Abdijmuseum Ten Duinen

About the museum

The abbey of Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Ten Duinen grew out of a hermitage in the twelfth century and joined the Cistercian order in 1138. It became one of the largest abbeys in Flanders, with about 10,000 hectares of land at the end of the thirteenth century in what are now Belgium, France, the Netherlands and England. In the sixteenth century the abbey was ruined by floods, the Reformation, iconoclasm and deliberate demolition, and it disappeared under the drifting sand. The community moved to Bruges in 1627.

In the interwar period the geographer Karel Loppens rediscovered the buried church. Systematic excavations began in 1949 and produced spectacular finds, including numerous graves. A first museum display came in 1953; in 1958 a museum was built on the Koninklijke Prinslaan, managed by a non-profit association (vzw). In 1998 the municipality of Koksijde took over the museum and the site and redesigned it (2000–2003). The ruins were consolidated and restored.

The display follows daily life in the medieval abbey as its common thread. In 2019 an overview of the building history was added, centred on the famous plan of the abbey by Pieter Pourbus from 1580. The collection consists of archaeological finds from the abbey and religious heritage. The museum lies in a park estate of about six hectares and also manages the archaeological site with the ruins and the South Abbey Mill, an eighteenth-century three-storey mill.

Highlights

• Display on daily life in the medieval Ten Duinen abbey
• Archaeological finds from the abbey, including from the excavations since 1949
• Free-to-visit abbey site with ruins and garden
• South Abbey Mill, one of the few three-storey mills in Flanders
• Film Ten Duinen 1138 in the museum's film room
• Abby & Eddy trail for toddlers and young children

Permanent exhibitions

• Permanente opstelling Abdijmuseum Ten Duinen – Daily life in the medieval Ten Duinen abbey through archaeological finds, religious heritage, an overview of the building history and the film Ten Duinen 1138.
• Abdijsite met ruïnes en tuin – The archaeological site of the former abbey, freely accessible during the museum's opening hours.
• Zuid-Abdijmolen – One of the best-preserved three-storey mills in Flanders, on the site where an abbey mill once stood; open to visit from April to September.

Founded

1958

Operated by

Gemeente Koksijde

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free for individual visitors on the first Saturday of every month, on Open Monument Day, Day of Science and Heritage Day.

The visit to the abbey site with garden and ruins is free. Residents of Koksijde, people with a birthday on the day of the visit and holders of, among others, museumPASSmusées, K-Pas, ICOM card, teacher card, press card and 365-Pas enter free. With a UiTPAS Westhoek or via Iedereen Verdient Vakantie there is a reduced rate. The collaboration with Smartbox and Bongobon was discontinued on 1 October 2026. Preferably pay electronically at the museum; book online to be sure of a place.

Accessibility

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

The entrance is user-friendly for people with disabilities and the museum is wheelchair-accessible. The abbey site with garden and ruins is harder to reach: a shell-surfaced path leads to the ruins, which usually works with the help of a companion. There is a parking space for people with disabilities right by the entrance. Together with Toerisme voor Autisme, the museum produced a free visual step-by-step plan for a low-stimulus visit; the best day for it is a Friday outside school holidays.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Baby changing facilities

For toddlers and young children there is the continuous Abby & Eddy trail. Families with children aged 6 to 12 can follow the Bert & Bert family trail during the current exhibition. There is a changing table in the museum toilets. Prams are preferably left in the visitor centre, but may come in for families with babies or toddlers; there is a lift in the museum.

Getting there & parking

If you come from inland via the E40, take exit 1a (Veurne), continue straight on the N8 to Koksijde-aan-Zee; the museum is near the second roundabout. At the entrance there is a covered bicycle shelter, without a charging point for electric bikes.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

Free wifi is available in the visitor centre (the reception building with the shop); there is no wifi in the museum rooms or on the abbey site. The museum café Het Gasterietje is only open in the afternoon in July and August (except on Mondays), with a drinks menu but no food menu. The museum shop sells books and artisan pralines. There are picnic benches on the grounds.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit