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.

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Address

Molenstraat 12, Dendermonde, Belgium
See all sites in Dendermonde

Details

Founded: 1288
Category:

More Information

www.toerismedendermonde.be

Rating

3.9/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


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Antwerp City Hall (30,1 km)
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (27,5 km)
Cathedral of Our Lady (30,2 km)
St Nicholas' Church (26,4 km)
Belfry of Ghent (26,2 km)
Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg (27,6 km)

User Reviews

Roby Thankachan (21 months ago)
The Beguinage Museum in Dendermonde is located in the house that inhabited Ernestine de Bruyne, the last beguinage of Dendermonde. In the same building there is also a museum of folklore. In many rooms, on three floors you can get to know the everyday life of the Dendermonde residents. Building No. 11 (H. Bobnifacius) has been decorated just like an authentic beguines home. It is extraordinary that this interesting museum can be visited for free.
Joris Van Damme (21 months 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.
Virginie Cohen (2 years ago)
A very nice place to take a short break , while being in the city of Dendermonde
Lindsay Geerts (2 years ago)
Oase v rust
Laura Roelants (3 years ago)
It's a great place to learn more about local history, and the lawn is nice to spend some time on a sunny day. They also added some art pieces by a local artist.
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