Things to do in Flanders, Flanders: The Best Museums

Our Mission No inhabitant of the "Zwinstreek" and West Zeeland Flanders was spared repression and hardship between 1940 and 1944. This dark period in our history is the museum’s main theme. It is precisely this phase of our local past that we want to pass on to our children and grandchildren, in the hope that such war violence will not be repeated. Young people need to know that freedom has a price, a price our ancestors paid with hard currency. We must cherish freedom. This important message of peace and tolerance is given daily in the For Freedom Museum.

Walk into the printing press and the Plantin-Moretus family home as though you were a family friend paying a visit 400 years ago. Explore the house, the garden and the press in the only museum in the world on the UNESCO World Heritage list. - the two oldest printing presses in the world and more than 20.000 lead letters - 30.000 old books, illustrated manuscripts and other treasures of European printing - a beautiful baroque garden hidden within the walls of the museum

The Groeninge Museum provides a varied overview of the history of Belgian visual art, with as highlight the world-renowned Flemish primitives. In this museum you can see, amongst other masterpieces, The Virgin and Child with Canon Van der Paele by Jan van Eyck and the Moreel Triptych by Hans Memling. You will also marvel at the top 18th and 19th-century neoclassical pieces, masterpieces of Flemish Expressionism and post-war modern art.

The only surviving "castle of the count."

At the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent (MSK), you can discover more than 400 masterpieces of European art from the Middle Ages to the present day. In our iconic building, Old Masters such as Bosch and Rubens hang alongside Impressionists, Surrealists and Modernists. With names like Ensor, Magritte and Permeke, Belgian art is well represented. And you can now also witness the live restoration of the Ghent Altarpiece, behind the glass wall of the restoration room. The museum shop and restaurant, a diverse programme with room for contemporary art and our location in the Citadel park all turn the museum into a vibrant place where you can easily pass a few hours surrounded by beauty.

The Ypres region was the backdrop to on of the bloodiest battles in history, 100 years ago. Now the last witness have died too, the In Flanders Fields Museum is more than ever the gateway to the First World War in Flanders. The In Flanders Fields Museum confronts the visitor with the consequences of the Great War. Old and young are faced with life and death in the Ypres front region. The exhibition with touching video projects, unique sound fragments and the most up-to-date multimedia applications immerse you in the life at the front. each visitor also receives a poppy bracelet that enables him/her to discover four personal stories of 'Joe Public' in the Great War. By logging in you can meet your peers in the war, a century ago.

Are you curious about where our current customs and traditions stem from? At the Bokrijk Open-Air Museum, you will discover how the past is inspiring our future! Come to Bokrijk and immerse yourself in the story of craftsmanship and admire our demonstrations or even roll up your sleeves and join in one of our fascinating workshops. From 6 April 2019, the Bokrijk Open-Air Museum offers you the opportunity to step into 'The World of Bruegel'. Imagine yourself actually being in scene depicted in one of the paintings you will see on the inspiring Bruegel Trail, and discover how relative his work remains today. Besides offering the art of baking bread and the history of textiles, we will also tell you all about brewing a craft beer (BKRK Beer) in our museum brewery the Paenhuys. The Open-Air Museum is located in a 550-hectare park, which is a dream environment for hikers and cyclists. Visit the Arboretum or explore the De Wijers pond area with its 'Cycling through Water’ experience.