Profession & craft museums in Belgium

The Ghent Cloth Hall is a building that was used as a trading and stacking place for cloth in the Middle Ages. The building also houses the museum of the Guild of St. Michael - a fencing museum.

Museum Plantin-Moretus is the only museum in the world that is on the Unesco World Heritage List. It is a combination of a patrician house from the 16th to 18th century, a printing company that was founded in 1550 and active until the 19th century, a collection of art and a collection of manuscripts

Open air museum Bokrijk consists of reconstructed and furnished buildings, and small buildings from different areas and periods in Flanders, from sty to clergy houses. The collection includes 30,000 pieces of heritage that together illustrate daily life of the 17th century to 1950. Visitors experien

Museum Dr. Guislain is housed in the former Hospice Guislain from 1857, the first institution in Belgium specifically built for the treatment of the mentally ill. Dr. Guislain was a pioneer in that field. The museum shows the history of psychiatry and 'madness'. A photo collection illustrates life i

Hopmuseum Poperinge is located on the ‘stadsschaalcomplex’ where hop used to be weighed, inspected and stacked. The museum illustrates the history of the hop plant, field works, hop harvest and the various applications of hop. The collection of the museum includes authentic hop tools, historical doc

Museum Vleeshuis is located in the Vleeshuis in Antwerp, a former guild house. The Museum focuses on 600 years of musical life in Antwerp. It highlights centuries of sound, music and dance. From ancient players, bells in the tower, music in theaters and opera, in churches, on kiosks and concert hall

The Folklore Museum in Tournai is housed in two buildings from the late 17th century. The museum is a treasure trove of memories of the city in which old trades are depicted. Among the museum's exhibits are those of the cobbler, the weaver, the cooper's and blacksmith's workshop, the tribal pub with

De Wit Royal Manufacturer of Tapestries is located in the 15th-century refugia of Tongerlo Abbey. The Royal Manufacturers De Wit holds a prestigious private collection of tapestries. A guided visit can be made and includes an explanation of the building, the conservation process, a weaving demonstra

Een bezoek aan het Jenevermuseum zet je zintuigen op scherp: je ziet, hoort én beleeft de passie voor het eeuwenoud, maar springlevend jenevererfgoed met geurinstallaties, filmpjes, geluidsfragmenten en, niet te vergeten, een uitgebreide collectie. Van borrelglaasjes en affiches tot de juiste inform

Maison de la Metallurgie et de l'Industrie de Liège is a museum located in the former Espérance-Longdoz factory. The museum is dedicated to Liege's metallurgy and industry. The collection includes machines and tools, scale models and diagrams, photographs, paintings, lithographs, statues and ancient

The Bibliotheca Wittockiana, which bears the name of its founder, opened in autumn 1983. Michel Wittock had been an avid bibliophile since adolescence, and over his lifetime had built up an outstanding collection of books, manuscripts and autographs. He decided to share this with his bibliophile fri

Malt and Brew House De Snoek is an authentic brewery and malt house from the 19th century, from the time when a brewery was a family business. The museum displays the entire existing range of West Flemish beers. It also possesses, among other things, a collection of miniature fairground mills, carts

Hospital Museum St. Dimpna is located in the old hospital and monastic buildings of the Augustinians, of which the oldest parts date back to the 15th century. In the museum, the visitor learns about the everyday life in a hospital and the life of the hospital sisters. Also the memories of Saint Dymp

The Brussels Museum of Geuze is located in a family-owned brewery where brewing is still traditional. It reveals the stages of the production process: brewing, fermentation, bottling and storage in the cellar. The museum displays many materials from the 19th century, including the brewing vat, boili

Cheese Museum The Old Cheese Factory is located in "Cheese and Butter Factory St. Joseph," later known as the Passchendaele Cheese Factory. It is a vivid reminder of cheese making during the interwar period.

The Folklore and Beguinage Museum is located in the 1288 beguinage of Dendermonde. The museum is dedicated to everyday life of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: household, living, work, leisure. The museum includes three old houses: a small dwelling converted into a beguinage, the infirmary an

The family brewery "Brasserie du bocq" hosts tours with beer tastings.

Since 1963 the Pottery Museum Raeren is accommodated in the historic Raeren Castle dating from the 14th century. With its permanent exposition the museum offers a complete overview on the history of Raeren stoneware. Up to today the Pottery museum Raeren is the only museum in the world with such an

Ertvelde Beer Museum is a basement turned into a pub with over 5,000 different beer bottles and a glass collection. There is also attention to the many breweries that the Meetjesland has known.

Showspace for art and culture

The Marc Sleen Museum is dedicated to Flemish cartoonist Marc Sleen who is best known for his comic series The Adventures of Nero & Co.

The Regional Archaeological Museum (RAM) - Pharmacy Museum consists of two museums. Important in the museum is the oldest private pharmacy in Belgium where pills were made from the end of the 17th century. The basement of this museum houses the bakery museum, which includes a statue of Jan and Huber

The Bardelaeremuseum is dedicated to the old Meetjesland. The collection consists of more than 15,000 collection pieces, divided into 112 occupations highlighted in the museum, spread over some 1,200 square meters of exhibition space. A large part of the collection consists of agricultural and craft

Musée du sabot de Porcheresse is dedicated to the clog-making craft. It displays various clogs and objects related to the trade.

The Schaarbeek Beer Museum paints a picture of Schaarbeek's and Belgium's brewing past using, among other things, old machines, beer crates, 1,000 bottles and 750 glasses, a beer cart, instruments, promotional material and documents. Visitors also discover how beer is brewed.

The Frenchmen Museum pays tribute to the thousands of men and women from Flanders, the so-called Fransmans, who until the 1960s went to Northern France to work there. They mainly ended up in sugar beet cultivation: from weeding in spring, until grubbing in autumn. Walk along in the footsteps of t

A 19th century residence that traces the way of life (until around 1950) of this region of Famenne on the ground sorely lacking in resources. Local craftsmanship is widely represented there. The building houses a creperie, you can also discover (by reservation) the local cuisine. The museum, made up

Val Saint-lambert Castle is an abbey palace from the 18th century. The interactive museum layout tells the history of glass and crystal and the history of Val Saint-Lambert.

Since 1833... Did you know that De Korhaan is one of the oldest active distilleries in Belgium? This means there is a lot to discover behind its authentic walls. Experience via Augmented Reality the origins of De Korhaan through the new interactive center that will open its doors on November 1,

Travel back in time in Bruges. Experience in various ways how lively Bruges was during the Golden Age. Start your visit with an impressive virtual flight along the medieval architecture in the Historium Virtual Reality. Continue your time travel in the Historium Story. Follow the fascinating story o

The Texture Museum on Lys and flax is housed in an old flax building on the overs of the Lys. Until the 1960s, the Lys region was the world's largest production center of flax. In addition to an interactive introduction to flax, there are children's and textile workshops on the first floor. There is

The Municipal Textile Museum is located in the former Cambier-Robette textile factory in Ronse. For over a century, Ronse was the central city of textiles. Among other things, the museum shows how people used to make fabrics from raw materials. Among other things, there are looms, and there are spin

The Bakery Museum Walter Plaetinck in Veurne is housed in the buildings of the 17th-century South ‘Gasthuishoeve’. The complex includes a mill, a large barn and the former house. The museum holds the largest collection historic bakery objects of Flanders. Besides everything to do with making bread,

The Grand Royal Serment and of St. George of the Crossbowmen is a living museum where the history of the Guild of 1381 and the history of the crossbow in general wrodt highlighted.

At the Mustard Museum in Torhout, visitors will discover the history of mustard and the evolution of mustard production.

The Milling and Bakery Museum is located near Harzé Castle, a 17th-century castle. The museum is dedicated to the history of bread. A water mill was completely restored. The museum shows how the millstones and gears are made to turn with the power of water. in the demonstration workshop, bread is pr

The Karrenmuseum displays a collection carts, wagons and carriages from Belgium and the Netherlands, but is also dedicated to village life in Kempen. Among others, the museum displays carts from the village life, cars from the farmers' lives and carriages for passenger. In addition there are worksho

The Museum of the Integrated Police is dedicated to the history of the various Belgian police forces since the end of the Ancien Régime. The emphasis of the museum is on the former gendarmerie, but it also focuses on other police forces in Belgian history, such as the judicial police, the former mun

Provincial Museum Bulskampveld displays a collection of thousands of objects from agriculture or old crafts. Notable in the collection is the collection of carts and wagons and many agricultural implements.

Wood Crafts Museum De Wimpe paints a picture of daily activities in joinery, clogmaking, wagon making and cooperage at the turn of the century.

The Beekeeping Museum is located in a modern building adjacent to the Kalmthoutse Heide. The museum covers everything related to bees, the transformation of nectar into honey and, the power of pollen and wax extraction. The collection consists of old and unique beekeeping material.

The Mill Museum - Center for Molinology highlights the function of the mill over time. It examines the technology behind the mill and the role that water and wind play and played in it. Mill technology was at the heart of the first industrial revolution.

The Mill and Bakery Museum has closed. The museum was located in the Vannestes Mill, a restored 1841 stone stage mill . In addition to grinding grain, the mill also pressed oil from linseed. Until World War I, it was a bakery complex with oil butchery and chicory distillery. The museum consisted of

The Grape Museum is located in the old 17th-century tavern "Den Bonten Os. The museum is dedicated to grape cultivation in the region. Among other things, it tells how cultivation started and grew in the 19th century, what "Royal," "Ribier," "Leopold III" and "Muscat" mean, what "glass villages in t

Regional Museum De Zilverreiger is located in De Zilverreiger, a typical example of a 19th-century neo-Gothic town hall. The museum is devoted to old crafts of Klein-Brabant, including clog-making, basket-making and Scheldt fishing. There is also a focus on animal life in and around the Scheldt.

In Espace Gallo-Romain Ath, the ancient warrior Rufus takes visitors on a journey through time. He brings fishermen, blacksmiths and potters back to life and invites visitors to participate in Gallo-Roman life.

The Museum of Jambon d'Ardenne displays the history of the Belgian famous smoked ham Jambon d'Ardenne.

The Han d'Antan, House of Rural Life and Lost Crafts takes visitors back to the rural daily life of Han residents 100 years ago.

The Florishof Heritage Museum takes visitors back to around 1900. The museum shows, among other things, the interior of an authentic fisherman's cottage, the village inn, an original chapel, the little school and the store from that time. Much attention is paid to old crafts and faith and devotion,

Heemkundig Museum Eeklo is dedicated to the history of Eeklo. Everything that was characteristic of Eeklo is given attention in the museum, including furniture industry, merchants, old amabahs, the textile industry, musical life, the Eeklo art guild and its salon and the 'Herbakkerslegende'.

The Chantilly Lace Museum is located in a room on the second floor of the Abbot's House at St. Andrew's Abbey. The museum's collection includes such large pieces as sashes, fans, pointed scarves, stocking inserts, mantles, strips of lace with various motifs, and War Laces. In addition, the museum al

Clog Museum Den Eik is a tribute and reminder of the clog makers who supplied Laakdal and the region with footwear in the 19th and 20th centuries. The museum offers an overview of traditional and mechanical clog-making. In addition, visitors can learn how to make and buy wooden shoes.

Musée d' la pierre et site des carrieres de maffle is dedicated to the local marble industry and places it within the geographical context of Belgium and Europe. The museum displays tools, explains techniques and highlights the social aspect of the workers who quarried or worked with this stone.

In Bocholter Brewery Museum - Brewery Martens, the story of the true art of beer is told through its industrial history from 1758 to the present day. It is the largest brewery museum in Europe. Visitors wander from the malt house to the brewing rooms, through the oak fermentation and lagering vessel

Museum 't Krekelhof is a crafts museum and cabinet of curiosities. The museum pays homage to the former crofter in no fewer than 19 themes and related professions. Professions that pass by the museum include: the shoemaker, handbag maker, blacksmith, diamond cutter, butcher, watchmaker, straw maker,

The Belgian Museum of Radiology showcases the role Belgium has played and continues to play in radiology. The museum traces the history of this science, from the pioneers of X-rays to the most recent medical developments, such as ultrasound. It is not limited to medicine. There is also a focus on ra

The Museum of Printing is located in the underground floors of the Royal Library. The museum displays a European collection of printing presses and printing equipment and highlights the evolution from the Industrial Revolution at the end of the 18th century to the advent of the computer circa 1980.

The Albert Couvreur Pharmaceutical Collection includes pharmacy furniture from 1880, various mortars, pharmaceutical pottery from the 15th to 19th centuries, drug preparation equipment and a library.

Turninum Volksmuseum Deurne is housed in an old workers' home and a wagon smithy. The museum paints a picture of what life and work of the workman looked like in the early 20th century.

The Fire Museum in Mechelen has one of the largest collections of small firefighting equipment in Belgium. The collection includes uniforms, helmets, stamps, firefighting equipment and communications equipment.

The Fruit Region Museum is located in a side building in the courtyard of Kolen Abbey. The museum covers the history of fruit growing in Haspengouw. On the basis of photos, texts and relics, among other things, the story is told. Besides fruit growing itself, numerous side activities related to frui

The National Museum and Archives of Customs and Excise highlights shady dealings at Belgium's (former) borders. The museum focuses on the operation of the services that acted against them: customs and excise.

Museum Rupelklei is housed in the forge of the old De Beuckelaer brickyard. Among other things, the museum deals with the process of manual stone making.

Musée de la Pierre et du Marbre tells the story of marble exploitation in Europe and South America. The museum displays a collection of marbles, the tools of the quarrymen, life in the quarries in the past, the evolution of exploitation techniques in Basècles quarries, and the daily work of the peop

Musée Vivant de la Brasserie à Vapeur is an active brewery open to the general public.

Coopers' Museum Nevele is a museum where coopers' materials of the past are on display. In addition to a regular visit, visitors can also attend a demonstration.

The Rural Life Museum in Liernu is located in an old rectory. The museum is dedicated to old trades and crafts, including the clogmaker, shoemaker, wheelwright, cabinetmaker, blacksmith, woodcutter, farmer and peasant.

The Agricultural and Craft Museum of Ham-sur-Heure revives old local crafts and trades from the first part of the 20th century. It also focuses on farm life, traditions and pastimes of the time.

The Robert Pourbaix Mining Museum highlights the life of miners, their work and leisure activities.

The Gambrinus drivers museum is located in an old maltings-brewery farmhouse from the 19th century. The museum is dedicated to brewery trucks. Gambrinus is the king of beer. Until about 1930, breweries were the biggest buyers of trucks. The museum has 20 trucks and 50 themed display cases.

Musée communal de la vie rurale et des metiers anciens revives old trades through more than 5,000 objects.

Heemkundig Museum De Drie Rozen is located in three former workers' houses dating from 1800-1880. The museum is dedicated to old crafts and agricultural alam.

Musée de la foire et du théatre itinerant is dedicated to the history of the fair.

Musée de la Pierre Sprimont is located in the old power plant of the Sprimont quarry. Visitors there uncover, among other things, the different stages in the working of the stone.

At Musée communal Georges Mulpas, visitors will discover, among other things, what a classroom looked like in the early 20th century and what ancient materials and techniques craftsmen used.

Politiemuseum Oudaan has a collection of objects related to the Antwerp municipal police from 1860 onward.

The Little Miner Museum - The Miner commemorates the hard work done by miners from Galmaarden and surrounding areas in Hainaut.

Hemispheric and craft museum "Zoe was Alleke" exhibits include various materials of old alam, old crafts such as cabinetmaker, clogmaker, farmer, mason and household utensils.

Heemkundig Museum 't Smiske is a fully furnished 19th century farmhouse with old store and bakery.

Musée de la forêt, des lavandières, des outils d'autrefois is an open-air museum that uses wooden characters to illustrate the various activities in the forest.

The Blue Stone and Glass Documentation Center introduces visitors to stone working.

The Eekloos Jeneverhuis Van Hoorebeke is dedicated to the history of Jenever in the Eeklo area. Visitors listen, watch and discover how the love and knowledge of gin was passed on from father to son.

Brickmaking Museum 't Geleeg is housed in an 1880s hand-built brickyard reconstructed with original buildings. Visitors follow the entire process from clay to brick through machines, alam, photographs and archival documents, among other things. The open-air area still looks like it did 100 years ago

Diamondmuseum Bruges is housed in a 17th-century mansion. In the museum, visitors discover how diamond polishing was developed by the Bruges goldsmith Lodewijk van Berquem, in the period of the Dukes of Burgundy, long before Amsterdam or Antwerp. The museum covers diamond processing, including cliev

The Chicory Museum is dedicated to chicory cultivation. The museum displays in open air and covered areas material and tools donated by Jules Heymans, the last chicory grower of the municipality.

The Museum of Belgian Brewers is located in the cellars of a mansion. The museum consists of three parts: an 18th-century brewery, a cellar inn and an evocation of a modern brewery. Exhibits such as a steam boiler and a fermenting vat come from an 18th-century craft brewery.