Stadsmuseum Bree

City museum in the attic of the old town hall in Bree, with the charter of 1007; visits by appointment only, with a guide.

Ask the museum for opening hours

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About the museum

The museum was set up in 1975 as a local history museum on the attic floor of the old town hall on the Markt in Bree. That building, the town's first town hall, also called the Gewanthuys, was built around 1591 and substantially remodelled in 1754. In 2010 the museum was expanded and given the name Stadsmuseum (City Museum).

Its best-known item is the charter of 1007, in which Bree is first mentioned in writing, then still under the name Britte. There is also a model of the town around 1700 with its town walls, old prints and photographs, household items and tools from everyday life, fragments from the archery guilds, and even mammoth tusks. Also on display are a reconstruction of a Flemish Baroque living room, a collection of pottery from ancient Egypt and Etruria, and a display case with 23 original documents from the period 1423 to 1667.

The museum can only be visited by appointment. A guide from the Breese erfgoedraad (Bree Heritage Council) takes visitors past the unique items and tells the history of Bree from prehistory to the Second World War.

Highlights

Charter of 1007, the first written mention of Bree (Britte)
Model of Bree around 1700 with its town walls
Reconstruction of a Flemish Baroque living room
Pottery from ancient Egypt and Etruria
Display case with 23 original documents from 1423 to 1667