The origins of the Mundaneum date back to the late XIXth century. The project that aimed to gather together the whole of the world's knowledge in one place was the brainchild of one the fathers of bibliography, Paul Otlet (1868-1944), and the Nobel Peace Prize winner Henri La Fontaine (1854-1943). The Mundaneum became a universal documentation centre, and during the first half of the XXth century, it was the birthplace of international humanist institutions dedicated to knowledge and universal solidarity. Today, the Mundaneum is a private archives center which has for mission to conserve, preserve and showcase within its space of temporary exhibitions, archives and collections bequeathed by its founders : nearly 6 km current documents and 12 million index cards of Universal Bibliographic Repertory !
