was started by the International Institute of Photography (IIP) in 1905. The aim of the IIP […]
The Universal Documentation Directory
Designed as an ever-evolving encyclopaedia, the Directory comprises thousands of files. Started in 1907 by Otlet and La Fontaine, the Universal Documentation Directory (UDD) is intended to be a living […]
