St. Alex Beguinage

Dendermonde, Belgium

The St. Alex beguinage (1288) consists of 61 houses built around a trapezoidal courtyard surrounding a small church. The beguinage is an island of tranquillity in the heart of town.

Similarly to the Belfry, the St. Alex beguinage has been proclaimed UNESCO World Heritage in 1998. To keep the memory of the beguines alive, one small house (nr.11 H. Bonifacius) has been furnished as an authentic beguine's home.

In 1975 the last beguine, Miss Ernestine De Bruyne, died. Her former home (nr. 25 H. Begga) holds a museum of folklore. Spread over three floors and a great many rooms, visitors will learn about housekeeping, work and recreation in the lives of former generations.

House nr. 20 disposes of a detailed historical documentation centre with a specialized library, photographs and slides concerning Dendermonde.

References:

Dendermonde Tourism

Address

Molenstraat 12, Dendermonde, Belgium

See all sites in Dendermonde

Details

Founded: 1288
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Belgium

More Information

www.toerismedendermonde.be

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Erik Max (3 years ago)
Back to the past

Mr Van Damme (4 years ago)
Very quiet and peaceful place in the middle of the city center. Renovations are planned but not yet started. So the roads can be filled with puddles when it rains. Know that people live there so please respect their privacy. Update april 2021: renovations on the roads and surroundings are finished. The cobblestones give a very authentic feeling.

brieuc (5 years ago)
Small but very cute beguinage. However it currently undergoes a complete renovation (streets, garden, facades).

Kevin De Broe (6 years ago)
Great view

Diego Vertongen (6 years ago)
A little oasis of peace in the middle of the city. The site also contains a little museum. These is a place with a lot of history.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright medioman

Historic Site of the week

Duino Castle

Duino Castle was built by the Wallsee family in 1389 on the cliffs overlooking the Gulf of Trieste. It replaced an older castle from the 11th century. Over time, the Wallsee family disappeared and the castle, after having been used as a prison, became the residence of the Luogar and Hofer.

At the end of the 19th century it became the property of Prince Alexander von Thurn und Taxis from the Czech branch of the House of Thurn and Taxis. It remains with the family to this day with his great-grandson Prince Carlo Alessandro della Torre e Tasso, Duke of Castel Duino the current owner. The castle has been opened to the public as a museum and park.