Historium

Visit Bruges - Jan Darthet

Historium

Step inside Historium Brugge and experience a unique journey through the glory days of the medieval city.

This interactive experience museum takes you back to 15th-century Bruges, a time when the city flourished as a bustling centre of trade, art and culture. Start your adventure with the Historium Virtual Reality, where you will be whisked back to the year 1435. Step aboard a medieval ship in the port of Bruges and sail on the old Reien, past the Waterhalle and moor in Sluis. From the crow's nest of a caravel, gaze out over the North Sea and experience Bruges from an entirely new perspective.

Continue your time travel in the Historium Story, where you wander through seven themed rooms that bring the medieval world to life. This enchanting love story follows Jan van Eyck's apprentice and takes you back to the Golden Age of Bruges, while an audio guide reveals all about this fascinating era. Climb the Historium Tower for an even more impressive view of De Markt - the central square in Bruges - and the Belfry. This 35-metre-high neo-Gothic tower offers you a panoramic 360° view of the city's most important buildings.

Visit Bruges - Jan Darthet

The market square in Bruges - Jan-Baptist van Meunincxhove (1620-1703)

With unique pieces from the collection of Musea Brugge the city's history comes to life. The showpiece is the 17th-century masterpiece by Jan-Baptist van Meunincxhove, 'The market square in Bruges'. This painting offers a rare glimpse of the Waterhalle, an architectural wonder that perfectly captures the grandeur of medieval Bruges.

Thanks to an innovative augmented reality maquette, you can now literally step into 15th-century Bruges. Using a tablet, the Waterhalle, from van Meunincxhove's painting, comes to life in an AR maquette, giving you an unparalleled glimpse of the past.

You are now looking at the Waterhalle as the renowned painter Jan-Baptist Van Meunincxhove saw and painted it in the 17th century. The Waterhalle was 100 metres in length and 25 metres wide, and capped with an immense roof structure. This was architecture like no other in the Middle Ages, comparable to today's most imposing skyscrapers! To give you a sense of scale: the Waterhalle, at 25 metres wide, was more than double the width of the Bruges Halls. Be sure to take the time to admire the details of the buildings, the vivid characters, clothing, animals and even the goods on the market stalls. Note specifically the well in front of the Waterhalle. It was part of the public wells system. This was a sophisticated network of pipes that carried fresh water from a reservoir on the city outskirts to the wells in the city centre.

De markt in Brugge – Jan-Baptist van Meunincxhove

Musea Brugge - www.artinflanders.be – Dominique Provost, publiek domein.

Demolition of the Waterhalle - anonymous master (18th century)

By the late 15th century, Bruges was beginning to show signs of decline due to internal problems such as the silting up of its port, political conflicts, and changing economic conditions. The centre of trade shifted from Bruges to Antwerp, which was better connected to the trade routes with the newly discovered world. This led to a gradual decay of the Waterhalle and the building was eventually demolished. The River Reie was routed underground. Here you can see the demolition of the building that played such a central role in the great wealth and power of medieval Bruges.

Interior view of the Bruges Waterhalle, during the demolition works between 1787 and 1789. The building's roof has already been completely removed. Behind the facades, the tower of the belfry can be seen.