Abby Kortrijk

About the museum

Abby lies in the historic heart of Kortrijk, on the site of the former Groeninge Abbey. Already shortly after the beginning of our era a Roman settlement stood here. The original Cistercian nuns' abbey on the Groeninge meadow was demolished around 1578 to make way for the city fortifications; fifteen years later the first stone of a new chapel was laid inside the city walls. In 1797 the French expelled the sisters; in 1845 the Poor Clares arrived, who stayed until 1978 and, among other things, baked communion wafers.

From 1993 the site was transformed in phases into a museum site. For the most recent transformation, Barozzi Veiga and TAB Architects worked together: existing buildings were stripped of later additions, the chapel and the sleeping quarters were made legible again, and a large part of the exhibition space moved underground. The new park pavilion with Abby Café is the most striking new element. After about two and a half years of work the museum opened in 2025.

Abby calls itself a playful, accessible and polyphonic museum of visual art with identity as its central theme. The municipal collections of Visual Art, Decorative Arts and City History are rich in ceramics, old masters and Kortrijk animal and landscape painters. There is no permanent display: the pieces appear in temporary exhibitions and in a collection presentation that changes every two years, the ReCollectie.

Highlights

• Former Groeninge Abbey with new museum architecture by Barozzi Veiga and TAB Architects
• Municipal collection with one of the most important ceramics collections in Flanders
• Works by Roelant Savery and other Kortrijk animal and landscape painters
• De Living: a free-access artistic living room, furnished by an artist every two years
• Abby Café with terrace in the Begijnhofpark
• Audio tour with seventeen listening points in and around the building

Permanent exhibition

• De Living van Sanam Khatibi – De Living, Abby's free-access artistic living room, furnished by Sanam Khatibi with works from the municipal collection, her own creations and a monumental tapestry.

Founded

2025

Operated by

Stad Kortrijk

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Every first Sunday of the month, 10:00–12:00, for individual visitors only.

Children under 12 and holders of a museum pass, the Pluspas of the city of Kortrijk, Experience Pass, ICOM card, press card or Abby Club membership enter free. Holders of a C'ART card receive 25% off the standard rate at the counter. Deferred tickets are available through the Applaus! network.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The building is wheelchair-friendly and all rooms can be reached with a pushchair or wheelchair. There are two fully accessible toilets with a changing table (level -1 below Abby Café and on the first floor between the Salon and the Atelier), reachable by lift and stairs. A wheelchair is available for emergencies. The museum has benches, museum stools and seat cushions. For visitors with a disability, Parking Houtmarkt is the closest. There is a step-by-step plan for visitors sensitive to stimuli, and a quiet, stimulus-free room in the Salon. Assistance dogs are admitted.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

In 2026 Abby has been approved by and for children. At reception you can pick up a free search card for the whole family, or use the Abby Family tool with thinking and doing tasks. An audio tour made by children covers nine works in the exhibition. In the Atelier you can draw yourself, and there are children's workshops. In Abby Café there are two children's chairs, and the toilets have a changing table. Children's seat cushions can be borrowed free of charge.

Getting there & parking

Cycle node 53 is in the Begijnhofpark; there is limited bicycle parking, and larger bicycles are best parked on the Houtmarkt. Coaches drop off and collect passengers on the Houtmarkt (1 minute on foot).

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Abby Café with terrace in the Begijnhofpark (Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:00, also takeaway dishes); Abby Shop with art books and gadgets (daily, 10:00 to 18:00, except Mondays). Lockers, coat hooks and mobile phone charging points at reception. Bags larger than 15 × 21 cm are not admitted to the museum rooms.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit