Begijnhofmuseum

About the museum

The Begijnhofmuseum is housed in the building that beguinage chaplain Johannes Mermans had built in the seventeenth century and where he lived from 1677 to 1697. In 1693 he set up an endowment, which enabled less well-off women from Turnhout and the Campine to become beguines too. After his death, eight women could live free of charge in the Sint-Jansconvent, where they received food, drink and lodging.

On 27 September 1953 the Begijnhofmuseum opened in this building. The OCMW (public social welfare centre) allowed the old objects of the beguines to be collected on the ground floor of the convent; a beguine still lived upstairs. In the beginning the museum was open only one day a week and was supported by the association De Vrienden van het Begijnhof (Friends of the Beguinage). Later it grew from two rooms into the whole front building. In 1998 architect Eugène Wauters added a rear wing, giving the museum its current size. The Turnhout beguinage has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 1998.

The collection tells how the single beguines lived and which (art) objects they owned. Highlights include the grand mistress's room, the treasury and the original kitchen with a seventeenth-century open hearth. The collection has two Vlaamse Topstukken (Flemish masterpieces): a processional and a silver salt cellar. Next to the museum lies an authentic herb garden. The Begijnhofmuseum is part of Musea Turnhout, together with the Speelkaartenmuseum and the Taxandriamuseum.

Highlights

• Two Vlaamse Topstukken (Flemish masterpieces): a processional and a silver salt cellar
• The grand mistress's room, the room of the convent's superior
• The treasury of the museum
• The original kitchen with a seventeenth-century open hearth
• The herb garden next to the museum, and the beguinage as World Heritage

Permanent exhibition

• Het leven van de begijnen – The permanent display shows how the beguines lived and which (art) objects they owned, with two Vlaamse Topstukken: a processional and a silver salt cellar.

Founded

1953

Operated by

Stad Turnhout (Musea Turnhout)

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Residents of Turnhout have free admission on the first Wednesday of every month. Admission is also free during the Brocantemarkt, Kerst op het Hof, Heritage Day and Open Monument Day.

You buy your ticket at the desk; advance booking is not necessary. Payment is possible in cash or by bank card, not with Payconiq. Free admission is available to, among others, holders of a Museumpas or Experience-pas, ICOM members, journalists and classes (also in adult, art and evening education and integration courses); teachers without a class group pay €5. A new Museumpas costs €64.95 (€12.95 with the UiTPAS reduced rate).

Accessibility

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

The museum is fully accessible for wheelchair users and visitors with a pushchair. All rooms are on the ground floor and where needed there are ramps or threshold aids; the entrance door opens inwards. On the ground floor there is a wheelchair-accessible toilet with grab rails, its own washbasin and a changing mat. Only guide dogs or assistance dogs may enter. At the reception there are free museum stools, and in the garden there are benches. Deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors can request a guided tour with a Flemish Sign Language interpreter via museumworkshop@turnhout.be (€65 plus the admission price). With a valid parking card for people with a disability you can park free in public car parks.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

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

The museum organises workshops during school holidays, such as Atelier Congé in the autumn holiday, and an art day for children. With the trail with Elly de Ekster (Elly the magpie) you explore the museum in a playful way. The museum is accessible for pushchairs, and the ground-floor toilet has a changing mat.

Getting there & parking

The museum is also easy to reach by bicycle. From the Grote Markt walk via the Zegeplein and the Begijnenstraat to the beguinage; from the gate the museum is about another 200 metres further on, on the right next to the church. From 25 August 2026 a new traffic circulation plan applies in Turnhout; check the route planner in advance.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

There is a cloakroom and lockers that take a 50-cent coin, which you get back. The museum shop has a small range on the life of the beguines and the beguinage. From May to September there are picnic benches in the beguinage.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit