Waterloo Local History Museum

Waterloo has resonated through history : from Victor Hugo to the ABBA group, it is a name known around the world.

Located on the first floor of the Waterloo Tourism offices, this museum takes you through the town’s history: from prehistory to the 21st century.

The village, first mentioned in 1145, grew in a clearing in the Sonian Forest. Traversed by the «Chemin des Wallons» (Walloon Way) from Brussels to southern Belgium, it became well-known from the 17th century for the high quality of its pavement.

But it was the battle of June 18, 1815 that made Waterloo globally famous. Victor Hugo immortalised it in Les Misérables, completed here in Waterloo in 1861. The museum displays several original documents referencing Hugo.

A highlight is the faithfully reconstructed office of King Leopold III at Château d’Argenteuil, a royal residence gifted to the town and now part of the museum collection.