Écomusée du Pays des Collines
Ecomuseum at La Hamaide (Ellezelles): a school of yesteryear, the Maison Louise from the 1950s and an exhibition on women's work in the countryside.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Écomusée du Pays des Collines is not a single museum but a group of several spaces, all a few metres apart in the village of La Hamaide, in Ellezelles. It invites visitors to discover how life and work in the countryside have changed since 1850.
The visit starts at the former presbytery, which houses the reception, an exhibition, the shop and an estaminet. It continues at the old school, where you can write with a quill at the original benches, and in the Maison Louise, an authentic small farm from the 1950s with its grocery shop and living rooms. There is also a room devoted to the harvest and old farm machinery, a working beehive (visible on a guided tour) and a clog-making workshop that is currently being renovated.
The permanent exhibition “Chroniques d’une servante” uses objects and testimonies to evoke local history and the work of women in former times. Every August the ecomuseum also organises the harvest festival, which has existed for more than 45 years.
Highlights
- Old school: write with a quill on the original benches
- Maison Louise, a 1950s farm with its grocery shop
- Permanent exhibition “Chroniques d’une servante”
- Harvest room and working beehive
- Harvest festival every year in August
Permanent exhibitions
- Chroniques d’une servante – Exhibition on the first floor of the former presbytery, with historical objects and testimonies on local history and the work of women in former times.
- L’école d’autrefois – Classroom of yesteryear where visitors sit on the benches and write with a quill; a neighbouring room displays old games and toys.
- La Maison Louise – Authentic small farm from the 1950s, from the grocery shop to the living rooms, to discover the way of life in “the old days”.
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €3 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2.50Seniors and residents of the Pays des Collines |
| Children & teens | €1.50free up to age 5 · €1.50 for ages 6 to 12; free for children under 6. |
| Seniors | €2.50 |
| School programme, full day (per child) | €10€9 for schools in the Pays des Collines; 4 activities with a guide, teaching pack and a small souvenir; accompanying adults free; minimum 15 children per group. |
| School programme, half day (per child) | €6Accompanying adults free; minimum 15 children per group. |
Visits must be booked in advance.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
Playful activities for young and old: grinding coffee, writing with a quill, playing old wooden games. One room of the former school is devoted to games and toys of yesteryear.
Getting there & parking
By car
Parking available
Car park opposite the ecomuseum.
La Hamaide lies between Lessines, Frasnes-lez-Anvaing and Ath, on the N529; take exit 29 (Lessines) or 31 (Frasnes) of the A8/E429 motorway. The ecomuseum can serve as a starting point for a walk or bike ride along the points-nœuds (node network) routes.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
Reconstructed estaminet on the ground floor of the presbytery, with a terrace and garden in summer. Shop selling old games, old school materials and publications about the Pays des Collines.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Self-guided visit with a leaflet about the Maison Louise and a document for exploring the village of La Hamaide on foot; the beehive can only be visited with a guide. Group visits with a bread-making workshop are possible. School programmes: Autrefois, Abeilles (March to October) and Rural. |
