Choco-Story Brussels facts for kids

Choco-Story Brussels is a super fun museum in Brussels, Belgium, all about chocolate! It used to be called the Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate. It opened in 1998 thanks to Gabrielle Draps. She was married to Joseph "Jo" Draps, who started the famous Godiva chocolate company. At the museum, you can watch how chocolate is made and even taste some. You can also join a workshop to make your own chocolate bars and lollipops!

History of Choco-Story Brussels

How the Museum Started

The Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate opened in July 1998. It was the idea of Gabrielle Draps. Her family had been making Belgian chocolate for a long time. She was married to Joseph "Jo" Draps, who founded the well-known Godiva chocolate company.

The museum first opened in a very old building. This building was built in 1697 and was called the De Valck building. It was located at 9–11, rue de la Tête d'or/Guldenhoofdstraat. This street is very close to the Grand-Place, which is Brussels' main town square. The museum had three floors of exhibits for visitors to explore.

New Name and Location

In 2007, Gabrielle Draps' daughter, Peggy van Lierde, took over running the museum. A few years later, in May 2014, the museum got a new name: "Choco-Story Brussels." This happened because the Van Lierde-Draps family teamed up with the Van Belle family. The Van Belle family already owned another chocolate museum called Choco-Story Bruges in a different city.

In 2019, the museum moved to an even bigger building. The new place has 1,800 square meters (about 19,375 square feet) of space for exhibits. It is located at 41, rue de l'Étuve/Stoofstraat. This new spot is very close to the famous Manneken Pis statue.

Images for kids

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  Facade of the De Valck building, the museum's former home

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  Chocolate tempering machine

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  Tasting the chocolate

See also

In Spanish: Choco-Story (Bruselas) para niños

• List of museums in Brussels
• History of Brussels
• Culture of Belgium