Museums in Bruges

The Groeningemuseum is Bruges' foremost fine-arts museum, showcasing six centuries of Flemish and Belgian painting. Its star holdings include Jan van Eyck's *Madonna with Canon Joris van der Paele* (1436) and Hans Memling's *Moreel Triptych*, alongside Hieronymus Bosch, Gerard David, and modern Belgian Surrealists.

Historium Bruges is an immersive multimedia experience that transports visitors to the city's golden age in 1435. Through seven themed rooms with film, sets, and scent effects, it tells the story of painter Jan van Eyck and his apprentice against the backdrop of medieval trade.

The Frietmuseum is the world's only museum devoted to the history of the potato and Belgian fries. Spread across three floors of a 14th-century Genoa trading house, it traces the journey from Incan South America to the modern frituur.

The Gruuthusemuseum occupies a lavish 15th-century palace that once belonged to the lords of Gruuthuse, who held the monopoly on *gruut* — the herb mixture used to flavour beer before hops. After a €30 million renovation completed in 2019, the museum displays Bruges' applied and decorative arts across 15 rooms.

Choco-Story traces the 4,000-year story of chocolate from Mesoamerican cacao rituals to modern Belgian pralines. Housed in a 15th-century wine tavern, the museum includes live demonstrations by a master chocolatier.

The Diamond Museum explores Bruges' little-known role as the birthplace of diamond polishing. Lodewijk van Berquem, a Bruges goldsmith, is credited with inventing the scaife (polishing wheel) in 1476, revolutionising the diamond industry.

The Kantcentrum (Lace Centre) celebrates Bruges' centuries-old bobbin-lace tradition with demonstrations by lace makers, a permanent collection of historic lace garments, and hands-on workshops for beginners.

Sint-Janshospitaal is one of Europe's oldest surviving hospital buildings, operating from the 12th century until 1978. Today it houses a museum centred on six masterpieces by Hans Memling, including the celebrated *Shrine of St Ursula* (1489).

The Volkskundemuseum (Museum of Folk Life) recreates everyday Bruges life from the 18th and 19th centuries. Set inside a row of restored 17th-century almshouses, the museum features reconstructed interiors of a schoolroom, pharmacy, cobbler's workshop, and living rooms.